In this era of showers and modern houses for even the poorest folks, not many remember the days when children co-existed with their dirt till the Saturday bath. Back in those days in dusty Oklahoma, toe jam was really noticeable one year. So was the dust on the sills of closed windows! Older people said it reminded them of the Dust Bowl days.
That summer my heart broke when the grasshoppers came in swarms and carried our large garden off in just a couple of days. My mother cried the whole time. It was a battle no one could win.
She was upset at the financial and sweat equity lost, as we were tenant farmers and the garden put much of our food on the table. However, she also cried at the loss of the lovely garden she had put so much of her love and life into.
I didn’t particularly love the okra, but I knew I’d miss the soft dirt around it and the shade it gave on gentle mornings. We would all grow to long for the tub full of tomatoes and squash which was so tasty at supper.
That summer I was around ten, and spent many hours in the rope swing where I could enjoy the trees, the shade, and the radio. One time, as the child of a country preacher, I wondered if I wasn’t committing a sin when my attention hung on every word of “The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane.” I was saved from my ‘shady ways’ when I heard the last line that she was only 9 days old!
I also had a bouncing good time jumping, barefooted, on an old bed sitting outside. The springs were open and quite rusty. (That was before box springs!) I have no idea why I never got hurt. Part of it may have been that we had no ER, no 911, and couldn’t afford doctors, so we instinctively knew to be careful.)
A friend introduced me to toe jam. I don’t remember being aware of the spaces between my toes before that. She told me that one way to clean up before going into the house was to get rid of your toe jam. (Back then kids stayed outside in the 110 degree summer till around suppertime, and of course went barefoot till school started and it was necessary to get shoes. On Sundays they wore last year’s now-tight shoes.)
In addition to toe jam, we all discovered that dirt mixed with sweat formed a coating on your legs when you are outside all day, and without AC when inside. Kids would rub it up and down to remove it.
One evening I was overheated and was glad to go in for supper after liming the barn. I noticed, as I was ‘cleaning up’ that my toe jam was white. I was more careful with the lime after that so I wouldn’t end up wearing it. The only thing I wish I had known is not to breathe it! Due to that I’ve had lifelong bronchial problems and a scarred spot on one of my lungs.
In the 8th grade we moved to the big city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Then I was able to take regular baths. Up until then I never knew how different the skin could be without a fine coating of well-earned dirt.
Nowadays, people are totally unaware of how natural dirt is. Farmers have known for generations that everything comes from the earth. Maybe the next time your kids have been outside for a while in the summer’s heat, you’ll glance to see if they’re bringing some toe jam into your house:-)
Copyright by Hildra Tague. Obtain permission from author for use online or in print.
Hildra Tague's Celebrations of Learning Blog 