Uncle Ollie and Aunt Ellie had a farm. Ollie was my uncle, not by biology, but by commitment. Ollie's parents took in my father's whole family following my paternal grandmother's death in 1922, when my father was only five. Combining families allowed my grandfather to continue working. So my father and Ollie grew up as brothers on the two-family farm.
When I was a girl, Uncle Ollie and Aunt Ellie bought 150 acres and a herd of holsteins, and my family spent countless weekends and summer holidays there. During one summer visit, Ollie's brother Herbie stopped by. Herbie was an avid hunter, and he brought with him the spoils from his latest hunt, including the bear suit in this photograph.
My father, Uncle Ollie and Herbie concocted a practical joke. They recruited me. My job was to run out screaming each time a car approached, with Herbie in the bear suit lumbering behind. Ellie and Ollie's farm was on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, so the number of passing cars was minuscule, and they crept along to keep down the dust. Still, I'm sure my mother and Aunt Ellie cringed each time I went running into the road with the bear in pursuit.
Even with the low volume of traffic, we managed to stop three or four cars before Herbie nearly passed out from the heat. I never thought about where that bear suit came from. I was too taken with getting real bear hugs and experiencing the peak of my acting career.
When I was a girl, Uncle Ollie and Aunt Ellie bought 150 acres and a herd of holsteins, and my family spent countless weekends and summer holidays there. During one summer visit, Ollie's brother Herbie stopped by. Herbie was an avid hunter, and he brought with him the spoils from his latest hunt, including the bear suit in this photograph.
My father, Uncle Ollie and Herbie concocted a practical joke. They recruited me. My job was to run out screaming each time a car approached, with Herbie in the bear suit lumbering behind. Ellie and Ollie's farm was on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, so the number of passing cars was minuscule, and they crept along to keep down the dust. Still, I'm sure my mother and Aunt Ellie cringed each time I went running into the road with the bear in pursuit.
Even with the low volume of traffic, we managed to stop three or four cars before Herbie nearly passed out from the heat. I never thought about where that bear suit came from. I was too taken with getting real bear hugs and experiencing the peak of my acting career.
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