The Story of Andy Kjearsgaard
Mom wanted us to play quietly indoors and save the rowdy games for outdoors. We went along with her request when we remembered.
Indoors, the girls played house and we all played Ludo, a game we'd received in one of Tante Karen's Christmas packages . Outdoors, we played depression-era games like tag, hide and seek or kick the can and shinny hockey .
At school, recess meant scrub, prisoner's base, fox and geese, snowball fights and war games. But at home, most of our games were our own inventions––Kjearsgaard games.
Keeping Store
The Eaton's catalogue was a gold mine. If we managed to claim that big book before it was relegated to the outhouse, we could cut out countless items to stock our make-believe store. We shopped with homemade play money, counting out the change like Carl Christiansen at the Dickson Store.
Contact Sports
When he was a bit older, Arne used his hard-earned pocket money and bought a set of boxing gloves. He and I would put them on and head to the hayloft for a boxing match. There, we'd have a soft landing in case of a knockout.
Our sparring session would invariably turn ugly. All it took was a bloody nose and we were furiously pounding and kicking one another. Eventually, we'd end up sprawled in the straw, motionless and exhausted but still too mad to admit defeat.
Rascals indeed.
Adapted from the 1994 Heritage Book,with permission from the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada
Teaser:
• River currents are dangerous. Will the boys be swept away?
