You may or may not be familiar with the phrase Olly, Olly, Oxen free and I think it would most assuredly depend on your age. It was a phrase used in many hide and seek games whereby finally, the person who is “it” calls out to everyone to come on in as they have given up on finding the hiders and they can run “home” without penalty.  

The one thing that I think has probably changed a lot since the days of endless kick the can games in the neighborhood, is the political correctness of being labeled with some name like “it.”  

While you and I may not see anything wrong with that as we were playing a game and no harm was done in being called a seemingly derogatory term, today people would have a fit if their babied, pampered child was called “it.” And poor little Wessel, their golden child, would need counseling to get over being bullied.  

But of course in those days we thrived on warm water drinks from sun drenched garden hoses, ate snacks prepared by strangers, were friends with neighboring men who drove white vans for work and slept outside most of the summers in backyard tents without nary a care of being kidnapped.  

Of course Ol’ Dutch never had to worry much about the latter as my mother was sure that I would be returned unharmed by any kidnapper – who would subsequently pay her to keep me inside until they escaped.  

(Miss Trixie uses the same strategy whenever a lady flirts with Ol' Dutch. She's never the least bit worried. She's done the math and knows that, once the ambitious young lady discovers Ol' Dutch's true nature, she'll happily pay a handsome sum if only Miss Trixie will agree to take him back. 

Back to my childhood over in yesteryear, I can remember endless games of kick the can in the summers that lasted well into the darkness hours and we hid and played across a vast neighborhood of lawns and houses. Even old Mr. Dunlop, the local curmudgeon, didn't mind us using his property to hide as it seemed a rite of passage for all kids who grew up in that area.   

The term came to mind last weekend as Miss Trixie, her gorgeous self and Ol’ Dutch attended the Amish Auction near Antonito, Colorado. And the reason it came to mind was all these years I had thought the phrase was “olly, olly, auction free” not “oxen free.” 

We all did as that's how we pronounced it.  

Of course none of us neighbor kids ever grew up to be great scholars or poets or any such flavor so maybe we were just a bunch of morons running helter skelter in the night.  

But regardless of our error of pronunciation of the term, we still played the game and Ol’ Dutch is too old to learn any different so I remain an “auction free” kinda guy.  

Miss Trixie and I attended the local Amish Auction on Saturday and she bid on a few of the famous quilts although they exceeded her budget she had set for said items. She did get some hand made pot holder type things for $4 so all in all she thinks she won on the day.  

As you know, we never sit still no matter where we are and between working for Mountain Man Rafting in South Fork and other activities we are constantly on the run.  

This week is no different as the Ladies Aid Society of Creede Colorado puts on their benefit rummage sale which is the highlight of the season for many folks who attend. Last year they raised almost $80,000 to help those in need in the area so it's a great benefit to those who may need help.  

And of course Miss Trixie and I will be there with bells on, way before the doors open hoping to score more “stuff” that my kids will have to deal with when I am gone.  

Even if we don't score big there, the local Amish community has another massive auction coming up July 24-25 South of Monte Vista, Colorado which we will most certainly attend. And if Ol’ Dutch is lucky, I might even be able to say “olly, olly auction FREE” if I can keep Miss Trixie out of the quilt sale barn. Free being the desired expenditure for the day.   

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.com .