Petula

Oh my! On my usual driving route today, I spied a gardener with one of the local landscaping companies. He had a rake in his hand and was twirling it like a baton, even throwing it in the air! Skill. Thus, a fond memory was evoked.

Along with my football career, I was a baton twirler in fifth or sixth grade. Doesn’t really matter which – because the same ten people in my class were the same from third to sixth grade, so it could have been any of those memorable years. The four of us girls decided we wanted to do a baton twirling routine to – you guessed it – “Downtown,” sung by Petula Clark in her white go-go boots. I think I had a secret longing that my talent would be discovered and I’d earn a pair of those super cool boots.

Well, my parents were able to look past my talent, as was Sister Marya, our wonderful teacher who probably was rolling her eyes for days. It was a short-lived career path of approximately one week. However, the memory has lasted longer than that pair of white vinyl go-go boots would have.