Thursday, January 26, 2006

Fight? Or Flight?

Today I’m posting a memory I have, that you all share. Not this exact moment but your own memories around this event. Well, maybe not Frank, Ed, and Emily. Ohhh, you were still babies, so cute!! Look at them!!
The year was, oh, I don’t know, maybe 1974? The event was campaigning for Dad for county attorney. Monica and I were pasting flyers on the windshields of cars at the state fair. I felt very important to be part of the system.
Wait! What’s that?! Over yonder! It’s a man, in big pointy cowboy boots. I am hiding behind an American made car, perhaps a big Ford sedan. This farmer has taken the flyer off his windshield and he’s placed it on the ground and smushed Dad’s face with his boot.
I am stunned. Dad was the BMOC. Every fiber in my body is wanting to stand in front of this mean man with my legs spread and yell at his big hairy face and every fiber of my being is wanting to run fast. Run Patsy RUN!

I hid, behind the Ford; it was dark blue. Didn’t move. He drove off with his wife.

For years I was shamed by my cowardice. In retrospect I think I made the right choice. He had very pointy boots and outweighed my by about 200 pounds.
OK, so what are YOUR memories of that election? And, was I older than that? What year was it?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry. I can't say that I remember that day...very well. I think that it was 1975. Not sure. I DO remember being worked like a, "dog," on that campaign. Aren't their child labor laws in Iowa?

Anonymous said...

are you sure that happened? maybe it was a memory of a dream from that time, and the guy with the boots represented your anger at having to work for The Man, who is always putting you down.

Anonymous said...

Hey, everybody...check out my prayer chain story in the section about Daisy! It's a, "must read."

Anonymous said...

I do remember having a door slammed in my face. Big, bad, mean people. We were just little kids.
I hated doing that.

P. Rose said...

Monica was that you?

Anonymous said...

Wow. I was married and gone, but I used to love campaigning. By the way, Pete used to call his nipples "Hughes buttons" after the buttons we passed out for Governor Harold Hughes.

Anonymous said...

yeah it was monica. please come to my house on the weekend of the 4th. i'll feed you a good meal.

Anonymous said...

Hello?

Okay, I get it that no one thought my, "funny," about campaigning was...funny. But, come on! You gotta read the story about my Mom's prayer chain. It's in the blog about Daisy. Go on. You can do it. Go.

Anonymous said...

I am far too young to have taken part in that event as I wasn't even born in 1974. Em.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I was gone by that campaign...but I will NEVER forget when Dad was Chair of the Kossuth Co.Dems and Gov. Hughes flew in and landed in a helicopter on the courthouse lawn...we all got to be there for the event, but (if memory serves me) Cathy was on Dad's shoulders and Gov. Hughes lauded all of his kid approval on her...she walked around for a week saying "I'm never washing my hands or face!" I was SOOOOO jealous.

Anonymous said...

I don't even remember it. Just another day in the life of the blessed oldest child.

Anonymous said...

Do you feel worthy of all that crowd worship? What's it like to be the star? Do you think the result of this incident is Mary's obseession with Bright Eyes?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a Brady Bunch episode.

Anonymous said...

The only thing that Gov. Hughes and Bright Eyes have in common (besides for me) in their hair.

Ed X said...

The only thing I remember about the election was the election night when dad lost. It was a real eye opening event for a 3 year old.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that crazy prayer chain.

Anonymous said...

Tom, if the dead kid happens to come into to Sarah's feed him some week-old mussels.