4-19-10...GOING HOME ON A TRAIN
I heard a train whistle this morning, a wailing mournful sound way somewhere in the distance. There is not a RR track within 20 miles of me so I don't know if the sound was carrying a long distance or whether it was wishful thinking.
When I heard it I was instantly transported back to my childhood and that old house we lived in down by the tracks. We definitely heard them then, loud and clear, mostly loud. That sound this morning coming to me across the early morning air was pure music to my ears.
I can just vaguely remember Daddy calling me and Mamma out to the back porch one morning just like this morning. He said “Just listen Clydene. That is a steam engine and this is one of the last ones you will ever hear”. “Why Daddy?” “Honey they say they have a train that will be better than this one. This train will go faster. Darn fools are gonna get somebody killed is what they are gonna do, next thing you know they are gonna say we can fly through the air like them crazy men”. Daddy was talking about the Wright Bros. And they had flown but I guess we didn't know that.
The old steam engines would come hissing and chugging down the tracks in a halo of steam and smoke and it stunk to high heaven. The whistle on it was a low moaning sound as I remember it. I don't remember a lot about it but I'll never forget my Daddy calling us out to see it.
Trains got fancier after that. And today they are fancier still. Used to we could be out in the yard when one came roaring through, we would raise our arms up and the conductor would blow his whistle. Just one short spurt so it wouldn't confuse people on the crossing just a way up. Then we'd wait till the Red Caboose got there and the Guy in it would throw out newspapers from all over for us to read. We kids didn't care about the newspapers but there would always be something wrapped up in them for us. Maybe suckers or gum. Now you would be afraid to eat anything like that for fear you would be poisoned or worse. One day the train had to stop for some reason and the Caboose was right in front of our house. That man came out on the end of the car and talked to us. Wow! Were we ever excited about that. All our friends were envious of us when we told them that story and boy howdy were we struttin' high.
Lots of things take me back home to my childhood but no time has been more needed than the trip I took down memory lane on a train this morning just as it started getting light outside. Made me feel all new again. Like I could just run up the road barefooted with the wind in my face, all fresh and happy. Not a care in the world. Nothing more healing in this world than going HOME!!! YEP!
