I was in eighth grade.  Our science teacher gave us assignments to present in front of the class.  I took this seriously.  I was terrified to speak in front of anyone.  But, I went to the library and checked out books on “Optical Illusions”.  I did the research and bought poster boards as visual aids.… Continue reading Slip Up

One young man, straight home from Vietnam, asked me to take a ride on his motorcycle.  My judgement was not the best years ago.  I did not know him, but my friends did.  I said, “Okay.” I eyed this guy.  I was at least six inches taller than him, and many pounds heavier. He got… Continue reading Last Ride

When I was twenty I went to visit friends in Detroit.  I had on faded blue bell bottoms, a cropped tee-shirt, and underwear.  There were motorcycles at their house. One looked exactly like the chopped bike in the movie “Easy Rider”.  We gathered around this motorcycle and stood around with time on our side. I… Continue reading Uneasy Rider

My parents had a mixed breed dog before and then after I was born. The dog looked like a Cocker Spaniel.  His name was Snuffy.  My dad worked nights for a time, and my mother would be alone with Snuffy. There was a little window in our front door.  Snuffy often went to sit by… Continue reading Snuffy

Horses confound me.  Our daughter had a preschool friend who was given a little pony.  Her friend did not care at all about the pony.  Our daughter did.  We visited it in a pasture nearby, with  carrots in our hands. We found a neighbor near to our home.  She had a stable of six horses… Continue reading Saddle Up

My dad spent hours in car dealerships when shopping for a new car.  The salesmen saw him coming and probably drew straws on who would try to finally sell him a car.  My dad was a turd about the whole charade.  The unlucky salesman would show him cars in the lot and he would look… Continue reading Our Volkswagen

As a teen I rode horses on well worn trails.  They were very tame horses.  Older, I convinced my husband to go trail riding one fateful day.  He swung onto his horse like a cowboy.  My horse thought my blonde hair was hay, so we were delayed for a time.  I finally ended up in… Continue reading Horsing Around

I can still remember sitting in a pew at church.  It smelled like old wood rubbed by many hands over the years.  The priest was Father Thomas and I had a girl’s crush on him.  I sweated as I reviewed my catechism classes on how to make a confession.  I racked my brain for something… Continue reading Confession

When we moved to Connecticut I had to go back to the manual on how to parallel park a car.  I had not honed the skill over the years.  I drove to Mystic to go to one of the quaint stores to stare at all the collections of fun things that I covet.  I drove… Continue reading Parking Pandemonium

Lawn care was my mother’s avocation.  It was the green carpet of the neighborhood.  My girlfriend’s house had a visual of my house and its lawn.  My mother hated ground voles.  These dug tunnels and holes in her flawless lawn.  It was war, for my mother. One sunny day my mother raced around with the… Continue reading Poison Peanuts