South Hobart, Tasmania, 2002
When Marcus was still a baby who would sit still, I would carry him up to the washing line to keep an eye on him while I hung out clothes. The small patio under the Hills Hoist was the only flat spot in the yard. Gizmo the old cat came up too and made figure-8s around us.
As I worked it seemed a natural thing to also adorn Marcus with big strong pegs. Nice bright colours, good for grasping but too strong for him to open and get into trouble. I put them all around his hat and his bib. Green, yellow, red. It was good for teaching him the names of colours.
One day when all the clothes were up I was squeezing a peg and making it ‘talk’ to Marcus. “…Hello young fella, hello Giz, what’s all this then. Heavens to Betsy…”
At some point the peg began to sing, and the song it sang was (Once I Had A) Secret Love. The peg’s voice was a little bit like Dennis Walter or Kamahl. (Recent research suggests inspiration from Englebert Humperdink’s version).
The peg did not know any other songs and in fact only knew the first and last lines of this one and filled in the rest with dee dee dee dah, dee dah deeee.
Marcus seemed to love it, and Giz just added it to his long list of things that didn’t require action from him. Marcus’ mother got a giggle out of it.
Now Marcus lives in Hong Kong where he works in finance. I enjoy hanging out the washing alone, listening to the footy or a podcast as I go. The pegs on the line are silent.
But pegs also fill various indoor roles (keeping rolled oats fresh, etc) and once in a while a peg in the kitchen can still make Marcus’ mother laugh by bursting mournfully into ‘Once I had a secret love…’
Stereo Story 842
Chris, an artist and graphic designer, created the Stereo Stories plectrum logo and our postcard.
His previous stories were about The Doors and Dave Graney.
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4boat
I am a graphic designer in my 50s living in Hobart. I have written a blog since our first child was born in 2002. I like walking uphill, swimming and bananas. I do not sing publicly except through the medium of a clothes peg.
What a sweet & well told story of small everyday things. Well, the kind that seemed ‘everyday’ at the time maybe, but later in retrospect seems to have grown in poignancy. Got me thinking of those little rituals, routines & jobs that made up my everyday back when my kids were young too. How, when you are living through them, they feel almost endlessly repetitive. It’s nice to remember, thanks Chris. Oh, & that song! I have an enduring thing for old movies & love Doris Day singing this in Calamity Jane. I could probably sing the whole movie soundtrack actually, with or without peg as conduit! :)
Oh the memory of song, young children and parenting, But also how cleverly told through the multiple function of the peg and those moments we reminisce of days gone by.
Beautiful