Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s overwrought reminiscence machinery was fired up by his sister Norma’s recent mention of the “slivery oak planks,” that went to make up the stage for the country school Christmas program of their childhood. Placed across two equally slivery, long sawhorses, the planks formed the elevation for such performances as the keeper joining Willard Gonski and Alfred Handel to sing “We Three Kings–,” and Norma staring as a very young angel.
Most memorable was the year when teacher Phil Swan, just out of college and not really into teaching, had the oak stage erected early in December and spent the rest of the month rehearsing musical and drama numbers to such a degree that word got back to some of the mothers that their kids hadn’t learned anything for an entire month except how to harmonize Christmas carols.”
Phil was the son of a neighboring, musically talented farm family, and it was tough for the keeper to remember to call teacher Phil “Mr. Swan,” except on such occasions as “Mr. Swan” confiscating a comic book from the keeper and then chuckling as he read it in the back of the room while the keeper climbed up onto the slivery planks with Willard and Alfred and sang “We Three Kings,” yet one more time.
The keeper can still recall most of the words, and even though Phyllis may not request it, he plans to sing the old seasonal standby for her as part of his suffering the “slivers” of Christmases past.
Phil—Mr. Swan, would obviously approve.
