Mom's whistle was our best known signal for everything. Usually it meant to come in to home base, but it could be a warning or a welcome. It was a call that we all recognized and (usually) immediately responded to. It could be heard a couple of blocks away and we were well trained to respond. Neighbors would call Mom and ask her to"whistle the kids in" when they wanted their own kids.
You never knew what was on the other side of a whistle. Sometimes it was an outing, or a cool summer treat, or you could find yourself facing a work project, or a chore that you "forgot" to finish before heading out to play.
Our gut reaction to the whistle varied over the years from the embarrassment that Laurie felt when Mom whistled her and her date in and he said, "Why don't you bark so she knows you are coming?", to the relief Steven felt when he was separated from Mom and Dad while traveling in Egypt. A whistle from Mom was all he needed to get turned back around and headed in the right direction. Regardless of our initial feelings, our reaction was always the same. When we heard the whistle, we reported to Mom.
I was at Legoland with a pack of my own kids when I heard a whistle behind me. My head whipped around and I caught three young teenagers hurrying back to their Dad. I smiled at the scene that I recognized so well and laughed at my own conditioning that made me look and heed the call.
I was at Legoland with a pack of my own kids when I heard a whistle behind me. My head whipped around and I caught three young teenagers hurrying back to their Dad. I smiled at the scene that I recognized so well and laughed at my own conditioning that made me look and heed the call.
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When Onalee and I were first married we lived in Burley Idaho for the summer. There had been an open house held by the Carlson family in honor of our marriage since Dad and Mom were in India and were unable to attend the wedding. Uncle Snoden and Aunt LaVin had come down for the event. I told them Onalee and I would come up to Parma Idaho and visit them.
We made the trip up arriving in the late afternoon. Onalee went in the house where Aunt LaVin was preparing supper. She sent me out to the barn where Uncle Snoden was doing chores. In a few minutes there was a loud whistle from the direction of the house. Uncle Snoden jerked his head up and surprisedly said, “What was that??”
I said, “Oh! That is my wife Onalee calling us in for supper.”
He said “Wow! That is pretty slick.”
We cleaned the barnyard off our clothes and shoes and made our way into the house. By the time we got there we could hear the piano playing but could see Aunt LaVin in the kitchen. Uncle Snoden looked at me with quizzical eyes and said “Who is that playing?”
I said “That is my wife Onalee.”
When we sat down to eat and this beautiful and talented woman is seated at the table beside me Uncle Snoden says “Where did you find this talented girl? She would make the perfect farm wife.”
Yes she would have. But she was the wife of a city manager instead. While we are both still working on the “perfect” part Onalee’s whistle continues to bless us. Whenever I need to be found (and have forgotten my cell phone) I will still hear the whistle and know it is time to make my location known because there is something important abrew.
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