A Note from Curtiss Pilling

Hi Arta: 

At Kay Crabtree's funeral I told the congregation how, during high school study hall time, I used to hide a western pocketbook or magazine behind my textbook.  

One day the principal wondered what I found humorous in a Science text and caught me with a Mad Magazine. There was a cartoon about a summer cabin.  Later my cousin was building a cabin and I wrote this "Summer Cabin" poem. Kay heard me do it and liked it. 

Every time he would see me, quite often he would say "so they burned the damn thing down" as only Kay could say it. 

One Sunday I wrote this short note to him, the family found it and wanted me read at his funeral.

~ ~ ~

KAY

There’s some folks you meet that you wonder about,

Are they really on the square?

Can you count on them to just be the same

Anytime and anywhere?

Do they know you well one day

and seem to be your friend

But tomorrow they might walk right by

As if their neck won’t bend?

That’s what I like about you,

anywhere, anytime, any day,

You’re always fun and friendly,

you really are O Kay!

Curtiss Pilling

July 2009

~ ~ ~



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SUMMER CABIN

We bought a Summer Cabin to fill a lifelong dream

Located on a boating lake, close to a fishing stream.

We planned how every summer we'd spend our time in play,

We'd boat and fish a little, then in the sunshine lay.

But the first year we discovered that the raindrops could get in

So we covered those old shingles with a new roof made of tin.

Next year we decided 'fore the playing would commence

To "spruce up" the place a little bit, we built a brand new fence.

Then something must've happened when we left there in the fall

"Cuz next year we did the sewer system, sceptic tank and all.

Last year it got a paint job, and we added a sundeck,

An’ replaced two rooms of carpet cuz the old ones looked like heck.

But this year on vacation, we'll get a hotel there in town,

When we figured the cost an' all the hard work, we burned the damn thing down!

Curt Pilling

Summer 1993