Mrs. Teabody's Walk to Remember

Good Morning, Gentle Reader.  Mrs. Teabody trusts your dreams were not compromised by "American Idol" drama or the forecast for a rainy Thursday. Mrs. Teabody rose at 1:00 A.M. but was able to renew her slumber by meditation, and in what seemed the wink of an eye, it was 5:30 and time to greet the day. This morning, Mrs. Teabody is having Thai Chai and it is delightful.

On Facebook this morning, Mrs. Teabody noted that today is the birthday of Reed Runk, a fellow "Ridge Runner" whose sister Bonnie was one of Mrs. Teabody's excellent good friends, whose brother "Jimmy Dale" was as much a part of Mrs. Teabody's family during her growing up years as any of her siblings. Good people, the Runks, and thinking of them brought back a memory that renews itself every so often, a memory of a walk so terribly inconsistent with everyday life of the time that it never ceases to bring a sense of wonderment to Mrs. Teabody, involving as it did two women, Mrs. Teabody's mother and the neighbor lady, Mrs. Covert, two toddlers in strollers and various children as hangers-on, Mrs. Teabody included.

 It was a mild day, June perhaps as it was warm but not overly so when Mrs. Teabody's mother and Mrs. Covert decided to WALK to the Runk home for a  little visit pushing two toddlers in strollers. A master plan of the first order, do you not concur, Gentle Reader?  As the highway-- the "hard road" - - goes, this is a drive of more than three miles, but the usually sensible  ( but car-less) mothers had heard about a walk through the  pathless woods, through a "hollow." Nothing could be simpler. Attend.

It is hard to describe this ambitious walk without explaining the topography involved.  Clear Ridge is aptly named as it is located on a ridge and the land falls away somewhat sharply on both sides -- a drop of several hundred feet, a drop that seemed absolutely precipitous at the time. No worries with these two single-minded young mothers. They were DETERMINED. Well enough the first thousand feet or so on relatively even ground: high spirits, fresh energy, the adrenaline of an adventure. At the lane leading to Mr. Robert Brown's charming farm,  Mrs. Covert's baby buggy threw a wheel, but not to worry. Soon the wayward pin was found, the wheel put back in place and the journey continued.

All too soon the mothers were fighting a losing battle against gravity; the strollers were far too enthusiastic and the women used the side banks to slow their progress. Such harsh bumps to the toddlers met with their concomitant outrage. A mad howling emerged from  the throat of Mrs. Teabody's younger sibling, now the refined Lady Shumleywinks, and this howl was doubled in volume by Mrs. Covert's child. The June day was rapidly turning uncomfortably hotter and the walking children set about offering their unsolicited criticisms of the entire endeavor. A few stones were air borne. Harsh tones came from the mothers. From that time forward, the destination of Robert Brown's farm was met in stilly silence with only minor further incidents.

Mrs. Robert Brown offered everyone a welcome dram of cool water and cautioned against the walk to the Runks, but the two young mothers were not to be thwarted. The next leg of the journey was through pasture field, down another sharp hill and, finally,  into the woods. Inadvertent cow patty steps, a benign but fierce-looking bull, sticks ( always sticks!), and buttercup picking all played roles.  At last the pilgrims reached the cool canopy of the woods, and everyone settled down briefly for a "breather."

After a few moments' rest, the journey resumed and chaos soon prevailed. What brambles! What ruts! What gully hopping and baby buggy carrying! What insect biting! What howling out from pain, from sheer obstinance!   Gentle Reader, only Mrs. Teabody was an island of tranquility through it all if her memory serves correctly. After an interminable amount of time had passed, the "scout" sent ahead returned with the news that the Runk home was in sight. Buoyed by the knowledge, the party trekked on, arriving  in a much bedraggled but nonetheless, elated state. The mothers had achieved their goal: they had  WALKED  to Mrs. Runk's house with their children.

Stubbornness. Perseverance.  Courage. Foolhardiness. These points of character are LEARNED, Gentle Reader, and what would life be without them? What dreams would have gone unfulfilled if Mrs. Teabody and her siblings had not been part of such an outrageous but  ultimately triumphant undertaking? Indeed. And so Mrs. Teabody greets this morning with a thousand words of gratitude to mothers whose deeds match their words, whose efforts match their dreams,  and whose unbridled love matches every need. Give your children a walk to remember, Gentle Reader. Do.