VINSON: Would you rather be king for a day or hick furr an evenin'? on The Murfreesboro Post

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VINSON: Would you rather be king for a day or hick furr an evenin'?

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By: MIKE VINSON, Post Columnist

Posted: Sunday, July 8, 2012 5:46 am

Do any of the readers remember the popular television game show "Queen for a Day," which aired from approximately 1956-1970 on NBC, ABC, and syndicated TV ( as well as radio)?

For those who don't remember, the show opened with host Jack Bailey asking the audience, the majority women, "Would YOU like to be Queen for a Day?"

After the question, the contestants were introduced and interviewed, one at a time. After a Q&A exchange, Bailey would ask the contestant what she most needed and why she wanted to be Queen for a day?

Many times, these female contestants were down on their luck, only to have Bailey gift them with a new washer and dryer, a refrigerator, medical-care equipment, etc., and the women would proceed to sob tears of joy on national television.

"Queen for Day" was quite popular, and understandably so. (HINT: In my opinion, "Queen for a Day" sure beats the heck out of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and "Bad Girls Club.")

I was reminded of the show a couple weeks ago when a couple had invited me to come and spend the night with them on – as they refer to it – "The Property," several acres of rugged farm and nursery land located on an out-of-the-way secondary road, approximately 15 miles from downtown McMinnville, not all that far from the Warren-Grundy County line.

Arriving at there around 6 p.m., the male part of the couple met me on the paved road and led me into The Property.

In no time, after pulling up to where they're building a new home, the female portion of the couple, an attractive lady with just enough good ol' Tomboy in her, appeared on an ATV, beverage in tow, and, nodding backwards, said, "Hop on behind me, Mike."

I did as instructed, and away we went!

However, at this juncture, I'd like to make a confession.

We just had crossed a small body of water and were attempting to go up a short, but fairly steep, incline.

Not having generated enough momentum, the four-wheeler stalled. She gunned it; the wheels started spinning, and the front end came off the ground – I was about to bail!

Aware I was about to bail, the lady driver said, "Don't wuss out on me, now, Mike; just lean into me and hang on!"

Allowing the four-wheeler to roll back a few feet, she hit the throttle full-blast; tires commenced slinging dirt and gravel; the front end, again, came off the ground, and slowly-but-surely, spin-by-spin, she drove us out of bottom.

Once out, we reached our destination: a small creek with flowing water, about a foot deep, situated off to itself, located in yet another bottom.

Out in the middle of the creek were two lawn chairs, a cooler of beverages between the two chairs.

She and I took a seat in a lawn chair, and each of us popped a top. Though it had been in excess of 100 degrees that day, the sun was setting; there was a slight breeze, and the breeze, kinda, was lifting a thin layer of moisture off the top of the creek water and lightly spraying down us as we lounged in the lawn chairs, visited and quenched our thirsts.

As the sun attempted to duck out of sight behind a small, wooded mountain, there was this stunning amber-blue glaze across the sky.

I told my lady friend: "You know, there are millionaires in the big cities who would spend big bucks to escape the hectic hustle-bustle of downtown, corporate America for a moment like this."

Though I won't embellish it by saying I was "King for a Day," I will say that I, at least, was "Hick furr the Evenin'."

Regardless, it was, and will remain, a treasured "moment."

Mike Vinson can be contacted at mike_vinson56@yahoo.com.

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Member Opinions:

By: NTHA419133 on 7/9/12
Mark Twain wrote, “Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be manipulated quite unaltered through the course of hours.”

As I read your story, I could not help but notice the aesthetic enthusiasm of your voice. The job of a good writer is to make one feel and perceive the beauty of the “out-of-doors” world, to convey, and then share, an experience with others that ought not to be missed.

If the rhythm of the story is there, there will always be a pleasurable impact of one sensation on another. Figuratively, I “saw” myself sprawled out in one of those lawn chairs – feet immersed in the cool water of the creek. I “heard” the sound (‘POP’), of the tab of the can, and I most certainly “felt” the mist that took my eyes to witness the stunning amber-blue glaze across the sky.

Moreover, although I was not there physically to share in this “beautiful” moment in time, I however did get to experience a sense of “independence,” so to speak, that will forever remain inexplicable, only to me. “I went there!”

By: songwriterdad on 7/11/12
Great illustration! Here's my spin on it. I have had and continue to have many moments like the afore mentioned, for that I am truly blessed! It's easy to take for granted, what we have at our disposal. My good friend and I share a lot of time on the river,usually fishing, and and when we have a moment like that, one of us will often say to the other, "I WONDER WHAT THE POOR PEOPLE ARE DOING?"