Buckles Blog: "Tommy" #6

Thursday, September 19, 2013

"Tommy" #6

8 comments:

BARBARA WOODCOCK said...: We opened with Diano Bros. Circus, Ben was six weeks old. Of course we moved every day. And we did a "Parade" every day. My legs were sun burned in the front from the parade. No running water. The water wagon filled our water buckets every day. I couldn't afford the paper diapers of that day. (They were like paper towels any way.) I look back now and wonder how I did all that, washing dirty diapers every day, parade every day. Driving to the next town every day. I do remember I had no trouble sleeping at night. And Ben was not a bottle baby. That made that part a little easier. Also needless to say he potty trained early. But I wonder how Mary Ruth did it with all of her girls? I have to take my hat off to her......Barbara......; 19 September, 2013 06:55
JACKIE said...: Barbara, I just love these stories of the real life of the circus. It shows the inner depth of the true character of the circus people. The make up, the costumes, the glamour is put aside to tell it like it is. I remember Mary Ruth talking about her baby days in the same way. That is the building block of the circus world. You can have a Heleva act and get rounds of applause, but are you a trouper. Can you take the wind and rain and jumps and still remain standing at the end of the day, and like most troupers, with a smile on your face. I hope time remembers exactly how things really were. That is really the true glue that held the circus together. Love, Jackie LeClaire; 19 September, 2013 10:24
Cindy Potter said...: Barbara and Jackie:
I, too just LOVE those stories, and have one or two of my own! We "carefully" planned the birth of our baby (who will be 30 next month!)to be mid-November, so we'd be off the road. Well, she came early! We (the Beatty Show)were in Marrero, Louisiana (weekend,3-day stand) and I originally went to Jefferson Memorial Hospital. They thought...because we were "transient" that they'd better transfer me to Charity Hospital, New Orleans, which they did. Long story short, she was born at 12:07 P.M. on October 8, 1983. That was a Saturday. My friend Ivy and husband, Ned went back to the lot after she was born...there were shows to do! I was fit to be tied and wanted to go, too, but the docs made me stay to do a particular test...Which they "misplaced," so I had to stay another night (Sunday) The show moved to Houma, LA that Sunday evening and Ivy and Ned came back after set up on Monday morning, and we made the trip from Charity Hospital to Houma! The rest is a little "blurry" but I DO KNOW that my daughter had to been in 5 states by the time she was 3 weeks old! I was back in the Ticket Wagon selling tickets on Tuesday! I think we are all the better for those experiences!!! If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it!
:-)
Cindy Potter; 19 September, 2013 15:24
JACKIE said...: Thank you Cindy and Barbara, Jackie LeClaire; 19 September, 2013 22:37
BARBARA WOODCOCK said...: This is another subject. It is odd how one story leads to another. & Jackie how true everything you said. This thought is back to the Dailey Bros. Rex was short on bull hands, so I think I have talked on this before. He put me on the elephant that pulled the stone bolt they threw the stakes on it for anyone that doesn't know. It was like a little sled. I believe the bull was one eyed Luna. She was harmless. The next night he moved me up to the stake pulling bull. Jenny I think. I loved her. She was a Louie Reed bull. A gentle soul. She was my mount bull in the three act that two other girls & I worked in together. Well a couple of nights later Rex put me on a team. Much harder to work as at this time he has me pulling the wagon to load the seat stringers on. This real tricky, as you have to make a real wide swing to miss the quarter poles and soon after the side poles. Now if I just touched a pole Rex jumped on my case real bad. On top of that the one bull that I was riding had knocked the shi out of me the season before. And in 1947 I saw her kill the wardrobe lady "Gertie" Mildred Pyle's aunt. I think that was her name Luna kind of helped her as she knocked Gertie into Luna's blind side. So Luna kicked her back to Cutie. It was the wardrobe lady's fault they said She came into the dressing room to plug her lights in, like she usually did. But she got turned around and it was a small lot. So the bulls were right at our stake line Gertie came up under the side wall behind the bulls and scared them. One kick started it all. It was horrible. People tried to get her away from the bulls. But they were too frightened. I still have a hard time sometimes putting it out of my mind. But it really was not anyone's fault. EXCEPT "Smoky Jones" as he was supposed to have been the watchman on the bulls at that time. Rex was not on the show that year He was still in the Marines Boy I am running off at mouth. There is a little more. Cutie didn't hit me anymore. But it was always in the back of my mind, especially when I had to get back up on her But I had her Then Rex put me on the main team. Lucy she killed Gabe Tucker I believe it happened on the Russell Bros. That was a real hair raiser. But Lucy was a good bull as long as you didn't go hitting her. She knew her job & did it well. Jean Allen my mentor could work her when the bull men couldn't. They would send me out in the dark with Lucy & Myrtle team to get a loaded wagon to pull it to the front of the lot. REAL MUDDY I would ask Rex if he would be watching me. And of course he said he was always watching me. And that I would have a hook up man so you didn't have to get down off your bull. You are muddy the bull is muddy. It is very hard to mount. But NO HOOK UP MAN. So I had to get down hook up my own wagon. Slip& slide back up on a tough bull in the dark. Never a dull moment. It is funny now but I had saved up and had just bought a new pair of shoes. no rubber boots My shoes fell apart....Rex drove the caterpillar to the train calling the bulls behind him Well as I set there waiting for him I started crying about my shoes. I fell asleep crying. Rex later told me that George Smith he had been on the RBB&B He gave Rex money to buy me a new pair of shoes. I couldn't believe it. I never forgot his kindness. Someone ask me why I worked like that when I didn't even get the two dollars a night that the working men did. I told them I was more afraid of Rex than the elephants. And at that time I was. I was fifteen and had my sixteenth birthday at the end of the season. As I said I have really gone on & on..... I enjoyed your story Cindy. That is what it means being with it & for it......Barbara.......; 19 September, 2013 23:13
BARBARA WOODCOCK said...: I really cut that last story to pieces. I went to enter my comment and "GOOGLE" tells me it is too long and something else that I didn't understand. But I had to either write it all over or go back and cut out some of the things. So that is why it is a chopped up mess, and doesn't make sense. I see now I should have just written it over in two parts. Maybe one day I will learn how to work this mess. I cut out commas, periods. And in some cases words. It doesn't make as much sense. Oh well we must march onward & upward, ever dueling with this darn blog. I bow down to you "O Master Blog"......Barbara.....; 19 September, 2013 23:54
Cindy Potter said...: I'm still WITH IT AND FOR IT! and miss it all, EVERY DAY! I guess I love these stories so much because you just cant explain these stories to "towners." They just don't get it! I hear about maternity and paternity leave at work and wonder how anyone ever gets anything done! I absolutely cherish my memories! I told Johnny Pugh last time I saw him, that he had to keep the show out long enough so I could RETIRE TO it!!!
Love you!
:-)
Cindy; 20 September, 2013 16:15
Chic Silber said...: Barbara you have nothing to explain

Your memories are delightful to read

As you surely have noticed I don't

use punctuation at all in comments

It's my little rebellion to this

overdigitalized computer universe

Good to know about comment length

15 year old kids nowadays aren't

able to tie their shoelaces even

if shoes or sneakers still had them

Some of us had to grow up very fast

& learn about life from living it

I am very grateful for all I've had

the opportunity to accomplish

You are truly among the highest of

achievers in all the realm bless you; 20 September, 2013 18:35

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