Harris, Carole Benon (Nov 5, 1925 – May 8, 2000) by Alan Wheatley

Carole Benon Harris by Alan Wheatley

When I sloughed the primary program:

Back when primary was held on
Mondays after school, I remember when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I decided
that I would sluff primary so with a friend, I think it was Kirk Reese, when to
the church after school but instead of going inside the church, we found a
vacant lot with a dry ditch.  We crawled around the ditch and got all
dirty.  Somehow we thought that we would get away with it.  When I
got home, mom asked me where I had been.  I couldn't lie to her and said
we had missed primary.  She said she was glad I had told the truth and
that my teacher had called her.  I never missed primary again.

When we upset Mr. Allen:

When we lived in Pocatello on
Fuller Way we had a neighbor across the street named Mr. Allen.  I think
he was a professor at Idaho State University.  He liked to sleep during
the day and thought that Gregory Allen his son and I should keep quite when
playing.  One day we were playing on their back patio and swinging each
other in the hammock.  Mr. Allen came out and yelled at us, which sent me
running home to my mother.  On another occasion, Gregory Allen came over
with $5.00 hanging loose out of his pocket.  My mother was concerned (back
in 1959 $5 was a lot of money for a 6 or 7 year old to have falling out of his
pocket) that he was being careless with his money.  She called over to Mr.
Allen and mention that Gregory had $5 hanging out of his pocket.  Mr.
Allen barked back, "It's his money and he can do with it what ever he wants!"

When I got my tongue stuck on the railing on Fuller Way.
(Must have been before 1960):

It was a cold winter day and I was
playing alone outside on our front step.  I remember that it was getting
dark outside.  I remember eating snow and doing normal things that kids
did in the 50's. I remember sticking my tongue to the cold metal railing and it
stuck.  I was crying for my mom to come and save me. I don't remember if
she came but I do remember that dad came and tried blowing on my tongue. 
It didn't work.  He then poured warm water on the rail and my tongue and
my tongue came loose.

When mom and Scott startled a moose at Mac's Inn:

You'll need to talk to Scott about
this but mom and Scott (perhaps others) were walking along the train tracks
near Mack's Inn in Island Park area in South Eastern Idaho. As they walked
along, they looked up and suddenly saw a big moose right on the track.  He
wouldn't move when they called out to him.  When that didn't work they
started to throw rocks at him.  Finally he slowly moved so they could
pass.  When they returned to the cabin with the big story everyone warned
them repeatedly that they could have easily been moose meat!

When mom got in trouble with two bishops in Tremonton at one
time:

When mom was relief Society
president in the Tremonton 6th ward. (Circa 1967) Bishop Russ Webb was just
being release and Bishop Don Gibson was just coming in. This was back when the
wards would hold "bazaars" in order to raise money for the ward budget. 
She had some very original ideas like a fishpond with real fish.  The kids
would come to the fish pond (a blanket draped over a wire) when the kids would
pull the wire they would get a little baby food jar with a live Gambozi fish
that we had netted at Udy's Springs, a pond near Plymouth north of
Tremonton.  I remember mom being there as we gathered the little inch long
fingerlings.  But the highlight of the evening was when she auctioned off
a goatskin that belonged to Bishop Webb.  It was one of his prized
possessions that he had taken as a trophy on a once in a lifetime hunting trip
in Alaska only one year before.  Mom thought that he might have to pay
$30-50 to buy it back and it would all be in good fun.  After a few cakes
were auctioned off by Benny Tanaka (a local professional auctioneer that mom
had persuaded to assist for a good cause) and had brought handsome prices by
the generous folks at the auction the last item was the beautiful white colored
mountain goat skin rug.  When it came out, the crowd quieted down. 
When Bishop Webb saw what was up for auction his eyes nearly bugged out. 
He gave his wife a dirty look.  She returned the look of "hey lighten… up
it is for a good cause".  Mom was unphased.  Unphased that is until
Mr. Tanaka easily got the bid up to $200. As the bid surpassed the $200 mark,
mom started to get a little nervous.  Not the amount she was planning for
or even hoping for.  When the well-meaning ward members bumped the bid up
past $300, everyone was into it. It seemed that Don Gibson was the biggest
inflator of the bids. Bishop Webb was getting visible bugged, the whole ward
was laughing and Don Gibson kept the bidding alive. As I recall the bidding
finally closed at over $400. Don was beside himself with laughter, Bishop Webb
was smarting as he contemplated the check he would have to write, but to the
surprise of everyone present, the bidding was not quite over.  Mom
appeared out of nowhere with a fishing pole.  Not just any fishing pole.
But a prized and special fishing pole that belonged to …you guessed it…. Bishop
Gibson. The tables turned. Now the bidding was fast and furious and driven up
quickly and joyfully by Russ Webb.  It was revenge time.  The pole
surpassed price of the goatskin in the half the time.  Bishop Gibson's
prize fishing pole finally fetched a price $100 over the goatskin. 
Needless to say, the fund raising efforts were successful as they surpassed
their objective for the activity and created an unforgettable event.

When mom and dad scared Grandmother Agnes Wheatley to death
when dad dressed up in the Smokey the Bear costume in Pocatello:

Some how my dad got a hold of a
Smokey the Bear costume that was very realistic and authentic.  Dad put it
on and wore it to the Cub Scout pack meeting.  Dad was the pack master and
mom was a den mother.  After the activity mom thought it would be a good
idea to show Grandmother Wheatley the costume so dad and mom drove over the
East Lander street where grandma lived.  Dad went to the door alone and
nearly scared great grandmother Wheatley to death.  It took her a little
while to get over the fright.

When mom tried to pull dad with the boat at Newton Res. And
drove the boat in front of him when he said "hit it".  He didn't mean,
"hit me!"

When mom's dad passed away she
inherited a home on Ash Street in Pocatello and with her share she and dad
decided to purchase a boat.  They order a 20' Gulf Stream inboard/outboard
boat made in Utah. We used it nearly every weekend at Willard bay, Hyrum
reservoir, Bear Lake and other spots around the area.  On one Saturday we
were at Newton Reservoir near Logan.  Every once in a while dad would
ski.  Dad asked mom to pull him.  She never was very comfortable
pulling skiers but she was his only option since the older boys were not with
us that day.  Dad got both skis on and yelled "hit it".  Mom said what?" 
"I said hit it!", he called out. So she hit it.  Unfortunately the wheel
on the boat was completely turned to the side.  As soon as she hit it the
boat did a loop between where we were and dad.  Everyone screamed as she
ran over the rope. (Which usually cuts and chews the rope up.  Not good
for the prop either) Most of us were less concerned about he rope but were just
thankful that she didn't run over dad the skier!  Mom vowed that she would
not pull skier any more.  No one argued with her.

When mom told me that I could have written the book,
"Jonathon Livingston Seagull" but the problem was that I didn't:

I must have been a high school
freshman or sophomore when I read a popular best selling book at the time
called "Jonathon Livingston Seagull".  It was about a seagull that left
the crowd of gulls and breaks away. After I read it I scoffed and made a
boastful claim that I could have written a story like that.  Mom turned to
me and said I know you could …but you didn't.

Other memories:

When mom parked on of the loaner
cars (she seldom had her own car for very long) at the grocery store and could
remember what color, make or model and had to call dad so she could find her
car and get home.

She always wanted me to cut my hair
(my senior year) I made a deal with her.  I would cut my hair if she would
hit her wait loss goal. Mom accepted that challenge.  I remember as my
hair grew and grew and the lbs struggled to come off. What started as a good
idea faded as her distain for my hairstyle grew, I could tell she was not
happy.  I cut my hair and she was relieved that I let her off the hook.

When mom got the fancy pants for
Christmas that no one would be identified as the giver (as everyone laughed).