If you are an occasional reader of this column, you've already met a lot of Myrick's Mill neighbors.

Most of our neighbors, other than the ones living on the farm, lived at least a mile away. The Mercers were one of the families living closest to the mill. Mr. Harley, as he was best known, stopped by the store at least twice each day. The first purchase in the morning was a Coke and then a pack of Chesterfields. The scene was repeated later in the day. Like a lot of folks in those days, Mr. Harley smoked a lot of cigarettes so he stopped by the store often.

Mr. Harley was famous for growing the best watermelons in the county. In fact, I was convinced that Mr. Harley grew the best melons in the whole country. Otherwise, why would trucks from Indiana come every year to buy his melons by the truck loads? Most farmers sold their melons locally at the farmers market in Macon.

There was something else special about Mr. Harley's watermelon field. Shoot'in crows! Mr. Harley had trouble with crows punching holes in his melons which brought about 50 cents each from the Indiana trucking company. Crows didn't eat watermelons but they did peck holes in them which destroyed the sale value. So, to control them, Mr. Harley paid us boys 50 cents a crow if it was shot over his watermelon field. Crows are smart and quickly learned to avoid the shooter. That was real entertainment and a good shot could earn pretty good money, as well. Unfortunately, I was such a poor shot that I seldom paid for the cost of my shells. It's a good thing Daddy had shotgun shells for sale in the store.

Not only did we get paid to shoot crows in the watermelon field, we got paid to load the watermelons when the trucks arrived from Indiana. Mr. Harley's watermelon field was a pretty special place and memories of the Mercers didn't end in the watermelon patch.

Mr. Harley's wife, "Miss" Selma drove the school bus in the Myrick's Mill community and beyond. I don't know when she started, but Miss Selma was driving when I started to school in 1948 and she was driving when I finished high school in 1960. I'm not real sure but, Miss Selma may have started driving the school bus at about the time of Noah, just after God caused flood waters to recede. Anyway, she is the only bus driver that I ever knew.

Fun riding the school bus was a far cry from shoot'in crows in Mr. Harley's watermelon field, but it wasn't all boring. All roads around Myrick's Mill were graded dirt roads and some of the rather steep red clay hills were nearly impossible to drive during rainy conditions. The bus would slip and slide as Miss Selma fought the steering wheel to keep the bus on the road. The fun began when all the boys rocked the sliding bus from side to side in an effort to cause the bus to slide into the ditch. Miss Selma tried to control the rowdy crowd with a few yells to stop but, steering the big bus while keeping forward momentum up the slick hill kept held most of her attention. Of course, if the bus went into the ditch we would be late arriving at school, keeping us out of those early morning classes. I don't know how she survived the mischief.

Bubba caused Miss Selma a lot of trouble on the school bus. Bubba thought he was a tough kid and was always picking to start a fight, especially with someone he thought he could lick. Billy (not me) finally got tired of Bubba and called his bluff. I don't remember what started the fracas, but the fight started just before the bus was to stop at Bubba's house. Most of Bubba's fights seemed to start this way. I guess if Bubba started something he couldn't handle the anticipated, shortly upcoming stop at his house would rescue him from the humiliation of defeat. Only, this time, Billy hammered Bubba all the way down the isle of the bus and out the door and onto the ground in front of Bubba's house. They were rolling, tumbling and swinging fist while Miss Selma screamed and hollered at both of them to stop. The fight soon ended, but not before Billy finished what Bubba had started. After this humiliating experience Bubba actually behaved himself for quite a while.

You know, She would never admit it, but I still believe Miss Selma secretly wanted them to finish the fight when she saw that Billy was giving Bubba a good old fashion whipping.

The times were special. Myrick's Mill neighbors were special.

©2003 - William C. Humphries, Jr.