Donald Adams Childhood Memories
By Tammy Adams Ellison

Writing down the stories that you heard as a child, about people you never met, is a challenge to which I fear I am not equal.  I will give a few of the stories a try and see what happens.

My daddy, Donald R. Adams, was not shy about telling us his childhood goofs.  One that I remember hearing at least a hundred times was an excellent lesson in consequences.

Daddy and a cousin (Clarence, I think) were about eight or nine years old and bored.  In looking for something to pass away a summer day, they started target practicing.  A fence post was the target and rocks were the ammunition.  This would not have caused a problem if their aim had been better.  My Grandma Flora’s milk cow was in the way of one particularly determined effort.  She bellowed in a way that had Grandma’s Daddy running from the garden to see what was after the cow.  

When Daddy and Clarence heard their Grandpa running towards them, they started running away.  This, of course, was the clue needed to know exactly ‘what’ had been after the cow.   So, Grandpa started chasing the boys and yelling, “Running will only make the strap hurt more!”

Before the boys got to the ‘safety’ of the woods, their Grandpa fell.   His hip and his ankle broke in the fall.

Clarence stayed with Grandpa while Daddy went for help.  

Grandpa was not much help in the garden that summer, but he had two very serious helpers to take his place. 

Daddy never told that story without tears in his eyes.  They did not get ‘the strap’ for running from punishment, but I don’t think either boy ever forgot the price of running from your mistakes.