So, Landon and I have been working in the shop, gluing up boards for furniture and sweeping up sawdust so the shop doesn't get too dirty. Landon spends most of his time playing in the shavings but also likes to use the dustpan to clean up little piles of sawdust as I sweep up around the shop. It seems that, after building a bow or two, the shop gets pretty messy and everything is out on the worktables, which makes it difficult to start a new project. It always takes me the biggest part of a day to get everything back in its proper order.
Landon helps with the sweeping and carries trash to the trashcan. When he uses the dustpan, he struggles to get the pan set at the correct angle to sweep the shavings into it but eventually does get most of them picked up. Sometimes, in his efforts to sweep trash into the dustpan, he scoots the pan backward on the floor, maybe in an arc of five feet or more. The trash he leaves behind is like a signature. I think I would recognize it anywhere.
So, we're working and Landon says, "Some of the girls have secret pals."
"We could be secret pals and this could be our secret clubhouse," I said.
"Yeah, and we could have a secret password that only we know, and nobody else could come in the shop unless they know the password."
"Ok," I said, "What should our secret password be?"
"I know," Landon said, "I think the password should be 'catfish.'"
"Catfish? Why catfish?" I asked him.
"Because sometimes we sneak off to Harp's and get a piece of catfish and some hush doggies and we don't tell anybody. It's our secret."
"Oh yeah," I said, "I had forgotten about that."
"I like catfish and I really like hot doggies."
"Do you mean hush puppies?" I asked him.
"Yes, hush puppies," he said. "I love hush puppies."
"And what is the password?"
"Catfish," he answered promptly.
"And who can come in the shop?"
"Just you and me, Papaw, and Daddy if he wants to."
"What about your sisters?" I asked him, "What if one of them wants to come in the shop?"
"They won't be able to," he said. "It's just for boys."
"What if one of your sisters cries? Will we let her in then?"
"No, Papaw, it's only for boys. Daddy can come in if he wants to and my friends can if they want to, but no girls."
"But how can your friends come in if they don't know the password? Oh, they will come in with you, won't they? And you can just say the password real quiet so they don't hear you."
"Yeah, but I can tell my friends the secret password if they promise not to tell anybody."
It was time to take Landon home, so I had him pick up his toys and tools and put them away. The next afternoon I stopped in at my son's cabinet shop. Landon was there and came running when he saw me. He asked his dad if he could go with me to my shop. We drove up to my shop where Landon lost himself in play while I worked on a new bow design. A little after five, I told him to pick up his toys. As we were driving to his house, I asked him, "What is the secret password?"
He thought for a bit and then said, "Catfish!"
"That's our little secret, isn't it?" I said.
"Yes, but last night Jamie guessed it," Landon said.
"She guessed it? Did you tease her about it or give her some hints?"
"Naw, I didn't tell her anything."
"Did you tell her she had guessed it?" I asked him.
"Uh, I might of, I don't remember now."
"Well, that's OK," I told him, "We'll just pick another secret password."
"Yes, and I know just what it should be," Landon said.
"What's that?" I asked him."
"Hot doggie!" he exclaimed.
"Do you mean 'hush puppy'?" I asked him.
"Yeah, hush puppy," he said, "I love hush puppies!"
With that, he was out of the truck and down the sidewalk, another day done.
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry-area resident and weekly contributor to the Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 01/25/2017