Then And Now

Once upon a time and what now seems like long, long ago, I had a houseful of little Kids.  All four of my children were born within five years, and daily life was semi-controlled chaos.  Among our friends, the Kids were known collectively as The Group.  I had a nephew who would write to me while he was attending Notre Dame University and would address the envelope to The Wild Bunch and that is the name that stuck.  The funniest part of that is that the postman would know exactly where to deliver it.  (Do they still have postmen who walk their route?  Certainly not up here!)

Years later, after the Kids were grown and out of the house, The Wild Bunch was reformed with Steve and me, two other couples, and Deb (not yet married to Craig).  We used to go everywhere together, especially to county fairs and local events all over the valley, and many's the meal I cooked.  I've not been able to successfully scan the group photo we had taken together in Old West garb, with guns bristling everywhere.  If you've seen the 1969 movie "The Wild Bunch" (William Holden, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine), you'll know what I mean.  Over time, death disbanded our group, but it sure was fun while it lasted.

The Wild Bunch sobriquet lives on, however.  Up here, it is a general term for the turkeys, deer, and various other wildlife that hang out in the hills.  It also applies to Ralph and Celeste as they tussle and race through the house; not in any way to the ultra-sedate Michael.

Ah well, that was then, this is now.