It's in the Family

The Great Flower Bulb War - by my Dad...a.k.a. Perry O. Ross

Growing up I, and most of the kids I knew, had the run of the town. At one time or another we might be in any corner of the community and I don't think I was ever afraid. Since organized activities for kids were limited in those days we had to invent or create our own entertainment. I had my best times, far greater times, in those invented activities than in the organized ones. I think I learned more too. I was never at a loss for something to do and don't remember being bored. We were often very creative.

One game that we played community wide was Army. Kids would join one side or the other and the game might last for days. Today such games are considered too violent for kids but we didn't worry about things like that back them. We knew it was just a game.

One day in the middle of one of these three-day wars we met in our garage in the morning to plan the assault on Pat Fitch's troops that were bivouacked in Saunders Park. As we were discussing our plan one of our troops arrived. It was Billy Jackson. He had a huge grin on his face. He said, “Look!” and held out his hand. In it rested a flower bulb. “Hand grenades!” he said and we all ooohed and awed. He had discovered the newly planted flower bulbs in the Clark's garden on the corner near his house.

We knew immediately we needed a lot more and went to the garden and filled our pockets and carried all we could hold. We no sooner got back to my house and my mother was on us! Now my mother didn't typically get too upset but she clearly was this time. Mrs. Clark had watched us from her house as we did our dirty work in her garden.

The punishment, besides the scolding I got, was for us to replant, as best we could, all of those bulbs under the supervision of my father and Mr. Clark.

We were impulsive kids; I guess, and sometimes did things with little thought of the implications. We really didn't think we were stealing flowers. We thought we were simply gathering ammunition for the war. That was one time our creativity didn't pay.