This week I am on vacation so today I am doing odd jobs outside around the house. I am trimming the hedge to the north of the garage, the yearly chore that will take me all day. I asked for tuna sandwiches for lunch and brought in a cucumber and tomato from our garden to add to the plate.
And everytime I bring in a cucumber from my garden it reminds me of an event. When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I rode my bike with my brest friend Bob Gilmore all the way across town. We went to visit Noel Trunnel house, a girl we both liked (one of about 18 kids in that family). We didn't tell anyone where we were going specifically but I did tell my mom that I was going to run away for the day with Bob. As an adult now, I can imagine my mother calling Bob's mom, Jean, to see what was up.
Bob had this great 10 speed English racer and I had an unknown vintage one-speed (but at least it wasn't my sister's bike). I cleaned it up not knowing what I was doing and halfway into the ride I had no brakes. I was pedaling with all my might to try and keep up with Bob. By the time we got to Noel's I was whipped.
So we rode from our far west side of Kennewick to her far east side of Kennewick, at least a good 10 miles and hung out with her. Her mom asked, "Are you guys hungry?" We hadn't thought about food, just thought about our love interest. When she said food, we decided we were hungry. She told Noel to go into the garden to bring in a cucumber. I was amazed that they actually could grow a successful garden. We had lunch and then her mom asked, "Do you boys want a ride home?" and again I am pretty sure she had called our parents by then. So she loaded our bikes into her car and drove us and the bikes home.
The last time time I saw Noel I was in the hospital after a head-on car crash, January 1969 (on my way home from my 3rd semester at BYU and preparatory to leaving for my mission). She came up to the hospital to visit me.
But now I can grow a garden with cucumbers,
