Beech Tree News Network

Jimmy, Tommy, the mule, and the bucket of banana pudding:
Back yonder farmers carried a jug of water to the field to work.  If they were working a good piece from home, usually the wife would send on of the kids to the field with the husband’s dinner.
This day ten-year-old Jimmy was appointed the trip.  His friend Tommy was visiting; he went along.  They would make the journey aboard Old Jack, the retired mule.  Jack was around thirty and rather boney, with a sharp spine.  No problem, they would use the sheep skin for a saddle. Jack rode lots of kids with the sheep skin… as many as he could get on his back at a time. 
Tommy gave Jimmy a hand up first.  Then Jimmy’s mother helped Tommy up behind Jimmy.  Then she handed Tommy her husband’s dinner for him to hold while Jimmy guided the mule.  The dinner was in a gallon syrup bucket- a bucket full of banana pudding, no less.  That’s all. Just banana pudding, with a large spoon tied on the handle.
When they got to the field Jimmy’s dad was at the far end with the team of horses pulling a turning plow…going away.  The boys decided to get off the Jack and carry the dinner to Jimmy’s dad.  The drill was, Tommy would hand the dinner bucket to Jimmy while he, Tommy, got off.  Then Jimmy could pass the bucket down to Tommy before he dismounted Old Jack.  But, the best made plans sometimes go ary.
Somehow in the rounds they mishandled the bucket.  As it hit the ground from the tall mule, the top flew off the bucket and about half the banana pudding spilled out into the dirt.  Afraid they would get into bad trouble they immediately got down and with their hands scooped up all the spilled pudding they could, and put it back into the bucket. 
That night the wife asked the husband how he liked his dinner.  “It was good,” he said, “maybe a little gritty in places…maybe the graham crackers weren’t crumbled up good.”
Kindest regards…