A SHORT STORY

I was FAST in kindergarten. I outran every boy. I had to. They'd kiss me if I didn't. Those were the days when kids could be kids.

I remember Mrs. Giles first grade class doing a Columbus Day program. I sang a duet with Bonnie Bingley. "Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in fourteen hundred ninety two."

Bonnie was shorter than me for a little while. So was Vanette Ryan. Then Bonnie grew. I was second shortest kid clear through high school. So, I got to play Michael in the play, Peter Pan when I was a Sophomore. I wore a wig because I had long hair. I looked pretty cute carrying a teddy bear and wearing footed pajamas.
On our performance for the elementary students, I flew off the bed toward the audience and my cable got caught on Wendy's cable. I began spinning around and around about eight feet off the ground while Wendy hung limply below me. Tiger Lily broke her ankle that day too when she fell off the stage.

I did a humorous reading " Eloise" at state drama meet and other meets around the state. I was a city child and I lived at the Plaza. I had a turtle named Skipperdee and he wore sneakers and ate raisens. I liked to scratch his back with a wire hanger...."

I was also a Cinderella type character named April in a skit for our Junior Prom assembly. I had a fairy Godfather that carried a violin case. I had two dimwitted step brothers and my fairy Godfather was so inept that he blew me up at the end and there was nothing left but "Pieces of April". That was our Jr. Prom themesong.

I was in drill team. We were the Waspettes. Vanette and I had to be at the front of two lines marching on and off the field. We tried having the tall girls lead. Vanette and I looked like two little kids chasing after the big kids saying "Wait for me." We were lovely. We wore go-go type black knee high boots and our hair had to be up in a bun. 70's all the way.

Our colors were Black and gold. Wasatch Wasps. Say that one a few times really fast. Our football stadium and track was out behind Cyril Hicken's barn. Air quality was tolerable unless the wind blew west. Fresh manure smell wafting through the air..... the smell of football and track meets.

I was in a barbershop quartet that was pretty good.We sang at the talent competition at the Utah State Fair after we won at the county level. We even sang on TV a couple of times on the Salt Lake KSL TV station; once for a March of Dimes Telathon and once on the Eugene Jelesnik, amature hour. We started singing when we were in the 5th grade. We had some pretty tight harmonies. We were 13 years old when we got on TV. Melodee Clark sang tenor. I sang lead. Jane Rasband sang baritone. Carolee Bethers sang bass. Merle Rasband, my aunt was our teacher and trainer.