Skip to main content

Small Town Life

In this episode, Small Town Life . . .

With this Bonus segment, I want to address a recent comment, from a listener, posted on my Blog - On The Fly. It was this, 

"Please tell of your favorite moments growing up in Cuba, Illinois.”

That’s a great question. Hmmm, maybe we could make this a series . . .

First, let me say this, it was 1985 when I moved to California to pursue a completely transformed life as a gemologist, and educator. My blog posts over the years have focused on memories from my youth growing up in that small Midwestern town.

A few examples are:

Those documented memories are the synthesis of many years of listening to motivational tapes, Podcasts and reading books that trigger these special memories and allow me to embellish them as a writer.

So, let’s just jump right into a couple of my favorite moments not documented.

During my Jr. High years, one of my most treasured experiences was time spent with my little red beagle Pixy. What a special pup!

Every afternoon she was there to enthusiastically greet me when I came home from school. Her tail wagged so vigorously her hind end would leave the ground. She loved to run rabbits. So, I would grab my Daisy BB gun and take her to the woods.

Now we didn’t have to go very far, (about 3/4 of a mile) just cross the tracks, down the street, and into the woods. All those trips with Pixy I don’t think we ever killed a rabbit. It was simply the joy of watching her work the tracks, listening to her animated barking as she circled the woods. That image of only her tail visible, wagging above the brush, makes me smile to this day.

Another treasured memory was my regular trips to our local Post Office. Every other Saturday, with pride, I would present the money collected on my paper route to pay my monthly bill. In hindsight, this was a valuable lesson in respect and basic business practices.


Our Postmaster (Arnie Pederson) taught many of us young boys a valuable lesson during those visits. How to count money. Yes, I know that sounds trivial. You see, he would not accept a pile of money for the postal money order needed to settle our bill.


We were required to have all denominations in order. All bills face-up and facing the same way. And all the change in order from the smallest to largest value. We would wrap the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters if there was enough to warrant that.


Once we paid the bill, he would prepare our money order. It was our job to address the envelope to The Daily Ledger office, purchase the stamp, then present it to him for mailing, the money left over was our earnings for the week.


My listening friends, when you hear someone speak of Small Town Midwestern values the following comes to mind; family first, neighborly, friendly, honest folks, dedicated to hard work, integrity, and faith.


These are just two of my “favorite moments growing up in Cuba, Illinois.”  Stay tuned . . . 


This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening, see you in the next episode.

Comments

Kevin said…
I remember going to the Robertson's Standard gas station to buy a cold soda. You'd put a coin in the machine and then open the rectangular glass door to pull out your favorite soda. I would stand with my face in the open glass door to feel the cold air..no A/C back then. I'd then select my favorite beverage. But mostly I'd enjoy the cold air on my face. A/C is common place now...but not back then. Cox Corner was one of the few buildings with A/C back then and I'd be in there for hours looking at the comic books..but mostly enjoying the A/C.
September 28, 2020 at 11:25 AM
Sandy said…
I remember the mechanical horse in front of the Ben Franklin store..
September 28, 2020 at 1:32 PM
Patrick Ball said…
Kevin and Sandy, thanks for sharing. Yes, I remember both. In the summer I mowed yards for people around town. Would go to the Skelly Station and buy gas for $0.25 a gallon. yes, just a quarter. Also, do you remember the Green River drink you could get at Cox's Corner?
September 29, 2020 at 5:51 AM
Roberta Sherman White said…
Small town -Cuba had an armed robbery last pm ! Hope this finds you well . Dec 1st went for yearly mammogram & got news go on the 7th to OSF Peoria . Yes I had the c word -Cancer . I wanted you to know . Couldn t ask Michelle to let you know . I just finished radiation this past week. I should be cancer free - only time will tell .. on cancer pill . It s terrible side effects !! But I m still alive & for that I m grateful ! It s been a difficult 6 months but one finds out what’s really important in life . I went to Pekin daily for 21 days . Thought of Michelle & Harold every day ...remember your health is your wealth ... it s everything !
May 15, 2021 at 2:10 PM
Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Beyond Facts-The Deep Dive

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . .   This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholē , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...
4 comments
Read more

A Heart Full of Thanks

Oh, the thanks I could think, and the thanks I could say! For the wonderful people who brightened my day. The first one is Lori, my wife, sweet and true, Who knows just the thing and knows just what to do. She whipped up a feast with a smile and a sigh, With corn on the cob and a steak cooked “On the Fly!” My neighbor, Steve, with a mischievous gleam, Said, “No fence work today! No work, it would seem! You’ll paint with some water, some colors so bright, And sign your new painting with all of your might!" I laughed and I said, “But I don’t know that skill! I’ll slap on some paint and see what sticks still!” Then there’s my friends on the Facebook machine, The best group of readers that ever was seen! They read all my blogs and they hear my podcasts, They send all their cheer that's built to last! And Billy and Linda. A Snoopy card in the mail. A wonderful surprise that was sure to prevail! From very good friends, a delightful new tale ! But the thanks didn't stop, no, not...
1 comment
Read more

The Summer Surprise

In this special episode, The Summer Surprise . . .   Well, howdy there! It's me, Huck Finn, and lemme tell ya, somethin' special happened just the other day. We called it "The Summer Surprise.” Phew-wee! That ol' post box, it coughed up somethin' good! Wasn't no bills, nor them pesky ads, and thankfully, no regular ol' rocks neither. Nope, this here was a letter, folded up neat as a pin, looked a bit like one o' them school lockers, just sittin' there waitin' to be opened. It was from young Sierra, a mighty fine friend, and she'd gone and made some pure, honest-to-goodness artwork with her own two hands. My fingers they was all thumbs, just itching to see what kind of wild wonder she'd whipped up this time. I unfolded that paper, careful-like, you know, and bless my bare feet, there it was! A picture of a whole gymnasium and a mini-soccer field, all done up in colors that just popped. She'd used crayons and pencils, and you could tel...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Pirate's Ponderings

In this episode, A Pirate's Ponderings: Turning 69 with a Classic . . . When was the last time you were so compelled by a quest that you had your bags packed and your boots on before the first rooster crowed? For me, this summer has been exactly that, a journey where the world outside faded away and the one inside my head roared to life. I felt like that young cabin boy in training, with the vast ocean of a great story stretching out before me. My hand was on the wheel, navigating every swell, riding the waves, and eager to see what lay just beyond the horizon. This wasn't a journey across lands, but a flight of imagination that has been an exciting ride. My adventure took off on the deck of the Hispaniola as I became lost on Treasure Island . My imagination soared, and I could almost taste the salt spray and feel the ship's timbers groan as we sailed toward our destiny. Below deck, in the narrow, shadowy depths, I could smell the hearty meals Long John Silver and Jim Haw...
1 comment
Read more