Barefoot Memories of a Hillbilly - Bag of Tricks

Bag of Tricks

We, one at a time, slipped on a sock and stood on the sheet of cardboard that had once been the back or side of a box of cheap cereal or some other box Mom had gotten from the store. Mom would lay a straight edge along the back of our heels and tallest point of our toes. Next she moved the edge to the sides of our foot marking its widest points. She then slid her pencil around our foot creating a perfect outline of our footprint. Carefully she would use her scissors to cut out the outline as perfectly as possible and the slide it into her purse for safe keeping. She would carry these along with her for the next month as she was out shopping for school supplies. As she encountered school shoes of a reasonable price, she would get out these patterns and slide them in and out of shoes in search of a perfect shoe for each print. Kinda like Prince Charming with a glass slipper, but with a whole lot fewer headaches.

Unlike Mom, Pap carried few things in his "wallet," a couple dollars, a newspaper clipping, and a couple pictures, one of which was a portrait of Mom on their wedding day. That picture was placed there from just weeks into their marriage, and the same picture was in his wallet the day he died, nearly 65-years later. He would occasionally get it out and gaze at it, and reflect aloud she was just as pretty now as then.

I'm always amused to think of what Mom carried in her purse in the name of her kids and her spouse. At various times thru the year, you'd find foot prints, shot records, safety pins, a dry washcloth, extra hankies, addresses, phone numbers, assorted change, lists of farm purchases, appointments, Asprin, directions, a tape measure, a small set of eyeglass tools, a couple small wrenches, a pocket knife, and on and on. I swear, there were times I believe she could have produced a baccer cutting knife and spear if you'd asked. You see, Mom's purse wasn't just a pretty bag she hung on her arm with a powder compact and tube of natural lipstick. Mom's purse changed over the years, having been everything from a diaper bag to a toddlers entertainment center, a school child's needs kit, to a tailor's sewing center, to a small appliance repair kit to a first aid kit, and a silverware drawer.

Mom's purse was pretty much reflective of her wedding vows, it's content reflected times of better and worse, and certainly times of richer and poorer. As her marriage evolved thru different stages, the contents of her bag did too, to meet those changes. And, as for Pap, his wallet too reflected their marriage also, to love and honor, till death did they part.

I wear shoes now, but sometimes I have barefoot memories.