Bob Piper's Corner - May 18, 1986

May 18, 1986

The happenings in this article took place sixty-six years ago.  I remember it well.  I talked to Victor Peterson, who lives on Osage Avenue in Chariton.  He remembers all I am going to tell because part of it took place at his farm.  My brother Dayton came home from the Navy, married Kathryn McDonald of Melrose.  They wanted to farm.  Father put them on a 460-acre farm southwest of Oakley.  Before long they had a pet dog named Wud and a pet pig named Petunia.  The pig and the dog rode in the back seat of their Ford touring car.  They had to remove one door so the pig could get in.  When they came to town the pig rode two miles to the Peterson’s house and got out there and waited for them to come back.  The dog came with them to town.

One Sunday morning on the way to church they stopped at Peterson’s and no one was home.  They brought the pig to town and by this time it was near one hundred pounds.  We were all at church so they brought the pig, still in the car, and parked by the church.  It really caused a scene.  It was quite a Sunday morning.  It really upset things.  Dr. Story, the minister, my folks and Dayton and Kathryn put their heads together and decided not to let this happen again.  My father saw the humor but my mother couldn’t quite see it.  Remember this story had a slight church connection.

Everyone should go by Lewis Morrow’s at 512 North 5th and see the beautiful azalea bush on the north side of their home.  It is at the peak and rain may cause it to lose its brilliance.  It is the most beautiful shrub you can imagine.  It’s ten or twelve feet tall.  Don’t miss seeing it.

George and myself went down the Cinder Path Sunday minus Charles Prior as he went to a birthday party.  Before going on the path we went to the three lakes and checked the water going over the spillways.  Not as much as we thought.  We also checked out Stephens Forest area southwest of Lucas.  Not too many unusual birds although we saw a mocking bird.  Flowers we found were wild columbine, bedstraw, yarrow, pussy toes, gromwell, wild geranium, Virginia water leaf, wild larkspur, golden alexander and other.