Childhood Memory: #7 Challenge Completed

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When I was about four years old, we lived out in the country in a big old farm house in West Virginia. We only lived there one year, because my older brothers had to walk two miles to catch the school bus. It was a bad winter and Mom kept them home most of the time. The truant officer came to visit, but he got stuck in the mud and when he finally arrived at the house, he told my mother that he didn’t blame her for not sending the boys to school when the weather was bad. They both were held back that year though and had to repeat that grade. However, my oldest brother became an Electrical Engineer, graduating from West Virginia University. And my other brother became a Physician’s Assistant. So, missing that year of school didn’t hurt much. In fact, it may have helped. My mother told me this story about that bad winter. But, MY memory from that house, was that the creek on the back of the property could be set on fire. Yes, there was enough oil or gas or whatever it was floating on the water to set it on fire, and my brothers loved setting it on fire, although they had been told to stay away from it. I remember watching the flames dancing on the water. I have never researched this strange phenomena, but I recently brought this memory to mind and have wondered how it was possible. Maybe someone out there knows the answer. In the meantime, I’m going to try to find out.