At age eight, my bait casting reel would always end up in a knotty mess. Dad called them “bird’s nests” because the tangled interlacing of fishing line looked like the complicated weave of its namesake. I have a lifetime of creating knots. Not all the same. Neither are the ways to untie them, but the arc is always there. I create the mess and then help comes to my rescue …
Childhood
Fear of Becoming A Snipe
Our annual Snipe hunts took place on Thursday evenings after Taps. The hunters were instructed to quietly assemble so as not to waken the Scout Master, who, of course, knew exactly what was going on, and then we would head up the mountain together. Lately, I find myself identifying with the Snipe.
“Take Good Care of Yourself, Bruce,” Then His Eyes Closed
Grandpa had many adventures in his long life, but on that Saturday in 1953 he wasn’t sharing stories about any of that. Instead, we just exchanged a few simple words before he took my untested young grip with his weathered hand.
The Great Depression – a very hard teacher!
My mother and father were married on December 16, 1928 – her 23rd birthday. Times were good – the Roaring Twenties were non-stop fun for many – but it all came crashing down less than a year later. On September 3, 1929 the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached an all time high of 381.17 – then the slide downward began. By July 8, 1932 it was at a low of 41.22.
When was your first fight?
… how a bloody face spoiled everything … The memories of my first job at 10 are still very real for me – it was a special time in my life. I had a some independence along with a little spending money – a new ball glove – friends. Life was good. Those wonderful memories […]
When did you first meet a person of a different color?
… commuting to work at age 10 … Getting to work at a root beer stand can be a real challenge, especially when you are only 10 years old. West Markum Street in Little Rock was residential on one side and the State Mental Hospital was on the other. The hospital grounds were very open with […]
Should a 10 year-old go to work?
They said, “No, your glove is fine.” I knew my parents were wrong. I needed a new baseball glove if I was going to be a world famous second baseman and play in the World Series – I had to have the right equipment. Everyone knows that! I fumed over it for a few days […]