While in high school, our art class teacher often took us to the Detroit Zoo.  We scattered and drew in our sketchbooks.  We drew animals and people watching animals.  It was great fun in the spring of the year.  We also bought peanuts, unsalted, in their shells.  I ate peanuts, but had never seen any still in the shells.

While riding home on the school bus I began to eat peanuts.  I saw our teacher watching me, and did not know why.  “Look!”  he said.  “This is how to eat the peanuts.”  He cracked the shell open and took out two peanuts.  “Don’t eat them shells and all.”

I was so naive about so many things.  It is a miracle I lived, to tell the truth.  I was so constipated after eating all that roughage of peanut shells, I was thankful that my teacher had stopped me from eating them shells and all.

I buy them now to feed squirrels and chipmunks.  It is like giving them a Christmas present.  They do not eat the shells.  That does not give me much pride in my intelligence.