I had planned to start the "relative" posts off with an entirely different story but one came to mind that would give you an idea of just how hilarious and spontaneous and well, how testosterone filled my father and my uncle were. Yes, you all know what I mean by that and if you don't (sure you don't) you will by the time I finish my little story.
This little story is about how I got my ears pierced at about (about mind you) the age of 10ish. I along with my older sister had voiced our desire to have our ears pierced after all everyone was getting them pierced. Mom and Aunt Susan even had theirs pierced, EVERYBODY had their ears pierced. You know the drill, lots of drama lots of begging. My sister was a couple of years older than I and was better at it than I was. I had two girl cousins that wanted their ears done two. Then their were the "babies", my younger sisters and the one younger girl cousin. That was seven girls that NEEDED their ears pierced.
Back in the day, you know, the 1960's, the stone age, you got your ears pierced at the doctors office, it was a procedure. It was a big deal and was quite expensive. Well, seven girls, four of which were in my family would be out of the question. At least that was what we were told. My mother and Aunt Susan put their collective foot down and said, "no." So we moped about because as you can imagine we were the only human females on the planet that did not have pierced ears.
It wasn't too long after the moping began that my mother and aunt planned a shopping day for the two of them and left us to be watched after by our two fathers. We lived next to one another and both men had been police officers for a number of years and were of high intelligence. Our mothers were confident in their decision to leave us in the care of our fathers. They had, after all, left us in their care with a successful outcome before.
Once the mothers left and we nine children were playing outside, seven girls, two boys, the fathers did what ever fathers do. At least we children paid no attention to them because we were behaving and having a great time as usual playing with one another. (As usual playing with one another not necessarily as usual behaving, lol) After a while out fathers called us up to Uncle Bobby's house where they had been visiting together and asked us girls if we wanted our ears pierced. Of course we jumped up and down and shouted "yes" repeatedly. So, they gave us the plan. They laid it out thusly, All the children would go over to my house next door and wait by the phone until called. Uncle Bobby and dad would prepare the necessary "tools" for the job and call when they were ready. We were all so excited so we rushed right over to my house and excitedly waited for the phone to ring. All the girls chatted excitedly and the boys couldn't wait to see our new ears.
At my uncles house my father and he heated a sewing needle with a lighter to sterilize it, washed and skinned a potato, found two clothes clips and prepared a bowl of ice, these were the "tools" they needed to prepare for the process.
My father or Uncle Bobby called the house and had the oldest girl, my cousin Vickie, go over. We did not know any of the details of her ear piercing because she did not return, next the phone rang again, my sister Vickie was called over and the same result, she did not return. Excitement built, the girls were getting their ears pierced, the phone rang again and I was the next oldest, it was my turn, I was called next door for my turn. I went over with all the enthusiasm of a girls whose dream is about to come true. I entered the back door into the kitchen where I was ushered into a seat. My father put two clothes pins on my earl lobes to numb them. Let me tell you before they go numb the nerve endings object rather strenuously. After he decided they were "numb" he took one of the pins off and my uncle swooped in with a potato behind the ear and stuck that needle through my earlobe before I knew what was happening. I let out a scream that sounded like someone had stepped on a cat. Oh my stars did it hurt. My dad said, "if it hurts I can put some ice on it for you." As I sat crying Uncle Bobby goes to do the other ear right off and I start to object and they use logic on a poor traumatized little kid, "but you will look all lopsided, you need to get this one done too". No, it did not occur to me that I could just let the one grow up. If it had I would have never proceeded. I don't know who came up with this logic but it worked, I cried but I let the second one be done.
After the massacre of my earlobes, which later gave me great joy and pleasure for 45 years, they sent me up the stairs to my cousins room which was the furthest room from the kitchen and sent for the next victim, uh hum , cousin to pierce her ears, Julie, her experience much he same as mine and the others huddling in the same room.
To our surprise the mothers came home before the "babies" (who were not babies at all and are still called babies even though they are in their 50's now) were sent for and they put an immediate and permanent stop to the ear piercing factory. Those men were scolded like the bad little boys that they were. I think they were satisfied though that they had gotten as far as they had. They didn't seem a bit sorry and I caught them laughing about it on occasion after a while had passed.
This is the kind of thing that happened when you left my father and my uncle together for too long with nothing to do but think. They were a barrel of fun as were the cousins. I have Lots of cousins:
Fredda, Bill, Penny, Lynn, Brenda, Jamie, Elesa, Joseph, Vickie, Russell, Julie, Tommy and Paula. A few Uncles: Jimmy, Buck and Bobby and a few Aunts: Noresa, Naomi, Sandy, Jeanette, and Susan not many of the aunts and uncles are still with me here but every single one are always with me in my heart.
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