On a farm, in central Iowa, two 11 year old boys were bent on revenge...

We found an old Folgers Coffee can filled with odd sized bolts and nuts. This was promptly emptied into another can.

We had our smoker.

I found a small oily rag, and after searching in the drawers for safety matches….every out building on farms in those days had safety matches… we proceeded to test our improvised smoker and struck a flame to the rag

Steve lit the match and I dangled the rag by the corner. The lower part of the rag flamed for a second and I dropped it into the can.

We stood over the can looking at the progress of the smoldering rag…..Not much was happening with the smoke generation.

Well, both of us knew from lighting camp fires that a little short, soft breath blowing on the flame always helped get the fire going.

We both leaned down and started to blow gently on the rag in the can.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of orange light.

My eyes instantly slammed shut.

Stumbling and flailing all over the machine shed I slapped furiously at my eyes and hair.

What the hell happened? What the hell was that smell?

Opening my tearing eyes, I looked over to Steve and saw that he was doing likewise.
My face felt flushed with heat, and there was that pungent smell.

I looked at Steve in the pale light of the shed and, between his face slaps, noticed that his Sun bleached hair had funny black ends on each hair.. like small flecks of pepper glued to them.

Steve was staggering around the shed swearing all the curse words known to a 11 year old.
As I stared into the dimly lit shed it was then that I noticed it...He was missing something on his forehead.

His eyebrows! They were gone!.

Totally gone!

The rag had exploded into a crimson fire ball that shot a huge flame straight up into our blowing faces.

Cornfield Cowboys, Book One is a 17,350 word, 40 page memoir of a Towhead boy, during the 1950's and 1960’s in Central Iowa.

The stories and events surrounding James "Jamie" Ehle, are based on true accounts and events as he grew and matured with life's lessons.

Follow him as he explains the magic of Cornfield Cowboys Book One and how they shaped his life

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