Humor

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A hot summer day in central New York State gave the perfect excuse for neighborhood children to go wading or swimming in the crick. It crossed thru a section of our property and like the great Mississippi River, “It just keeps rolling along!”The rolling waters were crystal clear in most areas and very inviting to a child wanting to cool off in the dog days of summer. We could wade in shallow areas or submerge in places a little deeper. The best part was splashing water on each other!
I almost forgot to mention that the water was always ice cold, no matter how hot the temperatures out on the bank, inside the water was frigid, flowing from a fresh water spring. Our parents usually tried to discourage us from swimming in the crick. Sometimes they demanded we keep out! They could not understand why we would want to be in that cold water!
We had one adventure that almost made me think twice. My sister, a girlfriend and I were wading wearing our dresses, when a muskrat came out of his hole inside the creek bank and even got close enough to leave marks on my girlfriends slip! We were invading his space!
When I dated my husband from the south the crick became a topic of controversy. He said it was a “creek,” not the “crick!” What did he know? I lived by the crick for eighteen years. To everyone in the neighborhood it was known as the crick. (Check your dictionary!) When we saw minnows swimming along the edge in the clear water he commented on them referring to them as “minners.” His family owned and operated a fish bait business. So, he spoke with authority. “What? You mean minnows!” We laughed and agreed to disagree!
I’m sure on a hot summer afternoon children still laugh and splash water at friends in the Mycenae crick. Mothers tell them to keep out of that cold water; and a muskrat wonders if he should look for a new home!

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