Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Pastoral Wandering and Wondering


Thus far this week, all my photographs are of farmland in neighboring counties.  Today is no exception.

That field above is near Freeport.  See yesterday's post for the relevance of Freeport Landing to the Chesapeake Bay family.  

I promised myself I was not going to mention that German ancestor leaping off the boat again. Not once.

The shots below are from the Shackelfords area.

I spent first through sixth grade at Gloucester Day School (now Ware Academy, formerly my grandmother's store and my mother's home) with a boy whose last name was Shackelford. One day in first grade I chased him through the playground until he tripped and fell.  In his moment of weakness and embarrassment, I kissed him.

He looked mortified. 

Whether it was from the fall or from the kiss was never made clear. 

Something I'd like to make clear is that I kissed him on his cheek.  

And then I ran away. Mortified.


Please enjoy these bucolic scenes.



I am intrigued by the word "bucolic."  I sort of like it, and often find myself repeating it over and over again for no good reason.  But if I dwell on it too terribly long, it reminds me of "colic,"  which reminds me of another boy whose cheek I kissed many times.

A tiny boy who also had a look of mortification: Chesapeake Bay Son as an infant.  With colic.

It was not bucolic.

It may, however, have been "broccol-ic," which loosely translates into "brought on by eating the wrong thing."


This week, barely halfway over, has been brutal.  The next month or so ahead promises to be equally chaotic.  Whenever I am giddy from exhaustion and stress, posts become riddled with ridiculosity and words such as ridiculosity colic appear in the same sentence as bucolic.

For the one reader who might still be awake might be wondering if Chesapeake Bay Woman hasn't finally gone off the deep end, rest assured she has she's just tired and her brain works in delerious ways.

Now, to divert attention from this ramshackle post, a few questions for you, my one remaining reader:
  • The Shackelford boy from the first grade is my first memory of kissing someone.  What were the circumstances surrounding your first kiss, even if it was only a peck on the cheek?
  • Do you have any stories to share that involve the word bucolic?  How about colic? Frolic?
  • Happy Wednesday. Are we done with this week yet?

    18 comments:

    Maria_NJ said...

    Ya know I do remember someone from my first grade also...we were like two peas in a pod...we never left each others side, I remember the teacher remarking about it also, I still recall his name, Arthur. And then one day I went to school and he wasn't there any more, the teacher told me he had moved away. Gosh looking back on that now, I hope that was the case and that she wasn't sparing my feelings. She gave me his test paper as a remembrance.

    what were the other questions...

    I had a friend whose son was colic and she would have to keep the vacuum running so he would not cry and sleep. I think she burned the motor out of two!!!

    wv:ficha: I got up early is time to ficha nother cup of coffee...

    Ann Marie said...

    First kiss??? I don't remember yesterday!
    I know who the boy was you wrestled to the ground and slobbered on.. I am mortified too.. (giggle)

    I miss you.. delirious or NOT.

    Bethie said...

    I can't remember anything. Have a great day!! LOL!!!

    Mental P Mama said...

    Wait. You were always a wanton hussy?

    Jamie said...

    First time I kissed a man-pig was back in elementary school on the way home from the Jump-Rope-a-thon in the back of the family van. I was known as the "Queen Bee" back then by all the moms because I was "one of the guys" and usually the only girl at the birthday parties(I even got invited to a sleepover where my mom picked me up before the sleepover part happened). Anyway, Benji, my first love said he had a secret to tell me, leaned in and kissed me- on the ear because I turned my head to hear the secret.

    I had a horse that got colic every time there was some type of weather event- like blizzard, sleet, ice storm events that make it impossible for vets to get to your house so you're outside walking a horse in the middle of the night in a blizzard, ice storm, etc.

    Why does bucolic mean pastoral when it sounds like someone coughing up something? And it reminds me of bubolic- such a nasty plague...

    I didn't sleep which is the excuse for my rambling this morning

    growing wild on waverly lane said...

    The word "pastoral" sends me directly to a "Droopy" the dog cartoon in which he protects a flock of sheep from a wolf who uses sheep disguises to blend in. But that's just me.

    Free association is very good therapy. Colic, Colitus, coitus, coiled dimensions...how did I get there?

    My first kiss was my father's male cousin, who unceremoniously kissed every female within reach of his lips. And he struck fast. I forget his name, mercifully.

    My first actual man-pig lived up to his pigness in every way. It wasn't great. As I recall, I gargled a lot afterwards.

    wv: ATERSHER. Allergies need Benedryl and tissue.

    Daryl said...

    Was it Ted Shackelford .. the actor?

    The park was buccolic (I wonder is that a cross between broccoli and cholic?) this Sunday .. probably is every day even when I am not there... I slept through philosophy ...

    Maria_NJ said...

    man-pig !!! hahahaha

    gotta love you gals....

    deborah said...

    I am forgetful today (since my hubby is sitting right next to me:))
    Today is Hump Day -
    I'm still here, reading every word!

    Meg McCormick said...

    I don't know if it was my first kiss, but I do remember the big deal in 7th and 8th grade, at the end of the day, it was something special to meet up with your sweetie, hold hands and walk out the hallway to where the exit for the buses was, and pause next to the stairwell for a quick (or not!) kiss before exiting the building. I am trying not to think about how my one son is older than I was then and my other one is in 7th grade and who is he kissing???

    Kay L. Davies said...

    Bucolic: early 16th century via Latin from Greek: boukolos (herdsman) from bous (ox)
    Colic, on the other hand, comes from 'colon' via Latin and French.
    @ Maria_NJ - Very sad about Arthur.
    @ Wild on Waverly - Re: free association: anyone who can make the jump from colitus to coitus is an optimist.
    Well, that's enough of that. First kiss, first grade? I "liked" a boy named Michael. As far as I recall, no kissing was involved. I moved to the other end of town after that. We went to the same junior high (I don't believe we ever spoke), but I graduated from a different senior high.
    Fast-forward 10 years from junior high, and almost 300 miles, to a British-car-repair shop where I'm waiting with a friend so I can pay for engine work on my younger brother's elderly Jaguar. My friend gets up to walk around a bit, then comes back to say, "See that guy over there? He wants to know if you're Kay Davies. He says his name is Mike."
    Haven't seen or heard about him since, but I'm pretty sure he's still alive, because I have a childhood friend who sends me obituaries of our contemporaries.
    -- K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

    Anonymous said...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTqsILumkjY&feature=related



    mer

    Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

    Oh, Mer, thank you so much. After the day and week I have had thus far, I really needed some comic relief.

    Thank you all for playing along!

    Hannah said...

    Hmmm...first kiss was ...gasp...at church! Your pictures bring peace to my soul. And prilosec helps with my colicky propensities! :-)

    Anonymous said...

    CBW--you are developing a big fan base on the Blog Cabin site. "bucolic" makes me think of the Fabulous Beekman Boys one of whom wrote a book about their buying an 1802 mansion and farm in NY State, titled "The Bucolic Plague". Will read it soon. Wild on Waverly: LOL
    Kay L. Davies, re your comment to Wild on Waverly : ROFLMAO.

    Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

    I have CRS...cant remember $h!t. And I dont think Little T was ever colic. What day is it?
    <><
    WV inansiti
    I've been in an siti lately!
    I know..it makes no sense to me either.

    Bluebird49 said...

    Since my husband did not live near you--I know you weren't the one...but he was THROWN to the ground in the first grade and kissed by a girl he remembers whose name was AnnieLynn. I would so love to find her, just so I could surprise him with her someday--I've heard so much about that kiss. It may be the only kiss he ever got that he (says!) he didn't like.

    Wait a minute...I've just thought about that. I think he's probably been snowing me all these years. That man loves women! How could he not love her kiss as much or more than anyone else's ---including mine!

    Yep--I'm very naive....but I don't have to be just plain stupid.

    Country Girl said...

    I am a bucaholic. I think I posted about it once. I'm addicted to bucolity and yes, I know it's not a real word.

    My first kiss was in first grade. My boyfriend's name was Michael Newman and we were in love. He kissed me while I sat on his swing and asked me to marry him. I said yes.

    It was not on the cheek.