Mud Walking

     Had we known today’s outing would change how we look and feel about mud “we” might have done something different but foresight is not one of our gifts and in retrospect it is just as well.

     A spring rain drenched San Diego during the night releasing a bouquet of earthly scents into the air. I love the aroma of rain-wet sagebrush, eucalyptus trees, soil and dry grass. Rain! Rain is nature’s gift to the earth.  At the Dickman house the children were laying around in their pajamas watching cartoons on a TV video.

“Brett, Cearra have you eaten breakfast yet?” They answered no.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road. There are things to do. Places to go and things to see. Let’s get moving.” I turned off the TV. “Move it, move it, move it.”

Soon thereafter, the children were fed and hyped-up for a day out-of-doors.

“It rained last night!” I announced with glee.

“I know, I took out the trash this morning. Are we going to look for frogs today?” Brett asked.

“You bet we are. Get dressed. Wear your old clothes and shoes”.

“Okay, I will be right down.” Brett ran up the stairs chased by Shelby and Sparky. A moment later, I heard Brett laughing, he was obviously wrestling with Sparky on his bed.

[Laugh] [Laugh] [Laugh] “No, Sparky! No!” [Giggling].

“Come on Cearra let’s go upstairs and get you dressed. “Brett! Are you getting dressed?”

[Laughing] [Giggling] “Almost.”

“Don’t make me come up there…”[laughing] “Come on Cearra, shhhh! Quietly”. We walked up the stairs and entered Brett’s room.

“Ah, ha! So, this is how you get dressed!” {Busted}

“Your dog he won’t let me get dressed!” [Giggling].

“Sure Brett, sure. Come Sparky, you can eat the boy later.”

I lead Cearra into her room and dressed her in warm clothes. “Okay, Cearra in what galaxy do you have your shoes hidden?” She looked around her room as hopelessly as I did. Cearra’s room existed in two states clean and total chaos. Today it was chaos-toys, books, cloths, and dolls, were scattered all over the place. There were shoes, plenty of them, all without mates.

“What a mess! When you go to bed at night has your mother ever stepped on a land mine?”

“No.”

“Well I wouldn’t be surprised. Cearra do you have “any” old shoes?”

“I don’t know.”

I looked but I could not find any old shoes old enough to wear in the mud. We had a problem. What do I do now? I decided to buy Cearra a pair of rain boots that should protect the shoes she is wearing so our first stop was Wal-Mart. Why…because it is on the way and close to our stomping grounds.

At Wal-Mart I got Cearra a pair of bright-pink Barney boots. I tried to find boots for Brett
and I, but that was not to be. The other boots were way out of my price range. Brett and I would have to walk in our old tennis shoes. We were disappointed but we would get over it, for there were frogs to hunt and catch!

On the outskirts of Wal-Mart there was a small creek we had never explored it, could have possibilities...leave no stone unturned, when looking for frogs so our first stop was this unexplored frontier. Unfortunately, the dogs got to the place before we did and I am sure they scared off any wildlife that live in or around the area in a one-mile radius. Oh well, we looked around just the same. There was a sandy area, a muddy area, and a grassy area then there was the creek. The creek ran along the ditch of the country road and emptied into a large spillway. Brett found a dry spot of ground and crossed over to the other side of the creek. I saw him do this and immediately wanted to join him.

“ Brett, where did you cross?” I asked. He pointed the way to me. I looked and thought it was dry enough for me to cross, so I picked up Cearra and stepped on the sandbar half way across I sank up to my knees! I was dumbfounded! I put Cearra down and told her to save herself. Brett grabbed her hand while laughing at me hysterically.

“Looks like I picked a bad day to wear my new jeans!”

They were light green in color from the knees up from the knees down they had turned to a country rust-brown.

“Well I suppose I should do something,” I said half amused half-angry with myself. Brett was still laughing when I pulled one leg out of the mud using both of my hands. The suction sound made him scream with laughter.

“So, far so good,” I said.

I placed the freed leg on firmer ground then I pulled my other leg out. It came up shoeless.

“Oh, gee, whiz!”

I stepped back carefully and reached into the hole for my shoe. Brett’s laughter made me laugh.

“Well maybe I will start a new style. One never knows.”

“All right kids-what did we learn from all of this?”

I looked down at my muddy pants and laughed and so did Brett and Cearra. Now I cannot be sure, but I think the dogs laughed too so I collected my reserve and marched over to the creek with all the dignity I could muster and stood in the creek rinsing the mud from my pants and shoes. My airs made no difference to the children they still laughed. Especially when I emerged from the creek with two-tone pants.

Next I drove us all to Calaveras Lake. Were we walked down a muddy hill-those of us with balance that is…Brett and Cearra slipped and fell on their behinds so much for keeping them clean today. Better to let the games begin, mud walking was about to become an event.

The clay soil around the lake was extremely slippery in places hills were the worst. Hills where a challenge Brett and I would go up two feet and slide down three feet. Again, and again we would try always sliding down in the end. We would laugh and laugh. Then when we made it to the top, one of us would have to go back down to get Cearra. We ended up hoisting her up the hills with dog leashes strung together. It was fun!

Cearra tested her new boots out in mud puddles. Barney boots kept her shoes nice and dry for about twenty minutes. Then Cearra managed to find the deepest mud puddle in the world to walk in. When she did this, the water gushed over the tops of the boots and you can guess the rest. So much for keeping her shoes clean and dry. Now that was money well spent…NOT!

Calaveras Lake

     We followed the lower path closest to the lake. That path had several large puddles that Cearra had to walk in. Splash, splash, splash! This was fun for her until her boots collected enough clay to make an adobe hut with. Then Cearra’s walking slowed-down and came to a stop. Her feet were bigger then her body! She just stood there anchored to the ground unable to lift her legs. Brett and I had to laugh.

“Should we leave her there?” I asked.

“Why not she’ll be here when we come back…besides we will make better time without her.”

“That sounds good to me. Bye Cearra.”

Cearra was not amused. She started to scream as we pretended to walk away. We laughed, turned around and went back to get her. We scrapped the mud off of her boots so she could walk another ten feet. Then we would stop again and clean up her boots. While we were doing this I notice the biggest bullfrog I had ever seen in my life sitting just inches away from us. He just sat there thinking he was camouflage, I presumed. I waved my hand in front of the giant frog’s eyes he did not blink.

“Hay Brett! Cearra! Look over here.”

“Oh, my God!” Brett screamed and jumped back.

“That is one big bullfrog!

“Can I pet it?” Cearra asked.

“Sure go right ahead.”

She did too! That child is fearless! We watched in amazement.

“If that bullfrog had teeth it could do some damage! Look at it! It could eat a cat! I bet it weighs close to twenty pounds.”

“I wondered…Brett do you think bullfrogs have teeth?”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out.” Brett said.

Cearra continued to pet the bumpy bullfrog on the head. It was one of the queerest things I have “ever” seen...A toddler petting Godzilla.

“Wish I had a camera. No one will ever believe this!” I said.

During Cearra’s close encounter with Mr. Bullfrog he did not move, blink or swallow her arm up to her elbow to Brett’s and my relief.

“We better not temp fate…I suggested we move along.”

We left the bullfrog where we found him and walked off. We all took one last look at him and yelled, “Bye frog-ee!” Down the path we walked, stopping one last time to say good-bye, but this time he was gone.

The frog ponds were full of winter rain and nothing else. That was a disappointment. We came all this way for nothing! Well we did have fun slipping and sliding in the mud so it was not a total loss. I would have liked to stay longer but the weather was getting nasty. Dark clouds were gathering west of us and it looked like another shower was heading our way.  

“Looks like another storm is coming kids, we better head back. We do not want to be out here if there is lighting. I do not think your mother would appreciate me bringing home crispy critters. Come on let’s get going.”

     We hurried back to my truck slipping, splashing, sliding, and falling all the way. We laughed until our sides hurt. Then we came to a small muddy embankment. For some reason we could not make it up that hill. I put a leash on Sparky and he pulled me up the hill. Then I tied the dog leashes together and tossed one end down the hill to Brett.

“Brett! Hold onto your sister, I’ll pull both of you up!” They fell several times before I got them to the top. What a mess! A mother’s nightmare! I got them into the truck and it started to rain.

I drove back to the house and removed the kids muddy boots, shoes, and socks on the front porch. Then I unlocked the front door.

“So far so good. Here’s the plan, we make a mad dash through the living room, turn left in the dining room, run down the down the hall, avoiding the hutch and enter the bathroom. Once in there you will strip, bath, and dress in the clothes I have laid out for you. Got it?”

“Yes.” Brett and Cearra answer.

“On the count of 3. 49-36-14-3!”

I open the door Brett dashes in followed by Cearra.

“If all goes as planned I could have you both bathed, and dressed before “Fee-fi-fo-fum” gets home.”

Suddenly a deep booming voice brought us all to an abrupt stop.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! WHAT ARE YOU ALL UP TO?” Jack Dickman inquired.

E-gads! Busted! He’s home early! Act natural, I ushered the kids behind the couch. Maybe he won’t notice, it’s our only defense.

“Why are you three running barefoot through the house?”

Cearra looked over the back of the couch and answered her dad.

  “Our shoes are muddy.”

“Cearra come here.” Cearra walked around the couch and started into the living room.

“No! No! Stop! Never mind! Stay where you are! Cynthia! What did you do to my daughter?” [This is a standard question around the Dickman house.]

“Ah, we were out looking at the frog pond.”

“In the rain?”

“Yes, it was only a light drizzle.”

And…”

“And there were no frogs...”

“And…”

“It looks hopeful. Soon the frogs will be breeding again.”

“And…”

“Ah, we had to sort of step in mud to get to the frog pond.

“And…”

“We slipped a lot.”

“It looks like you rolled Cearra in the mud.”

“Oh, that. She fell twice.”

“Cynthia!”

“Well she fell coming and going, but she didn’t hurt herself.

She landed on her butt. You know, it is pretty slippery out there.”

“And…”

“It’s just a little mud. It’ll wash out.”

Under my breath-

“In a week or two.”

“A little mud? My daughter looks like Road Island.”

“Taking a bath will take care of that…”

“I don’t know about you sometimes.”

I look at Jack Dickman innocently and said, “I would love to talk, but I really should get Cearra out of these wet-muddy clothes. Excuse me.”

With that said, I picked up “Road Island” and carried her down the hall to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Brett ran upstairs to use the shower in the other bathroom. I undressed Cearra and got her into the tub.

“That was a close one, we got off pretty easy considering the circumstances. Did you have fun?”

“Yes. Can we mud walk tomorrow?” Cearra asked.

“Sure we can.” I bathed Cearra and got her into her pajamas. We walked out into the living room.

“Here she is good as new. Did you know Cearra has a made in Japan mark on her butt.” [Laughing to myself]

[No answer]

Cearra ran over to her father, crawled up on his lap, and snuggled against him.

I gathered up the dirty clothes and shoes and rinsed them out in the yard. Then I did a load of laundry and went home. In years to come, mud walking evolved into a game of skill, balance, surefootedness, and competitive competition. Win at all cost; it is the American way. The rules are simple; first, one up a muddy hill wins-anything goes. Winner gets to hose down the losers and that is all there is to it.

The End

Written By: Cynthia Ellis Martin

Date: April 12, 1996

Copywrite © 2001 Visions West Inc. All Rights Reserved

 Principle Characters

Brett Dickman age 11

Cearra Dickman age 4

Jack Dickman-father of Dickman children

Cynthia E. Martin-forty something: the storyteller and Dickman’s baby-sitter.

Shelby Dickman - dog

Sparky Barky Martin - dog

Setting Dickman house, Vista, Calaveras Lake, San Diego County,

California. Year: 1996

Last Updated: 03/14/02 08:29:20 AM