This I crooned in a more than obvious southern drawl, dangling from the wooden loft of our rust red barn. A carefully positioned balance beam, hand crafted by my daddy, leaned up against the barn and served as my egress from the loft. With a unique grace of movement, I was able to clamber, jaunt or dismount any element on the farm. With a fervent thirst for adventure I enjoyed every unsophisticated Alabama acre.

Butter, my favorite horse was blonde, strapping and very masculine. Looking at each other he and I shared a smile as my little hand held out an apple and then became lost in his strong mouth. Hypnotized by the crunch of his jaw, I marveled at his tender way and never feared he would hurt me. Slowly withdrawing my foam covered hand, I climbed onto the fence.  Knowingly, he would take four unsteady steps which allowed him to circle parallel to the fence making it safe and easy for me to mount.

Aside from riding Butter, nothing meant more to me than spending time with my dog, Spot. He was a mutt (mama said I needed to quit bringing home stray animals but that he could stay). Daddy wasn’t crazy about him and mama said it was because he did nothing but drag his butt across the pasture in an unbecoming manner. Privately and with worry for his self-esteem, I would whisper to him about his superior intelligence and ensure him that had I an itch and no fingers… I would drag my butt around the pasture too.

Spot and I would crawl under the farmhouse to relax and daydream. I enjoyed watching the many going-ons from my secret location. To the left was an old train car my daddy bought. If it wasn’t odd enough to have an train car in your yard, the goat tied to it had to be. To the right was our long gravel driveway that rarely if ever received any traffic. Oh, but when it did...  our geese became watch dogs that barked and cackled a menacing alarm. 

Mama always needed fresh eggs for breakfast and I was more than happy to be the one to get them. With a wicker basket I knocked for permission to enter the chicken's house. Thanking each chicken for sharing, I tucked the warm eggs into my basket. It smelled Raw, musky and damp... unlike any other place I had been or would likely ever go again.

When the crickets began rubbing a chirp between their knees, I knew the night was making its entrance.  With my bottom lip in a pout, I cursed the dark for bringing an end to my daytime adventures. Within seconds of the cricket's seranade, mama would appear on the porch yelling:

TIME FOR SUPPER! 

Tummies full and still damp from our baths, my sister and I scurried to our small, shared bedroom and cuddled together under my blanket. We would begin to chant in unison...  Tuck us in! Tuck us in!                               

This meaning we were ready for our nighttime rituals and to have our blankets “tucked in” tightly around our bodies. Heavy footsteps could be heard creaking down the wooden hallway of the cozy farmhouse. Snuggled up warm underneath my blanket, I was drowsy but excited about what was about to take place. In a low voice and with a giant, theatrical leap… my daddy entered the room as if it was his stage and exclaimed…  Welcome to the TUCK-US INN!                  

Oh, how we giggled as he became the owner of the Tuck Us Inn, A luxury Hotel and we were princesses for the night. He would ask if we were enjoying our stay and we would nod in delight and prepare for one of his magical bedtime stories. He told incredible stories full of foreign lands and mythical creatures or underwater worlds with bubble cars that run on sea salt. He always used my sister and me as characters and never seemed to tire of narrating. I would fall asleep smiling and envisioning a fabulous tale.

As daybreak neared, the country sunshine peered through the white eyelet curtains and a smile slowly formed on my lips. I enjoyed the quiet murmur of my parent’s coffee talk as the smell of buttermilk biscuits and farm-fresh scrambled eggs wafted into my room. I wondered if all little girls were so lucky.

Sometimes they pat my shoulder and whisper sympathetically:

 “I bet you were bored not having video games when you were a kid.”