THERE WE WERE, THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, AND THE PRINCESS OF POSSUM HOLLOW, SITTIN' PRETTY, AND RIDING IN HIGH, COUNTRY STYLE. IT WAS SUNDAY AFTERNOON, AND TIME TO VISIT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA, AND THAT VISIT MEANT THE PLEASURE OF RIDING IN THE BACK OF THE "GREEN HORNET". THERE WERE FIVE OF US BACK THEN, COUNTIN' MAMA AND DADDY, AND ONLY ONE SEAT, SO THAT PLACED THE "ROYALTY" IN THE BACK OF THE FAMILY'S 3/4 TON PICK-UP TRUCK THAT DAD HAD NAMED "THE GREEN HORNET". IT WAS AN APPROPRIATE NAME CAUSE' IT WAS GREEN IN COLOR, AND IT RAN LIKE A HORNET.... FLYING IN SPURTS...STOP AND START.....STOP AND START. SOMETIMES IT STOPPED, AND SOMETIMES IT STARTED, AND WE NEVER KNEW IN WHICH ORDER THE TWO WOULD OCCUR. BUT....................... THE "GREEN HORNET", WAS THE RIDE OF THE BOWYER FAMILY, NOT ONE OF CHOICE, BUT ONE OF NECESSITY FOR IT COULD HAUL JUST ABOUT ANYTHING NEEDED ON A FARM....BALES OF HAY, CHICKEN FEED, PITCH FORKS AND SHOVELS, AND ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON'S, IT WAS THERE WAITIN' IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE, READY TO ACCOMODATE US FOR A VISIT THAT WOULD TAKE US AWAY FROM THE MULTITUDE OF CHORES THAT WERE NORMALLY THERE JUST BEGGIN' TO BE DONE. MAMA, DADDY, AND MY YOUNGER BROTHER, BILLY GOT THE PLEASURE OF RIDING UP FRONT, BUT THAT DIDN'T BOTHER MY SIS AND I, FOR WE WERE RATHER ACCUSTOMED TO RIDIN' IN SUCH HIGH, COUNTRY STYLE. WE EVEN HAD TWO LAWN CHAIRS THAT WE SITUATED AGAINST THE BACK WINDOW, NEAR ENOUGH TO MAMA AND DADDY THAT THEY COULD OCCASIONALLY LOOK BACK TO SEE IF WE WERE STILL THERE. WE CERTAINLY WERN'T SCARED 'CAUSE AFTER ALL, WHO WOULD HARM THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, AND THE PRINCESS OF POSSUM HOLLOW? WE EVEN DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION, AND CONSIDERED OURSELVES IN HIGH FASHION BEFITTING OUR SELF-ORDAINED TITLES. AFTER ALL, WE HAD BEEN TAUGHT THAT SUNDAY RIDES CALLED FOR PRETTY GINGHAM DRESSES, FANCY PATENT LEATHER SHOES, AND WHITE GLOVES WITH BUTTONS ON THEM. AND TO COMPLETE SUCH GRAND ATTIRE, OUR HAIR WOULD BE SWEPT UP HIGH ON OUR HEADS TO KEEP IT FROM BLOWIN' TOO MUCH IN THE WIND AS WE HEADED DOWN THE ROAD FROM PICKAWAY TO SNOWFLAKE. OF COURSE, TO MAKE SUCH A SPLENDID JOURNEY, WE HAD TO BE SEATED, AND WE HAD LEARNED THE ART OF CLIMBIN' INTO OUR "GREEN HORNET" CHARIOT WHILE WE WERE DRESSED IN SUCH FINERY. THE TWO LAWN CHAIRS WENT IN FIRST, AND THEN WE GRASPED OUR DRESSES TIGHTLY, AS WE GAVE A HEAVE, HO JUMP FROM THE BUMPER, AND OVER THE TAILGATE. THE THOUGHTS OF THE GRAND ADVENTURE THAT AWAITED US MADE THIS TRANSITION JUST A MINOR INCONVENIENCE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE ALTERNATIVE WAS TO STAY HOME ON THE FARM WITH ALL THOSE CHORES THAT WERE BEGGIN' TO BE DONE! ONCE WE WERE ALL SEATED, DADDY WOULD GIVE "THE GREEN HORNET" THE SIGNAL TO START, AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, AND THE PRINCESS OF POSSUM HOLLOW DRESSED IN SUNDAY FINERY WOULD MAKE YET ANOTHER JOURNEY. A JOURNEY THAT WOULD TODAY BE PART OF THE SPECIAL MEMORIES OF THE YEATERDAYS OF LONG AGO. DAYS THAT INCLUDED SPECIAL RIDES IN A RATHER COMMON, ROYAL COACH. Hope you enjoy this little yarn about days that are now part of my "Second Creek Chronicles". Sheila in WV --------------------------------- Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos & more.