Afternoon Naps

Gumpy loved naps.  He seemed to always have time for a bit of shut-eye every day, which I think was a habit formed while he was a boomer on the railroad.  Long shifts without breaks at remote locations have a funny way of forcing you to sleep at odd hours.

His favorite place to take a nap was on a gold couch that had adjustable sides rather than arms.  Picture a long beach lounge chair and you're pretty close to what still sits at the farm.  He called it his workbench because he said it was always where he did his best work.

There are two family traits passed down from several generations of Carpenters, the ability to fall asleep on command (which seems to have skipped me) and a mischievous streak.  On the first trip to Lake Michigan that I remember well, the entire family shared a house in Ludington, MI.  It was one of the trips I remember my Uncle Jim taking with us before he moved to California.

The mischievous streak did not skip Jim.  Stories of his deeds abound in family conversations about my Mom's childhood.  Like the time they were camping and Jim decided to build a bonfire in a heatwave.  Or the night he woke up and mistook Ema's wig for a raccoon, which he beat to death.  But that is a blog best left to Mary and Mom to write.

One thing Jim taught me on that trip was that Gumpy was a sound sleeper.  As Gumpy laid down on the couch for his afternoon nap with his shirt off, Jim taught me how to knot Gumpy's chest hair.  This might seem unremarkable, except we knotted a lot of chest hair.  Enough that when the old boy sat up from his nap, he let out a mighty yell as hairs started ripping out of his skin.  

Even in retirement, naps were a daily occurrence.  He woke up early everyday, in sickness and in health because his body was programmed to do so after years of working the farm and at least one full-time job.  The naps were typically not long, just enough to be recharged for our next round of cow pasture pool or the next task on the farm.

I don't share his ability to fall asleep anywhere at anytime, which should explain to you why I blog in the wee hours of the morning.  I do share his appreciation for a good, refreshing nap.  I hope you do too.