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Part 11 - Captain Keith, Pirate of
the willows
At the end of every summer, kids start to go a little crazy. They
don't want to go back to school, but, they are toxically bored and
stir crazy. When I was about ten, my backyard had three willow trees
(actually four trees as two of them grew together). Willows
are not the most sturdy trees but they are still good to climb and
quite springy. They all thrived on the leakage from our septic tank
which provided them with lots or nourishment courtesy of our frequently
used toilets. So, you are probably asking yourself, "what the hell
do willow trees have to do with bored kids and the end of the summer?"
I am getting to that, boy you're impatient. You ought to slow down,
bucko. You'll end up having a heart attack from stress and you'll
blame me for writing this story.
Ok, where was I? Oh yeah, willow trees. The other thing that happened
at the end of the summer was a fairly drastic change in weather.
After sweating like pigs and spending most of our time in our above
ground pools, we caught a break when the weather got a little cooler
due to a bunch of wind that seemed to show up at the end of August.
I have always had an active imagination and spent a lot of time
reading under those willow trees. I guess that is where I got the
idea that they were not just willow trees, but, tall ships at sea,
sails billowing in the slow, hot wind of summer. Climbing as high
as I could and holding on for dear life as the wind blew the branches
to and fro, I became Captain Keith, the bearded pirate and scourge
of the seven seas. Hanging from the mizzen mast, shouting into the
wind, "Ahoy maties" and swinging a long branch as a sword. Ah,
those were the days my friend. To this day, when a strong winds
starts kicking up and trees start swaying, I get a faraway look
in my eyes and I am back on the high seas searching for ships to
plunder and bootie to bury. Captain Keith, Pirate of the willows!
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