The Big Gray House: The Adventures of Franklin Meyers

By J. Henry

The book lets you experience some of the adventures of Franklin Meyers as he grew up on a farm with his family. He has lots of fun, creates his own games, does some exploring, completes his chores, travels and learns a lot. EVERY DAY COULD BE AN ADVENTURE!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9781426942563

Book preview

Dedication

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO DILLON ANDREW CALHOUN, MY GRANDSON.

HE HAS SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM THAT PREVENT HIM FROM EXPERIENCING ALL OF THE ADVENTURES OF FRANKLIN MEYERS. HE IS A VERY RESPONSIBLE TEENAGER, GROWING INTO ADULTHOOD, AND WILL BECOME A VERY PRODUCTIVE CITIZEN.

WE ARE ALL VERY PROUD OF DILLON.

THE BOOK IS ALSO DEDICTED TO THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS, HENRY AND JANIE.

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Doodle Bug

Scientific Epilogue

June Bugs

Scientific Epilogue

Picking Plums in Spring

Walk to School - Fall In Water

Roller Bat

Peanuts – Shelling

Franklin and the Mother Hen

A Trip to the Grits Mill

A Typical Sunday

Hide and Seek

The Eye Injury

Made Up Games

Preface

The purpose of this book is to get children to read more. I realize that today many things are different for children compared to the time when I was a child. Today they have television, hand held games, table games, videos, and many other things that can be purchased to entertain them. Yet many parents hear their children say, Mom, I am bored.

I hope this book will encourage imagination by children. I also hope that parents and grand parents will relive some of the adventures of their childhoods through this book to improve relations with children. I hope that this book can open up communication between parents, grandparents and children in a way that allows them to pass on family history and values from one generation to another. Hopefully, the adults, through increased interaction will also better understand some of the pressures facing today’s children.

I give special thanks my wife, Betty, for her support, encouragement, advice, patience and her keen proof reading skills. We got to know and understand each other much better during this project.

I also thank Reginald Hillman for his help with the illustrations in the book.

Introduction

The first things you notice when you come around the curve were the large trees that surrounded the house. From this point you could see three. They looked like they were there to protect the house from the elements, and all other kinds of danger. As you get closer you could see the neatly trimmed hedges in front of the house which formed two driveways on the sides. The first group of hedges was tall as if to say, This is where life in The Big Gray House begins. Beside the tall hedges was the first driveway that allowed entrance into the yard of the house. After turning into the driveway you noticed, to the left, two groups of hedges, about half the height of the first ones, shaped like the letter u with a walkway going down between them, with a driveway on the other side. At the open end of the u, toward the house stood two large oak trees that measured about 25 feet in circumference at the base. To the right of the drive way stood a large pecan tree about 20 feet in circumference at the base.

When you proceed down the driveway the Big Gray House is fully visible. The house sits on large brick pillars that raise the house three feet above the ground. As you look closer, you see that the house is not painted gray, but the gray comes from the effect of years of weather beating down on it. You see, it was never painted, but the wind and sun and rain over years cause it to turn a dull, worn gray.

As you follow the driveway around the house, another large pecan tree is seen in the back yard, and yet another pecan tree on the opposite side of the house. The Big Gray House could easily be called The Big Gray House with the Five Large Trees.

This is the where Franklin Meyers was born and lived until he went away to college. These are some of the adventures he experienced growing up on a farm in a southern state, and the many things he learned, and the great fun he had during his childhood.

Doodle Bug

It was 95 degrees out in the summer sun as Franklin started out on the trip to Grandma Lizzie’s house. He always liked to visit Grandma because she always gave him something to eat, or a nice little gift. Don’t walk too fast, Mama said, because it is very hot. Franklin had to move quickly because the sand in the road was so hot it burned his bare feet.

On the way to grandma’s house he was already thinking of what he would do when he got back home. After this errand, he would have the rest of the afternoon free to do anything he wanted. Hello Grandma he said as he knocked on the door and went into the house. She was sitting on the porch in her favorite chair, fanning to keep cool with her special fan made out of the same material used to make a basket. Come in Franklin, stay for a while, and rest from the heat she said. No mam said Franklin; I want to get back home. I have something to do. He knew that he wanted to get back to play as quickly as possible. Mama sent you this package, he said, and was about to turn to go home. Just then Grandma, as she had often done in the past, reached into a bag and pulled out a cracker, and said, Take this cracker. I thank you for bringing the package. Tell your mama thank you.

Thanks for the cracker, and I’ll tell Mama what you said. The door slammed as Franklin went down the steps, and started home. He hurried down the road, staying on the side of the road where the dirt was not as hot.