Tonight I revisited, with my sister, the songs of my childhood, particularly the music of Ella Jenkins. Ella Jenkins is an absolute favorite of mine stemming from the time that my Aunt Johnnie used to play her records in our class from the time I was was in Head Start til I left her class when I was in second grade. My aunt was my first teacher, a pivotal point in my development and in the current of my memories. She was a gifted teacher, and not just because I was her nephew, but she always sought to engage and awe us with the wonderful things that we had to learn in her class. She also doted on me and spoiled me( my relationship with my Aunt is a point of interest that I need to reflect on), letting me set up her movie projector in class when we were going to watch a film or pop popcorn or play with all of the things that she had to use in our classroom.

My aunt had a basement full of objects that sometimes made their way into our classroom. I remember most vividly the movie projector, the popcorn popper(on days when we would pop popcorn there would be those exciting trips to the grocery store before school). God memories are flooding back. We lived right across the street from Aunt Johnnie and Aunt Bertie and everyday we would carpool to school and work, dropping my mother off at Robert Taylor, my sister at St. Ambrose, sometimes Aunt Betty at her school or Aunt Bertie at hers and then Aunt Johnnie and I would make our merry way on to Price-- that is if her car made it. Sometimes her car would stop on the road(Aunt Johnnie had a peppermint green Cadillac, her pride and joy)at which we would load onto the bus and make our way to Price, or we would see Mrs. Bull, who would give us a lift to school. I remember once when Aunt Johnnie had a wreck, and there by the grace was Mrs. Bull, who took me to school while Aunt Johnnie stayed and cursed at the woman who hit her.

One of my favorite songs was "Little White Duck" that went

There's a little white duck
Sitting in the water.
A little white duck
Doing what he oughter.
He took a bite of a lily pad,
Flapped his wings and he said,
"I'm glad I'm a little white duck,
Sitting in the water."
Quack, Quack, Quack.

There's a little green frog
Swimming in the water.
A little green frog Doing what he oughter.
He jumped right off of the lily pad
The little duck bit.
And he said "I'm glad,
I'm a little green frog,
Swimming in the water,
Glumph, Glumph, Glumph."

There's a little black bug (bzz)
Floating on the water.
A little black bug (bzz)
Doing what he oughter.
He tickled the frog on the lily pad
That the little duck bit.
And he said, "I'm glad,
I'm a little black bug,
Floating on the water.
Bzz! Buzz! Bzz!"

There's a little red snake
Playing in the water.
A little red snake
Doing what he oughter,
He frightened the duck and the frog so bad,
He ate the little bug,
And he said, "I'm glad
I'm a little red snake,
Playing in the water.
Hiss, Hiss, Hiss."

Now there's nobody left
Sitting in the water
Nobody left
Doing what they oughter
There's nothing left but the lily pad
The duck and the frog
Ran away - I'm sad
'Cause there's nobody left
Sitting in the water
Boo! Hoo! Hoo!


God I remember us singing that in class and listening to those records. When they werent at school those records were in Aunt Johnnie's basement and the last I have traced them, they made their way into Aunt Earnestine's storage house when Aunt Johnnie retired and moved back to Alabama. Hmm... What a Memory.