I’ve never had a time in my life where I didn’t have a dog, a cat, or multiple instances of both. I don’t know what I would do with my time if I didn’t have to walk a dog, fill a food or water dish or scoop out a litter box. Some times I don’t…
Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be the first to find the answer, unfold the mystery or solve the problem. That’s been true whether it was a spelling bee, board game or solving problems on the chalkboard at the front of the class. I thought of it as being smart, most others considered…
Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a tendency to be a smart-aleck. When I was 10, my Mom was buying some sodas and asked “What do you want?” I said, “A Cadillac, but I don’t think that’s happening.” I didn’t get any laughs from the audience. When I was in sixth grade, I signed…
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a dog. When I was in first grade, we got a dog named Tippy that followed me everywhere. Before that, I had to make do with my uncle’s dog – who’s name was….Dog. What’s worse was while my uncle’s name was Lowell…we called him…..Uncle Boy. When…
Back in school, I was a band and choir kid. From the first time we could sign up for either, I was in both. I started playing trombone in 6th grade, and joined choir as well. My parents were pleased because it kept me from getting into typical childhood mischief. Every year, choir held special…
Every Halloween, kids dress up as witches, ghosts and goblins, going from house to house in search of the best candy rewards. As I got older, neighbors were less generous when they saw teenagers lurking in their doorway. When the candy bounty ran down, we turned away from asking for treats, and towards tricks. In…
Being precocious is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing if you’re the kid who learns how to be the center of attention. It’s a curse for everyone else who has to deal with THAT kid. Well, I was always THAT kid. If there was trouble to be had or mischief to be made,…
As a kid, my family went to church twice every Sunday, and once in the middle of the week. I didn’t think much about it, because that was what I was used to, but I don’t recall ever watching The Wonderful World of Disney on a Sunday evening, because we were always in church. So,…
I grew up in a musical family. Mom and my sisters all played the piano. My brother played the guitar. The one thing that we all did, especially every Sunday at church, was sing. Most times it was in the congregation, but once every month or so, the four kids would be trotted out to…
From the time I learned to read, I’ve always been a voracious reader. I would read anything I could get my hands on. If I couldn’t find a comic book, I’d settle for a magazine. If I couldn’t find a magazine, I’d get a book. If I couldn’t find a book, I’d read the back…