Artist Statement: Loving Life-- Loving Life: Old Man Cooks Orchard on Sunfish Rd. John Chapman went through these parts and left his mark as apple orchards. He was a nurseryman, knowledgeable about how to plant apple trees. Some historians would have it that he was a simple man who wore no shoes and lived like a bum. That wasn’t the case as I heard it from stories from my Grandpa who knew Morrow County Ohio as well as anyone. He was once the County Sheriff in the mid 1930s. On any given day when I was a boy, Grandpa Oscar Taylor George might stop by after breakfast to see if he could take us with him on a journey someplace. Sometimes, my Mom was reluctant to let my brother and me go with him because she didn’t like some of the places we ventured to. For instance, she didn’t like us going to the “slaughter house”. Since Grandpa had a meat market, he had to go there to conduct business. We boys watched the proceedings that might have been making boulogne or taking down a steer. She didn’t mind one bit if he wanted to drive us out to “Old man Cook’s” apple orchard. She knew that if it was in season, he would return with a bushel of apples. Mr. Cook lived at an orchard that was originally planted by John Chapman. All of his life, Cook lived on that property and tended the orchard. He was once married but his wife passed on, so he lived there by himself. Grandpa knew that someone had to go by once in awhile to see how he was getting along. Cook’s orchard was directly across from Adcock’s Woods on a dirt road with stones called Sunfish Road. Johnny Adcock was friend and he gave to our family permission to walk in his woods whenever we wanted to hike. Adcock’s woods connected with the Morrow County State Lakes, and the entire area was quite pristine. On one visit, Grandpa went inside the small house to have a cup coffee with Mr. Cook while I was left to explore outside. Mr. Cook had a big old coon dog. The dog had an animal cornered under an out building and was barking. That was an invitation for me to see what the dog was barking at. While my brother stood back, I crawled on my knees up next to the dog so I could peer under the building. I saw something moving fast, and it was coming straight for me. Before I could stand up completely, a skunk came out and sprayed the front of me completely. The dog took off chasing the skunk that apparently escaped. But, I did not. My Grandpa came out with Mr. Cook and told me to remove all of my clothes. They were laughing, but I was not. Mr. Cook turned the cold water on me from his hose. Since it was a blistering hot morning, that didn’t feel bad, but it was humiliating. I still smelled really bad, and my brother would not stand close to me. Grandpa put my clothes in a paper bag. He opened the trunk of his car and asked me to get in. I was in my underwear and sat next to a smelly paper bag with my skunk clothes. Now, Grandpa had to drive us home. Going down Sunfish Road, the dust and dirt was flying up and into the open trunk. By the time I got home, I was covered completely with dirt, in addition to the skunk smell. Grandpa pulled up to the house and sent my brother to knock on the door. He made me get out of the trunk and to hold the bag while he made a getaway. Just imagine my Mom’s reaction.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 22:51:16 +0000
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