Little Bill (Polhemus, Jr., that is)
March 29, 2009 | Funny
I found a letter that I wrote from Germany to my parents, and immediately misplaced it again in the files, but maybe I can remember something that I wrote in it about Little Bill. It was written in about May or June of 1960. Bill was approximately two years and 8 or 9 months old. Buddy was 5 or 6 months old.
Bill hated having to drink his milk. He could come up with all kinds of excuses.
Bill: “Mommy, I can’t drink my milk, there is a snake in it.”
Me: “That’s alright, Bill. Go ahead and drink your snake. (thinking I would pull a fast one on him, and he would have to drink his milk.)
He stared at his glass, and then started to get down from the table.
Me: “Hold on there! Did you drink your snake?”
Bill: “Yes, it’s all gone.”
He pulled the fast one, because sure enough….there was no snake in the glass….just milk.
We were in the PX, and a strange lady said,”Hi, Bill.” Bill said, “Hi”. And actually smiled.
When we got home, I asked Bill who the lady was. “Nothing”, he said. “Bill”, you must know the lady has a friend your age. Do you play with her little boy? What’s his name?”
“Bobby Shafto.” said Bill. (Bobby Shafto was the name of one of Bill’s favorite poem’s in his book of children’s poetry. “Bobby Shafto has gone to sea; a silver buckle on his knee; he’ll come home and marry me; pretty Bobby Shafto.” I can’t believe I remember that poem. Or maybe that isn’t even right. Anyway. I said, “No, Bill. that’s a poem you like. What is your friend’s name?”
Bill: “Hiawatha.”
I gave up.
9 Responses to “Little Bill (Polhemus, Jr., that is)”
the first story is funny but i don’t get the second one. what’s “hiawatha”?
By maria on Mar 31, 2009
thats funny, I remember that word but i don’t remember what it meant.
By lainie on Apr 1, 2009
Hiawatha:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiawatha
How Bill knew who Hiawatha was at 2 years old I’ll never figure it out!!!
Yet it somehow doesn’t surprise me:)
By Bud on Apr 2, 2009
All I know, is that’s what my letter said. Bill said, “Hiawatha”. When Bill, Sr. left for Lebanon in June of 1958, Little Bill was nine months old. I had no friends, not relatives, and nothing to do but take care of Bill. I read to him all the time, and taught him words from his little books. When Bill, Sr. returned four months later, Little Bill was thirteen months old, and he could say all of the words in his books. House, Horse, Cow, Cat, Dog, raccoon, and probably hippopotamus. He was amazing. And I continued reading to him. We had no TV. So much time on my hands, because Bill was always doing something. Refereeing football for the European games. Golfing. Always something. I was alone with Little Bill. And I read to him.
Hiawatha is a beautiful poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in 1855, and by 1857, he had sold 50,000 copies.
It was the story of a young Indian warrior, Hiawatha, and his love of an Indian maiden, Minnehaha. It had 234 lines.
The most famous are 10 lines that go like this:
By the shores of Gitche Gumee
By the shining Big-Sea Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them,
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water
NOW….I still can’t tell you how Bill knew the word, “Hiawatha”. Maybe I had a story-book about a little Indian named “Hiawatha”, and the story was simple. ?????? But he sure knew the word!!
By mother on Apr 2, 2009
I pulled up some of my letters from Germany. I’m so glad my sweet daddy saved them. I wrote a lot about Little Bill. Buddy was only one week away from his first birthday when we came home. Most of the things i wrote about him was how sweet and adorable he was. Such a good little baby.
But Bill! When he was 2 and 1/2, and we lived in Stuttgart, I started letting him go downstairs by himself, and play on the playground. My dining room window looked out over the grounds, and I could see him every minute. I would usually make two or three trips downstairs just to makie sure he hadn’t hit or bitten anybody. We went through the routine every morning. I would say, “Bill, what are you NOT supposed to do. He would say, “no bite, no hit, no throw sand, no pull hair.” Then I would give him three things to take with him. An egg carton, a plastic spoon, and something else that could be easily lost. He always came back either empty-handed, or with something different.
But, oh some of the things he learned! One day he came upstairs and said, “Mommy, I beat hell out of you!”
We had to have a serious talk about that. I don’t remember if I had him point out the child that said that to him.
Well, it must have happened. It was in my letter.
By mother on Apr 2, 2009
`Daddy saved many of my letters that I wrote from California, and letters that I wrote to him when he lived down in Hartford with Myra. This one that I pulled up writes about Christmas of 1971. Aunt Lucille invited us to have dinner with her, but she really didn’t want us. We declined, because we really didn’t want to go there, either. We had a slim Christmas. Bill got a puzzle and scrabble game. Buddy got a model airplane and a monopoly game. Lainie got a little sewing machine and a play clock, etc. down the line. Bill, Sr. wasn’t able to contribute. Aunt Lucille sent us $25.00. She sent that same $25.00 for 35 years. Bless her heart. It helped. I wrote that Carmen was a precious little baby that weighed 9 lbs. and 2 oz. at age six weeks, just when she was due to be born, and was the prettiest little thing. She was so good, and a definite asset to the home.
Bud turned twelve, and received the Priesthood.
By mother on Apr 2, 2009
Mom, do you know what TIME Bill was born in Maryland? 8am… 11PM?
By Bud on Apr 8, 2009
Sorry I was so late answering, Bud. Sometimes I don’t always read everything. Bill was born on Saturday at exactly 5:41 AM. EST.
By mother on Apr 12, 2009
YOU were born at 3:30 AM European time. I have no idea how to translate that to American time. Germany was seven hours ahead of New York. So…does that mean you were born at 10:30 AM EST??? GO figure. I never really thought about it.
You were born on Sunday, and of course….Dec. 18th. 8 lbs. 7 oz.
Emily Elaine (Lainie) was born somewhere around 2-4:00 AM CST. Wednesday. in Huntsville, Alabama in the Army barracks on Redstone Arsenal. 8lbs. 1 oz.
She was due in May, but arrived one week early, April 26th, a birthday that she would share with her brother-in-law, Jason, many years in the future.
Mary Elizabeth (Beth) was born at 4:20 PM, Saturday, CST in St. Vincent’s Hospital on February 16, 1963. 8lbs. and 4 0z. Birmingham, Alabama.
Brenda Luisa (Brenda) was born in the Air Force Barracks on Warner Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia on September 5th, 1965. I don’t remember the day? She weighed 7 lbs 15 oz. And she was born at about 7:30 AM EST.
Luis Anthony (Tony) was born at Mather Hospital at McClellan Air Force Base on February 29, 1967 at about 2-4:00 AM. Babies like to be born at those hours for some reason. He weighed 7 lbs 8 oz.
Carmen Providencia (Carmen)was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital on November 9th, 1971. She was six weeks early, but still weighed 5 lbs. 4 oz. She weighed 4 lbs 9 oz when I took her home ten days later. She was born 12:22 AM on Tuesday. Delivered by Dr. Eugene Howe.
Luis Benjamin (Ben) was born on July 14, 1974 at the Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama and weighed 6 lbs. and 7 oz. He was born at approximately 4:00 AM on Sunday.
Delivered by Dr. Eugene Howe.
Maria Elena (Maria) was born on April 26, 1976 at 2:17 PM on Sunday, April 25, 1976 in Birmingham, Alabama at the Brookwood Hospital, and weighed approximately 6 lbs8oz. Delivered by Dr. Eugene Howe.
Dr. Howe has long since retired. He delivered six of Danny and Faye Walker’s babies.
By mother on Apr 12, 2009