McQueeney Easter

The signatures at the bottom are, respectively, the First, Second, and Third Grade teachers: Edith Roberts, Sandra Wunderlich (nee Nawotny, when I had her) and Mary I. Davenport.

First Grade School Books 1969

 

Now, whether this miraculously-surviving reading list dates from the last half of Mike's first year of school or from the first half of my first year of school is a moot point. It scarcely matters, because it probably hadn't changed much. McQueeney used texts from the Forties to the Sixties; big themes then were the suburban family, the cowboy/frontier legacy, and of course the ever-popular animal adventures (both tame and wild). I have fond if vague memories of the Woodland Frolics Series; there is actually a copy of "Chippy Chipmunk's Vacation", a number in the series, in the family archives.

But the story I really, really remember is "The Straw Ox", from the "I Know a Story" reader. I already loved "The Wizard of Oz" from the movie; I think I recognized a relation here in the straw ox that the old couple builds and covers with tar and sets out in the field to graze. Various wild animals attack the ox and get caught in the tar and must pay the penalty before the couple releases them. Rather like the Tar Baby, but the Straw Ox was actually alive and could speak. I learned later that it is an old Russian fairy tale.

I was surprised and pleased that I was able to find pictures of all these books.  Whether "Story Fun" is actually "Fun in Story" written in teacherly short hand is a sticky point, but "Fun in Story" is the only reader I can find close to it.

A Boy Alone

I cried my first day of school. 

Looking back, there were several reasons for that. For one thing, I had never gone to kindergarten. I suppose that is where most children get over the shock of abandonment into an unfamiliar environment. Many of the other students were old hands at this sort of thing already, and later were not slow to express their scorn at my babyish behavior.

For another thing, I was used to having a family support group, to running in a pack with my brothers, to being a follower rather than an independent unit of my own. True, Mike was in the Second Grade right next to me, but once class started he might as well have been on the moon. I was on my own.

And my teacher was an unknown quantity. I was used to hearing about Mike’s First Grade teacher, Mrs. Bilnitzer, but she had been moved to another class. Mrs. Roberts was an unknown quantity, who knew not of Babels and our ways, and we knew not hers. She was acting rather sternly, as any teacher having to wrangle little kids must be to start with, and I was taking it personally, and feeling the stress of having to learn class procedures correctly or being, for all I knew, “doomed”.

I was rescued from my emotional distress by the teacher’s aide, Mrs. Dammon, who came over to comfort me while Mrs. Roberts continued on with class instructions. Mrs. Dammon had a face as rough and kind and comforting as an oatmeal raison cookie, always smiling. She wore black cat-eye glasses, which I found funny and distracting. After a few moments I felt I had an ally in class and was able to settle down and apply myself to learning with renewed determination. But I think my behavior had been noted on my permanent record, in more ways than one.

McQueeney Elementary School: The Daily Routine

 

Introducing McQueeney Elementary School

 

[McQueeney As It Is Now and Wasn't Then]

Today, if you went looking for the McQueeney Elementary School that I went to, you wouldn’t find it. There’s a building there, of course, and under it you might still find the old bones of the institution as it was when I attended, but my McQueeney is gone. It was as much a time as a place.

“Though McQueeney Elementary School is part of Seguin ISD, it is not located in Seguin but in the lakeside resort area of McQueeney. The name of the area, according to E. John Gesick, Jr. author of Under the Live Oak Tree, was indirectly named by Mr. C.F. Blumberg. Mr. Blumberg built a store around 1900, which was less than a mile from a railroad stop. As the story goes, Mr. Blumberg decided to call the location of his store, McQueeney, after the Superintendent of the Lines. His hope was that Mr. McQueeney, would designate his store location as the new train stop, thereby promoting business for his store. The McQueeney store became the McQueeney community, and the school was indirectly named after the Superintendent of the Lines, Mr. McQueeney.” – from the McQueeney Elementary School “About Us”.

Since we were located closer to this lakeside resort community than we were to town, this was our school. And what an odd little pocket of a place it was.

Although I began First Grade in the very tail-end of the Sixties, the spirit of the school was firmly in the Fifties, if not the Forties, as you might well expect in a rural Texas area. The building itself was a rather plain brick construction, like a squared capital G without its arm. There were classrooms from First to Sixth Grade when I began, although by the time I was in the Fifth, the Sixth was going to be phased out, as a new middle school had been built. But we’ll get to that in time.  

Well, I'm Back ... ish

As most people will know, last week Texas was paralyzed with an usually long, deep period of cold and snow for our southern state. I was pretty much paralyzed myself, not only being kept in by the cold but being sore all over from my fall on an icy gutter even before the snow fell. And when the temperature got down into the teens, it was as if my brain froze.

Even on my best days I only have so much 'juice' (as I call my energy or gumption) to expend on my activities, whether it is writing or doing my daily chores. In my entries on "What Happened" I had simply been publishing what I had already written some years ago, and I ran out of that first chapter of my life just before the cold snap fell and was filling in with "Little Red Diary" entries. I had been poised to start talking about First Grade with new writing, and I hope to do so soon. But my 'juice' was required just to get through that freezing week. It didn't help that I cut my left thumb, and if you think that's a small thing, try not using your left thumb or getting it wet for even an hour.

For two days now we have had nice warm weather. Cleaning and clearing up has been well begun, and I'm feeling almost human again.  My thumb is getting a nice scar. I hope to begin writing again tomorrow, if not sooner. My scattered memories will take a bit of weaving but I hope as I apply myself they will come together into some kind of narrative. 

 

 

Too Bloomin' Cold

 

[Snow. February 8, 1973. Left to right: Kenny, Me, Mike, John]

I'm sorry, it's just too cold today to do anything. I mean, it's been in the low 20's all day, and for Texas that's pretty darn cold, especially since last week it was in the 70's, and it's predicted it will be down in the single digits next week. The temperature's bad enough, but with the freezing drizzle and the ice on the road, things are downright hazardous. Here in the lower end of the state we're not used to it and it usually takes us by surprise when it happens. My brain feels frozen, and all I want to do is hunker down. I should adjust to it by tomorrow morning, but for now ... just no.

June, 1981

JUNE 1: Changed calendar. "The Ruins of Isengard."

JUNE 17: Got "God-Emperor of Dune," "Monster Manual," "Deities and Demi-gods," "Yesterday and Today [record]."

JUNE 18: Washed sheets.

JUNE 19: Cleaned and washed counter. Halbardier came over.

JUNE 20: Crook-tail the kitten died. Saw "Horse Feathers."

That summer in June I was rather like the Hobbits in the ruins of Isengard; just taking a break after the end of one struggle before a new one began. I was still groping and experimenting around with various cultural byways. In "The Little Red Diary" when I mention seeing a movie, it is usually the first time I've ever seen it. I'd seen the Marx Brothers here and there of course, but mainly on cheesy T-shirts and in transcription of dialogue in printed media, which could not hope to relay the true spirit of the Marxes. "The counter" was a kitchen sideboard with a Formica top where we stored newspapers, mail, Pop's homemade pickles, and whatever else kitchen detritus it attracted. It needed regular and heroic maintenance Crook-tail was the last, desperate scion of Belladonna's brood. The others had found homes. We clung to this frail little kitten with a broken tail.

May, 1981

[Seguin High School at a slightly later date, but still recognizable.]

MAY 22: Practiced for commencement. Exams.

MAY 23: Mowed at Nanny's.

MAY 24: Went to Baccalaurete.

MAY 25: Took last exams. Gave Fleming story.

MAY 26: Stayed home and lazed. A timeless day.

MAY 27: John's first day off [of school]. Worked on garage.

MAY 28: Just worked. A hard, rotten day.

MAY 29: Got report card. Got "Spell of Conan," "Gulliver's Travels," "Complete Works of Shakespeare," "The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Treasury." Graduated.

MAY 30: Went to the coast with Mike, John, and Phil. Swam, ate Snickers, listened to music [Beatles], ate at Mrs. Pete's, got souvenirs.

MAY 31: Sunday. Went to work 6 PM-10 PM. A pretty good day.

When I say I graduated, I mean I went to commencement. There was no prom for me, a rather solitary and gloomy teen. I celebrated by feeding my pretensions, with the fancy display editions of Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes subjects I later grew into to a much deeper degree. 

Mowing the enormous lawn at Nanny's (I don't know the exact acreage) was a constant task in those days, usually preceded by a back-breaking clean-up of fallen branches, and the pittance we were paid hardly justified the labor. "But she's family! At least she pays you something!" But she also took it out in psychological nastiness that, if 'family loyalty' were to be figured into the deal, shouldn't have been there.

Our visit to the coast was the only celebration of graduation I had. Phil, although of my year, was Mike's best friend. I remember we listened to the Beatles (a huge obsession with Mike, John, and Phil) mainly because some passing tools mocked us by chanting "I wanna hold your hand!" We answered, in chorus, "We wanna kick your ass!" Mrs. Pete's was a beach tradition. Good times, good times.

Little Red Diary: April, 1981

APRIL 11: Mike came back [from South West Texas State University, after the end of the semester].

APRIL 12: Got new "Bored of the Rings," saw Errol Flynn's "Robin Hood."

APRIL 13: Took Senior pictures. Tassel!! Really frenzied.

APRIL 14: Very dull. Turned English books in. Over-worked at home.

APRIL 15: Extremely sleepy. Worked till 12 [midnight].

APRIL 16: Peeled peaches. "Dracula, Prince of Darkness"  came on.

APRIL 17: Cored peaches, made jelly. Overworked, though the weather was summery.

APRIL 26: Belladonna had kittens.

Although "Robin Hood" had been around forever and I'd heard much about it (it was even referenced in a Bugs Bunny cartoon), this was the first time I'd ever seen it. My older copy of "Bored of the Rings" (which I still have as well) was showing serious wear. It was the tail-end of my Senior year and a peculiar mixture of excitement, fear, and boredom. I wasn't even 18 yet and all these changes and decisions were suddenly ahead of me. Meanwhile life (and jelly-making with Pop) went on. Belladonna (named after Bilbo's mother) was the daughter of my first cat, Rosemary (named after the girl in "Carbonel, the King of Cats). 

My Tolkien Timeline

 Inspired by my find yesterday, I decided to put together a timeline of highlights in my Tolkien fandom.

1972 March: “The Hobbit”, play at SHS. I was in the 3^rd Grade.

[1973 September 2: Tolkien passes away.]

1975-1976 --12 years old--Seventh Grade—AJB Year 2--Read “The Hobbit”

1976-1977 --13 years old--Eighth Grade—AJB Year 3—Read “The Lord of the Rings”; bought “The Tolkien Reader” and “A Guide to Middle-earth”

1977 November 7: Rankin/Bass animated “The Hobbit” premieres.

[1978 Hildebrandt Tolkien Calendar] the famous “Calenoar”

1978: “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight-Pearl-Sir Orfeo”

1978 July 10: Got “The Hobbit Desk Calendar”. [remaindered]

1978 August 5: Got Fantastic Films Magazine with my first glimpse of the Bakshi LOTR film.

1978 November 15: Release date of Bakshi LOTR. Much getting of merchandise at this time, including soundtracks, posters, and action figures.

1979 November 9: Mom buys me “The Silmarillion”

1978-79: Hardback copies of “Farmer Giles of Ham”, “Smith of Wootton Major”, “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil”

1980-1981 --17 years old--Twelfth Grade—Senior

1980 November 29: Bought “Unfinished Tales”

1981-1982 --18 years old--first year college

1981: “The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien”

1983: “Mr. Bliss”

1983-1996: “The History of Middle-earth” [14 volumes]

1998: “Roverandom”

2001-2003: “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy

2007: ‘The Great Tales Trilogy’ begins with “The Children of Hurin”

2009: What I think of as “The World Legends” series begins with “The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun”

2012-2014: “The Hobbit” film trilogy

2013: “The Fall of Arthur” (World Legends)

2014: “Beowulf: A Translation and a Commentary” (World Legends)

2015: “The Story of Kullervo” (World Legends) 

2016: The World Legends series concludes with “The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun”

2017: “Beren and Luthien”, the second in the Great Tales Trilogy

2018 August 30: The Great Tales Trilogy concludes with “The Fall of Gondolin”

[2020 January 16: Christopher Tolkien dies.]

2021 January: My latest Tolkien book, a new illustrated edition of “Unfinished Tales”

 

All through the years I bought many another edition of Tolkien’s books and tons of tie-ins: calendars, books written by others about Tolkien and Middle-earth, music, merchandise, and action figures. They are harder to pinpoint, as many books I did not purchase at the time they were released but years later. I’m hoping to get the new book “The Nature of Middle-earth” later this year.

Down From the Door Where It Began...

Newspaper clipping from the Seguin Gazette in 1972, chronicling my first exposure to the Tolkien legendarium. I was in those elementary grades (the 3rd grade, to be exact) to which it was presented. Coming up on 49 years ago, now. Strange to think that Tolkien was still alive at the time. You might notice that 'Balin' is misspelled 'Falin'. I remember later when the Gazette announced the premiere of the Rankin/Bass Hobbit as a 'Journey to Middle East'. 

My Brother Mike

 

Today would have been my brother Mike's 59th birthday. This is a little collage I made with my computer in the early 2000's; the paper I printed it on got water damaged at one point. There is so much I want to say about him. There is so much I would like to say to him. When he passed away, he had just completed a large novel and was on the point of trying to get it published. Finances and other circumstances made that difficult; it was before the boom in electronic publishing became big and made sending your work over the internet easy. There is so much that could be told about him. This is part of the bare-bones obituary I wrote at the time:

Michael Wayne Babel was born Feb. 9, 1962, the first son of E.E. ("Buddy") and Patricia Babel. He graduated from Seguin High School in 1980, and attended Southwest Texas State University from 1980 to 1984.

A dedicated reader, writer, and editor of great skill, he was twice winner of the Gates Thomas Award for prose writing. In his time he worked at KWED in Seguin, KGNB in New Braunfels, and at the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, but perhaps enjoyed his work as a substitute teacher in the Seguin area best. His most recent job was at River Gardens in New Braunfels. He passed away at home on Oct. 21, 2006. 

He was a beloved uncle, brother and friend; a great wit, a scholar, and a deeply loving heart.

March 1981

 

MARCH 1: Stayed home. Rested up.

MARCH 2: Got some rest. Was absent from school.

MARCH 3: Got research paper back. A+! Went to Writer's Round Table.

MARCH 4: A pretty good day. I feel happy. Wrote poems.

MARCH 5: Got "Out of the Silent Planet," "Perelandra," "That Hideous Strength," and "Glinda of Oz." I'm torn between joy and euphoria.

MARCH 6: Got "The Lord of the Rings" Cliff Notes and an eye check. (March 7)

MARCH 7: Worked. A dull day.

MARCH 8: Rested. A dull day. Read.

MARCH 9: Had Monday off. Mowed at Nanny's. Mower broke. Hooray!

MARCH 10: Wrote a funny parody of German lines in the workbook.

MARCH 11: Got "Farmer Giles of Ham," "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," "Deus Irae," and "The Acts of King Arthur and His Knights" by John Steinbeck.

MARCH 12: A boring day. I must get my glasses. Soon!

MARCH 13: Work was fast and easy. No big problems.

MARCH 14: Went to Nanny's and just waited around. Went to work. Drew "Morg" [on big cardboard]. Got glasses.

MARCH 15: Worked a usual day. Went to [driving] simulator.

MARCH 16: Destruction of the Ring. Got "Last Defender of Camelot." Shoveled rocks for driveway. [Odd. I have no memory of this book. Must have got it from SFBC with carelessness, as I often did.]

MARCH 17: A regular school day. Learned more on the simulator.

MARCH 18: Got "I, Claudius," "Claudius the God," "Count Brass," "Champion of Garathorm," and Famous Monsters #173.

   These are all the days I recorded of that March. I see that for all my last-minute scrambling I got an A+ on my English paper. Perhaps Mrs. Richardson was being kind, or maybe I was just such a GENIUS! I include covers of the books I no longer have. I found "Glinda of Oz" particularly gratifying, as it completed the fourteen Oz books that Baum himself wrote. I have a different copy of "That Hideous Strength" since this one fell apart. The trilogy was one of the few good presents that Nanny ever got me. Every spring I celebrated "The Destruction of the Ring" with some feasting and ceremonies. I'll have to write about that in another entry.

More Little Red Diary (the Other Half of February)

 

FEBRUARY 16: Mrs. Cotton got morning sickness; got replaced by Mr. Sanders.

FEBRUARY 17: Got new Thor #[?]. Went too early to get check. Gave Fleming all the story [Goldfire].

FEBRUARY 18: Got [Led Zeppelin IV-"Stairway to Heaven"], Thesaurus, "B. C.: 2nd and 3rd Letters of the Alphabet Revisited". Lit candle.

FEBRUARY 19: Fleming gave Chapters 1-5 back. Says never to summarize. Lit candle in shed and talked [with John] again.

FEBRUARY 20: Went to work.

FEBRUARY 21: Went to Nanny's. Worked. Ragged out later.

FEBRUARY 22: Finally got a little rest. Not much.

FEBRUARY 23: I need to send in my driver's application. (did, on 25th)

FEBRUARY 24: Didn't go to Writer's Round Table. Tigger died.

FEBRUARY 25: Got five new Star Wars guys, five new Smurfs, a small Smurfhouse, and a set of prehistoric animals.

FEBRUARY 26: Cleaned house up. Did dining room.

FEBRUARY 27: Sent off for "Giants" and "Kingdom of the Dwarfs."

FEBRUARY 28: Susan had her party.

FEBRUARY 29: Tried to rest. Didn't succeed much.

Mr. Sanders had been one of our bus drivers back in grade school and to see him again at the end of high school was like a sign; a call back, as it were, to the beginning of the story of my public education.

I was now hanging out in the shed in the evenings sometimes. Lighting the candle was a strange way of asserting myself and my responsibility. And it was a nice mellow light.

Nothing ever came of my driver's registration, because I never was confident enough to get behind the wheel. Susan would have been 8 on March 2; this was an early birthday party on the weekend. Tigger was our yellow and white cat. 

Little Red Diary (February 1981): Forty Years Ago This Month!

FEBRUARY 1: Just rested after a hard day's work.

FEBRUARY 2: Six more weeks of winter! Gave a great Kiowa report. Mrs. Cotton ran over a dog (accident).

FEBRUARY 3: Went to Writer's Round Table, showed pictures. Got nominated for "Best Artist" of Senior Class.

FEBRUARY 4: Got a Dr. Demento record. Started my new story.

FEBRUARY 5: Got "Satyrday" and John got "Dawn of the Dead." Diary at first wouldn't open.

FEBRUARY 6: Lock broke entirely. Shoddy construction. Got measured for cap and gown. Got "The Magic of Oz."

FEBRUARY 7: We had a mix-up after work.

FEBRUARY 8: Rewrote Chapter 2 [of Goldfire}. John wrote Chapter 7.

FEBRUARY 9: Got nominated for "Most Likely To Succeed." Wonders never cease. Mike's birthday.

FEBRUARY 10: Got "The Lure of the Basilisk," "Snoopy, Top Dog," Savage Sword of Conan #63, Famous Monsters #172. Got to read Chapter 2 at Writer's Round Table.

FEBRUARY 11: Got nothing today. A boring, stupid day.

FEBRUARY 12: [Redacted]

FEBRUARY 13: Kept sane. Had a terrible algebra test.

FEBRUARY 14: Got "Latin-English Dictionary," "Dictionary of Misinformation," "Macbeth."

FEBRUARY 15: Cleaned out old green and white shed.

Quite a few things to unpack from these scanty entries. For one thing, I was a senior who still rode the school bus while most of my colleagues knew how to drive and had cars of their own. The long ride took almost an hour, and sometimes I even fell asleep in my seat. The "new story" I started was probably "The Old Boy", which became the first chapter of "The Shadow Over Alben". We used to listen to the Dr. Demento radio show late at night while we worked back in the kitchen at Mr. Gatti's; the parodies and gonzo humor appealed to our little circle of friends. I suppose I was trying to differentiate myself while at the same time trying to fit in with some circle or other. The reason I cleaned out the old shed was to have a personal space to hang out, away from my brothers.

But one, at least, wasn't having it. "Shoddy construction" my eye. Mike broke that lock trying to pick it, apparently wanting to see what "mighty secrets" I might be keeping. I couldn't lock the diary anymore, but I saw that any attempt at privacy was futile anyway. It took me a while to forgive him.