Stonkings

When I was a wee ornery kid of perhaps six years old, I could not pronounce stockings. I always said, "stonkings." Stockings were a very important part of my life in those days, because you had to wear them in winter to keep warm. I can't remember how I kept them up, but it probably involved some jar rings we used for canning. I'm surprised we didn't cut off our circulation and croaked!

I was thinking about that today for no apparent reason. Once I remembered that, I was on a roll. I remember what a hoot my mom got out of me calling them "stonkings." Apparently, I was her cutest and funniest first child. I remember going to grandma and grandpa's house with all the aunties and uncles, cousins and cats, and mom would ask me to say "stockings." And, when I would say "stonkings" they laughed so hard, I thought I might send in my resume to Saturday Night Live. Opps, that might be a lie, because at that time all we could get on TV was Wrestling, The Lone Ranger and Ed Sullivan, and now that I think of it..when I was that age there was no TV. Just books and your imagination.

Back to the Stonkings. I love skating. Our town was going to have a carnival at my skating rink, and we were all supposed to dress up in a costume and skate around and the person with the best skating and costume would win a bag of peanuts, or something just as grand.

My mom made me a "Little Bow Peep Costume"... She took a pair of old my stonkings. And cut them up in long strips of three and made braids out of them and put sewed them into a cap. I had braids down to my ass. I don't think I have ever been so excited in my life. I always wanted to have braids, but she always kept my hair short. eg. I screamed and cried when someone tried to comb my hair or try to cuddle me..God, I was a such a whiner.
She also sewed a dress for me. Actually it was an old one but she added some length to it so it was longer, and Dad made a cane from a tree branch. There I was..Little Bow Peep! Looking to find some sheep.

When it came my turn to skate down the ice, with my stonking braids flying in the wind I was the in my glory, I didn't care if I won or lost, I had my braids! I skated with so much confidence and when people clapped, I skated harder just so my braids could keep up with me. I didn't win, but we all got a bag of peanuts anyway.

I wore that braid cap for many a year. Finally Mom said, you look stupid, you are 18 years old...get over it.