I don't know about everybody else but I was glad when we started the 8th grade at the old Cordele High School building. I liked going to a real school after that year at the Armory. Naturally, I would really have liked to stay home. And some days, I did.

On one of those some days I found a paperback book on the top shelf way in back of the living room closet. I don't remember what I was looking for but I do remember what I found. The book. It was "Peyton Place" written by Grace Metalious in 1956.

Back then "Peyton Place" was considered very adult reading and, apparently, Mama didn't want me to get ahold of it and I never told her.  After that I would sneak the book out to read until I read it all up.  Any time I could, I would.                      
                                         
                               And then they made a movie about it.

The school consolidation brought Junior Rebel and Senior Rebel students from Arabi, West Crisp and East Crisp Schools. A lot of  "city Rebels" got to meet a lot  of "country Rebels "and a lot of "country Rebels" got to meet a lot of "city Rebels". Of course,  some of the "city Rebels"were also "country Rebels", having once lived in the country too, at some time or nother and vice versa.. See??

I knew some of the kids from West Crisp School because I was in the 4th grade there. During the Summer of '53 we moved into a little unpainted house, with a tin roof and cracks in the floor, on my Daddy's family's farm. That was in the south part of Crisp County about halfway between Arabi and Smoaks Bridge.

 About a quarter mile from Hwy 33 was where I met the school bus in front of my Uncle's house. There was woods on both sides of the road and the walk to meet the bus was just a little spooky. There was always some noises coming from somewhere. And there was the thoughts about the panther I used to hear the grownups talking about. I wasn't real scared though. Really.

I only went to West Crisp that one term and my teacher was my cousin, by marriage. Her's, not mine. I had several 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins in that area and I had no idea that we were kin until later years. I ain't sure if 4th cousins count as kin or not. Anyway, if you get right down to it , if two people that lived in Crisp County back then weren't kin, they probably were both kin to somebody that was kin. Unless one of 'em moved in from someplace else.

Just after Christmas that year I went to live with my Mama's Daddy and Mama, just outside of Crisp County in the southwestern part of Dooly County. I still went to West Crisp School though and I got to get on and off the bus right in front of the house. 

I used to play in the woods behind the place and never even once thought about a panther.

While staying with my Grandparents I would get in from school, right in front of the house, run inside, pee, change into my old clothes, make a peanut butter sandwich, crunchy style, sometimes with jelly and always with a big glass of milk (from the cow),  just in time to turn on the radio, huffnpuff, and  listen to "The Lone Ranger" on the radio while I ate my sandwich made with Merita Bread (The Lone Ranger's sponser). 

Then I had to do my homework. I usually didn't have much left to do because a lot of us would get a good start on it while riding on the bus. If I still had some left at suppertime It was just a little bit and I could finish it on the bus in the morning.

One thing I remember about the bus ride was that W.G.'s older sister would have real bad stomach aches a lot of days and would lay down in the seat. Her problem was later determined to be appendicitis.

At West Crisp, during recess, they would open the concession stand at the gym and us kids could buy a little candy if we had some change.  But you better get it gone before you went back inside.

Sorry about getting side tracked but I'm writing this as It comes to me and then I go back and rearrange it, if necesary, to make me happy with it.

The first thing I remember about the 8th grade, besides all the new faces, is that, for some reason, I was encouraged by somebody to join the band. I can't remember who it was but I'd like to take this opportunity to thank that somebody. 

There were several of us in the room where Mr. Lail had all the insturments displayed. After talking with us for a while about the differences in the mouth pieces and stuff, he suggested that we pick up the ones that seemed to interest us and to play with'em a little and then try another.

I think all the boys wanted either the trumpet or the drums. The girls wanted a sax or a clairinet, mostly. We made a lot of racket and had a lot of fun doing it. I think Ms. Blizzard came by a couple of times and complained that she was having trouble thinking. 

Ms. Blizzard was the teacher that lived up to her name. I was in her English class for 2 or 3 days and got transfered to Ms. Griffin's class in order to balance the number of students. I sure was glad to be a part of that balancing act.

Anyway, after a couple of days fooling around with different insturments we all finally got settled on one that seemed to best fit us. 

I took the trombone because it was easier to blow than a trumpet and I need all the help I could get since I had asthma and like an idiot I snuk around and smoked a little along with some of my friends. I never did get really good on the thing but I sure did try. I guess I was good enough to stay in the band. All in all it was a whole lot of fun and being in the band is one thing in my life I would not change.