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Chewing Tar

Posted Sunday, April 10, 2016, at 4:00 PM

A very nice lady I know told me that she chewed tar, road tar, when she was five years old. This lady is very quiet and a rather private person and asked me not to use her name. I agreed to this so I will just refer to her as "Sis."

Our parents already had three children, ages six and under in 1944, when Mother was pregnant with me due in July. Daddy was gone, in the Navy, fighting in World War II. To help reduce some of mother's stress, her sister, Alberta, who lived in Monticello, Indiana, had Sis come stay with her family for the summer.

Sis had a great time that summer playing with two older cousins. One thing she remembers doing was chewing tar. Shocked, I asked her why she did that. She didn't remember. Maybe it was because they couldn't afford to buy gum. Maybe because one of the cousins did it so she did it too. Or it could have been just one of those things kids do for no reason.

She didn't chew it often in Monticello but she did it again when she returned home to Brazil after I was born. Sis said they'd paved a street near our house and the hot summer sun made little liquid like "puddles" of tar so she chewed it again.

I don't remember any streets being tarred in our neighborhood when I was a kid. The streets I recall were made of either dirt, gravel or coal cinders. Our brother, Bill, said that he chewed tar once too. So I guess there was tar available somewhere at that time.

I asked Sis and Bill what it tasted like. Surely it was just awful. Neither could remember how it tasted. Apparently it wasn't too good, though, or we'd all be chewing tar now.

Sis said she has no recollection at all of there being a new baby in the house when she returned home from Monticello that summer. I said chewing tar probably affected her memory. Bill said the memory loss was probably due to the trauma of me coming into the family. Brother, Bob, doesn't remember when I was born either but he was only three and he didn't chew tar.

Did you ever chew tar? If so let me know. Keep smiling.

(Linda Messmer can be reached at 812-448-8725.)

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  • What a waste of eye sight and time. Why does The Brazil Times think Linda Messmer articles are interesting. Interesting to anyone. This article is ridiculous. In the beginning she says the woman she is writing about is a quiet and private person but then goes on to speak in the 1st person. DUH !! Really caring. Who really cares about chewing tar. Isn't there more interesting and educational articles to put in that space ?

    -- Posted by tripower on Mon, Apr 11, 2016, at 12:07 PM

  • You are correct Tripower in that this blog is not educational...but it isn't meant to be. Blogs are for people of all ilks' to write what is interesting to them and to share with the masses. You may not like LM's blogs but I am sure some do...so let those others enjoy and stop being judge, jury, executioner...and censor. Remember...you are not required to read any article in this or any other publication. I look forward to ready your interesting and educational blog.

    -- Posted by madman36 on Wed, Apr 13, 2016, at 8:05 AM
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