Horse Riding Custodian

Now that I've introduced you to Walter Norman and his horse in my last post, I'd like to tell you more about this wonderful man I never met. Uncle Walter, as the entire school population knew him, was a character in his own right. I feel like I know him well enough to pass along the stories. That what story catchers do. 

Fact: He wore bib overalls every day, even on Sundays when he changed his every day shirt to a long sleeve white shirt for Sunday best.

Fact, with a little legend thrown in: One story about him had nothing to do with school, but told a lot of his sense of humor. Back in the day when citizens appeared in person at the tax office to declare their property, he diligently went to town to file his taxes. This happened to be the first year when dogs were taxed at two dollars a head and Uncle Walter hadn't been notified about this new tax. Now Uncle Walter loved coon hunting and had a pack of hunting dogs to brag about. The clerk asked him if he had any dogs and he proudly answered, "Yes, Ma'am, sixteen." The clerk responded, "That will be thirty-two dollars." Well, he paid it, although I can imagine the conversation he had before he did. Next year, when he appeared before the clerk and she asked if he had any dogs, he sadly answered, "No, they all died."

A man after my own heart!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen