Category Archives: impediments

The Hana Chronicles: Month 7, Day 14

0
Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

August 4, 2026- “All done! Aaahh.” With those words, my granddaughter pushed away her empty water cup, having cleaned her plate at lunch time. She cleans her plate every meal, so this was no surprise.

Earlier, no sooner had Yunhee placed a sloping wedge in the playpen, for Hana to climb (under supervision), than our little girl looked at me, standing outside the playpen and pushed the wedge over to the playpen wall, where I was standing. She then climbed up on the wedge and pulled herself up, using the wall. I held her back, and when she started to move backwards, gently lowered her to the wedge

The vigilance has thus gone a few notches higher. I know it is going to be all the more urgent, once Hana learns to walk-and run. She was quite proud of herself for having thought of using the wedge as a step, to look over the playpen wall.

When Aram called, to report the need to take his car to the shop, Hana listened, as I put the call on speaker. She called out “Talk to Daddy!”, which made his day. These little bits of commentary certainly make my days, also.

HANA’S NOTE- I like the lunch my Mommy makes for me. It is always easy to eat, and tastes good.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1987 In January, I was offered a Visiting Professorship. in Jeju National University’s Department of English Language Education, In February, I was told that I had to leave Korea while my employment visa was being processed. So, I returned to the United States, landing in Los Angeles, then flying to Portland, and continuing by bus to Seattle, then across the northern tier. My one and only visit to North Dakota, thus far, entailed being on a Greyhound that braved a blizzard. As we stopped, briefly, in Steele, ND, the driver remarked that if blizzards stopped buses, no one in North Dakota would go anywhere for six months. We left the snow behind in Chicago, then I went on through NYC to Boston. I spent a week with my mother, helping to soothe her still aching heart. I spent three days with Penny’s parents, in New Jersey, then took another bus to Greenville, South Carolina, where my brother Dave and his family were living at the time. I spent about ten days there, until I got word that my visa had been approved. I then went by bus across the South, passing through New Orleans on the morning of Ash Wednesday, thus seeing the mounds of debris, the morning after Mardi Gras. I took a plane from Phoenix to LA, then had to negotiate a flight back to Seoul and Jeju, as Korean Air was skeptical of my visa, for some reason. I got back to Jeju and gave Penny a pleasant surprise. (This was before cellular phones, mind you, so there was no way to call her, when I was having flight issues.)

My year as a professor involved a brief learning curve, with regard to the mind of the Korean university students (much more like high school students, in terms of maturity, back then). We endured months of active protests on the campus, on one occasion maintaining strict silence, as militant students marched down the hall of our building, clanging steel rods on the floor as they passed. A radical student in one of my classes told me that her friends would confine me to my office,if they knew I was in class. She and my other students did not want that to happen. so they kept still.

Penny and I went back to the U.S. again in summer, taking a five-week summer session at NAU, then spending a few weeks in New Jersey and Massachusetts, before returning to Korea in late August. The family visits would be our summer routine, for each of the years that we were in Korea- except for the year to come. Another big change was coming to our lives.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 7, Day 13

0
Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 3, 2026- Hana has taken to kneeling and looking at the camera that is above her crib, when she wants someone to come to her. She will start babbling, in a sensible cadence, so I know that she is thinking about what to say. Her appetite has also increased, since her upper incisors have come in.

She comes to me, in the playpen, when she wants to practice standing. It is easier to grab onto Papa than onto the play pen lining, and besides, I will both hold her up and cheer her on. Although “I am Baby” is one of her latest phrases, she has a quite elevated agenda, for a seven-month-old.

HANA’S NOTE- I like it when Daddy calls, because then Papa lets me listen to the phone call. Any other time, the phone is off-limits.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1986 This was another seismic year. Late on a January night, I took a call from South Korea. A Baha’i friend there, who knew that Penny was getting her Master’s Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, called to ask whether she would be interested in taking his position: Visiting Professor of English, in the Department of English Language and Literature, at Jeju National University. Her half-conscious response was: “Sure, why not?”

Despite a lot of internal back and forth on the matter, she took the position and we began to uncouple from Tuba City. We made arrangements to move ourselves, and our household items, in August. We left Tuba in June and spent two months at NAU, in Flagstaff. I was taking courses towards a School Administrative Certificate, and had 12 credits left to earn. Six of those credits were covered that summer.

It was only two weeks into the summer session, when I got the phone call that my father had passed away. On a Sunday morning, his heart failed him, as he prepared for a routine visit to my youngest brother’s residential facility. I made flight arrangements, almost immediately, in rather a foggy state of mind, and called one of my professors, to explain the situation. He promised to tell my other professor. Penny was unable to join me, as her key exam was the following Saturday. We went to get her food for the week, as I would have the car to drive to Phoenix. Then, I was off. I got to Boston around 11 p.m., meeting my brother, Dave at Logan Airport. A short time later, I was holding my mother as tightly as I had when her mother had passed, thirty-six years earlier. It was a week of remembrance, giving and receiving solace and yard work. I enlisted the help of a few uncles and cousins for my mother, before I left to go back to Arizona.

We arrived in South Korea, in mid-August. A week was spent with American friends in Osan, outside of Seoul. Acclimating to Korean life in Metro Seoul was a bit like assimilating to American life, by living in New York or Los Angeles, It was a bit of a Boot Camp, though, and we were in fairly good shape, by the time we went down to Jeju. A few weeks later, we were in our Teacherage, Penny began her teaching work and I spent my days tutoring a few Korean students and getting to know the coffee houses of downtown Jeju. Penny and I also went to the southern island town of Seogwip’o. As it happened, the area had just been hit by a typhoon, and we saw lot of clean-up going on.

My own work as a Visiting Professor of English would start, early the following year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 7, Day 4

0
Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Fiction, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 25,2026- Hana has two new toys. One is a plush crab, that mimics any sound it hears. So, she hears her own vocalizations “squeaked’ back to her. She hears the same, when one of us is near her and speaks. She doesn’t seem fazed by it, one way or the other. The other toy is a bumble bee pack pack, with the antennae fitting over her head and the wings and honey sac as her backpack. In truth, these seem more for her mother’s enjoyment than anything that might interest Hana. She may, eventually, develop an interest in them; we’ll see.

She is mostly just happy that it’s the weekend and she has Mommy and Daddy, as well as me. Among other things, she gets to snuggle with her parents, in the master bed, on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It gratifies me to see that happening. She will be much more secure, as time goes on.

I made my Saturday morning visit to Plano Farmer’s Market and stopped by H.E.B., on the way back. I got zucchini, which Hana likes in pureed form. Other items in my bags will be for her to enjoy later. The rest of the day, the three loved ones rested and I cleared some of the bags and boxes that were brought back from storage, several weeks ago. Mind over matter.

HANA’S NOTE- I think the copy cat crab is silly. I am not sure what is so special about copying my voice.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1977 This was the year in which I felt the fullness of not having stuck it out at UMass Boston, in 1969 I managed to serve my country and to earn my Bachelor’s Degree. Still, there was an emptiness and I know it was about Katie. She had a good life and I wasn’t going to go and mess things up for her. I stayed in Maine and carried on.

In February, one of my housemates decided he didn’t want me in the house, citing the disappearance of some of his venison and of his watch. In reality, he, his girlfriend and the other housemate had eaten most of the venison. He was later seen wearing the watch. What did happen was that I had to walk through the bedroom he shared with his girlfriend, to get to my room. The young lady asked who I was and said she thought I was cute. That was the deal breaker. I moved out, and found a family that had a room available. I stayed with the Robinsons for nearly a year, so it was a soft landing.

The other thing that happened that month was I drove up to Winter Carnival in Quebec, with three young ladies along. I left them off at a dorm they had booked and found a hotel room. The carnival itself was lovely, as usual. The drive back was a disaster. We drove through a blizzard, as far as Skowhegan, in western Maine. That was where I ran out of gas. They hitched the rest of the way to Orono, and I stayed behind with the car, finding cheap accommodations-an empty jail cell. In Maine, back then, the sheriffs would put up law abiding citizens who were in dire straits, for 1-2 nights. The next day, with help from my cousin, I got to a bank, got money out and retrieved my car. I was glad to see March 1.

The year had its good moments. The summer was spent mostly tooling around Maine and New Brunswick. I was given a new assignment for the 1977-78 school year, acting as Title I Math Tutor. My middle brother married his high school sweetheart, in October.

The emptiness, though, remained. I thought of the Star Wars film series, which came out tn May. “The only way is through.”

The Hana Chronicles: Month 7, Day 2

0
Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Striving

July 23,2026- “Oma!” Hana was worried about her mother, when I mentioned that her parents were on their way home. Both her Mom and Dad got home safely. So, the little girl’s worries were for naught. Still, I can only imagine what goes through a child’s mind.

Aram was with us for part of the day, as he had a medical appointment in late morning. So, the three of us walked together, on our usual route through the park. A neighbour engaged us in conversation, for about twenty minutes, during which Hana slept soundly.

The rest of the day went smoothly. We played a lot, with Hana crawling all over her grandfather, my putting rings on a cone and her alternately tipping the cone over or taking one ring off the cone at a time. The neighbour mentioned above said that, sooner or later, I would treasure my alone time. Right now, I’d say that is off the mark.

HANA’S NOTE- I saw Mommy driving while she was tired, so I called out to her, in Korean. Nothing bad happened to her.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1975 This was an interesting year. I lived in two different places- a rooming house in Northampton and a shared apartment, in South Deerfield. I completed my baccalaureate, and had a mediocre stint as Teaching Intern. I was determined to up my game, when the actual jobs came about. I worked in the spring as a short-order cook in a country cafe (I was terrible at this one), in the summer as a custodian at Northampton Public Schools and in the fall as a stocker in a package store (alcoholic beverages). I had the unique experience of being fired at the latter, on my 25th birthday. It turned out that the assistant manager’s son needed a job, and the A.M. felt I was doing work that he considered his turf.

The rooming house found me with four housemates-two rather testy older men, a woman who was also at UMass and an 87-year-old widow, who was the nicest of the four. When things got too heated between me and one of the older men, I left and found the apartment. I first shared the place with three stoners, and did painting and small repairs on the place, when they left. A nice couple with a little girl came in after them. We got along well, and I left the place to them, when I graduated.

I spent about a week, between the summer and fall jobs, hiking the Presidential Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I met quite an eclectic bunch at the various Appalachian Mountain Club huts and actually hauled two bags of trash from the hut on Mount Jefferson to the base of Mount Adams.

1975 was definitely an interesting year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 28

0
Posted by on in children, collaborating, distraction issues, Family, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

July 19,2026- “I want this!”- So said my granddaughter, as she sat on my lap, while I was reading my Baha’i prayer book, this morning. I let her touch the cover and the pages, but not pull on them. She understood, after I explained the reason, a second time. It is nice that she wants to hold such a comforting book.

We went to Costco, as a family, this afternoon. Hana is not yet curious about stuff. She basically looks at what people are doing-especially other children teasing their parents. She had no reaction today, at a little boy trying to keep things away from his mother. On other occasions, she has babbled at another child, in a scolding tone. Today, she was in a more pensive mood.

In the evening, we had Hana in a swim vest, and she kicked her legs several times, in forward motion, in a half full bathtub. With a full protective suit and three of us hovering, she was perfectly safe and felt more relaxed.

HANA’S NOTE- I like to handle things-and put my mouth on them. My grown-ups won’t let me “eat” some things. I try to do that anyway. Books taste yucky!

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1971 My first experience with the Pacific Northwest=11 different forms of weather, in 24 hours, at Fort Lewis, WA. My first experience with Japan- Yokota Air Force Base was a miserable place, with bad weather and miserable American civilians, who disdained us grunts. My experiences with VietNam- Mostly kind, gentle locals worked on the bases at Long Binh and at Cholon. I was seen as a “newbie”, at Long Binh, especially by those who had come in from combat units, in the back country. One of them changed his tune, after I defended him from the unit’s self-styled alpha male, while I was assistant Charge of Quarters, overnight. I managed the Accountable Mail cage,both at Long Bin and at Cholon. Long Binh was touch and go. I was there from March until July.

When said alpha male threatened me, for having embarrassed him before the unit, I was transferred to Cholon, a small unit in Saigon’s Chinatown. There was no word on what happened to him. Sergeant First Class Hobson, the operations sergeant, just thought I’d be better off at Cholon. I was, as it happened. I had good friends there-Bill, Arnie, Richie, Roger. At Long Binh, I had been mostly an outsider.

I spent four days in Sydney, on a Rest & Rehabilitation leave, in September and spent much of that time with two sisters, who my buddy Bill had met, on his R&R, earlier. I was rather a rube, during those days, but I did enjoy my time with them and a visit to Tauranga Park. I also visited Vung Tau, a beach town, southeast of Saigon. We were told that the Viet Cong also used Vung Tau as a resort, but I basically stayed with a small group of other soldiers and met no trouble that day. Once, while I was still at Long Binh, my cousin Johnny came by, as he was stationed in the Mekong Delta and had an errand to run on the base. That was one of the best days in a rather miserable place.

In November, right after the guys threw a surprise party for my 21st birthday, I was given the chance to apply for early release, to return to college. I put in for it, got approval and my time in VietNam came to an end, with the new year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 25

0
Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 16, 2026- Hana is becoming increasingly concerned with cleanliness. She wipes her play pen with a clean cloth, She hates having a soiled diaper and fusses until she is perfectly clean again. (This may be a good time to lobby for a toddler potty, but we’ll take that cause up very soon.) She wipes her own face after a meal.

We went out around 9:30, this morning. The road crews were already hard at work, so we went along the north sidewalk, then across to Hoblitzelle Park and back through the quieter areas of Greenfield Avenue, where work had been finished. The park was fairly active, but the return route was nearly deserted. Hana occupied herself with singing and with feeling the texture of the bug net. She drew lots of smiles and compliments from people passing by us.

I have heard from friends elsewhere, who are concerned that the storm now ravaging central Texas might be headed our way. We had three intense showers today, but our cul-de-sac is well away from any flowing water, and the kids reported there was no flooding on the roads to Coppell and Euless, where they work. I ache for the people in San Antonio and points west and south, who are again getting the brunt of the flooding.

HANA’S NOTE- I like to take baths, so I am glad that I can sit up on my own now. It makes bath night much more fun.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1968 This was my first big transition, since 1956. I graduated high school, not wanting to make a big deal of it, but also wondering about what was next. Graduation summer found me mostly working at Star Market, basically treading water. I would continue there until the end of my semester at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, to which I commuted each day, in the Fall of that year.

I made friends in Boston, and started off on a good foot, academically. A month in, though, I was more interested in parties and protests than in studying. That lack of focus cost me a girl I might have truly loved. She was serious about her education. I wasn’t really serious about much of anything.

So, December, 1968 found me thinking about what, exactly, I was going to do to discipline myself. It was too late for Katie, but I was going to have a redeemed life, somehow. I enlisted in the Army Reserves- a six-year commitment. I also agreed to work at the General Electric plant where my father worked.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 22

0
Posted by on in Assistance, children, Education, Family, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 13, 2026- When Aram is interrupted, while saying something he deems important, he will raise his voice and slow his cadence. He makes sure than he finishes what he has to say. Hana showed the same assertiveness, this morning. When she was talking, after having had a mildly hard adjustment to a new form of medication, I began to re-assure her that all was well. She wasn’t finished, and raised her voice to complete her vocal thought.

I’m proud of her for stepping up so early in life. Her sounds have a cadence to them that indicate clear thought, and they are interspersed with English and Korean words that fit the context of the situation. She was quite clearly processing her feelings about her experience.

As the day wore on, she was very much irritated with her slowly emerging top incisors. I can see them poking through the inside of her gums. There is no wondrous magic that helps a child deal with teething- from the first incisors to the misnamed “Wisdom Teeth”, of early adolescence. Only love and patience see us all through.

I left this evening, to help co-ordinate a Baha’i Spiritual Feast. When I got back, Aram and Yunhee said Hana had gone to sleep with only a minimum of fuss.She must have run out of steam. During the day, she is quite loud, when speaking, seemingly about a variety of subjects. I look forward to her “discourses” on whatever comes into her mind.

HANA’S NOTE- I have seen my Daddy insist on being able to finish his sentences. I am going to do the same. I think a lot about things and my thoughts can be put into words-even if grown-ups think I’m just babbling.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1965 This was the year I really started to build up my LP collection. I had a cheap record player, that I kept for ten years. I even brought the machine to college-where it was jokingly known to everyone in my dorm as “The Set”. I didn’t care; the old device fit my needs. It played all my LPs., from The Beatles and Stones to Andy Williams and Neil Diamond. It, along with my transistor radio. was my ticket to another world.

I got through every class in my Freshman year, except Algebra I. It would take me two more tries to pass the subject- my Sophomore regular year and Summer School, thereafter. Mr, John Quinlan finally made the light shine-and I moved up the math ladder.

My Sophomore Year’s teachers were a significant improvement over the Grade 9 crew. Biology, English Grammar and World History all were crystal clear. I still write under Miss Kochakian’s rules of punctuation and style. French, under Mme. Jeanne Gorton, was all the more so. The damage done by her predecessor was largely cleared up, with Madame Gorton’s Parisian flair and discipline. Algebra I remained a cipher, until Mr. Quinlan tied everything together, the following summer.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 21

0
Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 12, 2026- I heard Hana crying, this evening, so I went down to see what was going on. She was in the crib and wanted to get out-but it was bedtime. Her Daddy was right there, calmly waiting her out. She was excited that I had come in the room, but Papa was not rescuing her from her parents’ rules.

I went for a walk, instead, after saying “Goodnight” to her. Outside, the air was clean and cool. There was a small “rainbar” off to the east, as I walked along Red River Road, through a small section of Hoblitzelle Park, as far as the elementary school where Hana would study, if we stay here that long. (We’re doing fine here, but the kids are always looking for better opportunities-as well they should.)

While Aram was still at Drill, this afternoon, the three of us went to downtown Plano, with Yunhee and I enjoying iced maple lattes and a Cruffin, whilst Hana chilled in her stroller, just taking in the sights and sounds of Lemma Coffee House. After that, we walked over to Bibliobar, the small eclectic bookshop, where I gleaned, and purchased, a story about a little girl looking for home. It will be nice to read to Hana, as she grows.

HANA’S NOTE- Papa is usually indulgent, so I tried to get him to take me out of my crib-but, nothing doing. He backs my Mommy and Daddy up-darn!

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE- 1964 I was in full puberty in Grade 8-actually, I had been for the previous two years. I was also gawky and had buck teeth, so not really boyfriend material. I made my share of friends though, once over the nervous tics that only put a wedge between me and the rest of the class. Grade 8 came to an end, in a peaceful way. The arsonist was caught, by good old Mr. Casey, after he tried to set fire to Veterans Memorial School, where we had transferred after the East Wing Fire and where Bill had transferred to work as custodian. The firebug was a classmate of ours, mentally ill and a loner. He got some of the help he needed, after that run of destruction.

My youngest brother, Brian, came along right after I “graduated” Grade 8. Being thirteen and a bit emotionally awkward, yet, I wasn’t the greatest big brother in the world-still focused on teasing David and on my own concerns. Brian and I grew to love one another, and in truth, we were the “Challenge Bookends’ for our parents. Me, by a series of bad choices’ and he, through no fault of his own. His life of physical and mental challenges was anchored by his loving nature, though, and he gave of himself as much as he could.

Grade 9, back on a normal high school schedule, after the reconstruction of the East Wing, was chaotic in other ways. The number of competent teachers we had this year: Two- the English instructor, the venerable Mrs. Adlington and the P.E. teacher, the unconventional, but very effective, Mr. McNeil. The other four need not be mentioned by name. Three were nice enough people-but incompetent. The fourth was just a nasty individual. I got along better with most kids this year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 16

2
Posted by on in children, collaborating, Family, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 7, 2026- Today, Hana’s Daddy turned 38. The first best thing I did in my life was to sire the second American child ever born on Jeju-do, South Korea. Aram only lived in Jeju for 3 1/2 years, but Korea was in his blood. When he returned there, in the U.S. Navy, in 2017, the die was cast. He met Yunhee and married her, after a two-year courtship. Hana came along six years after their wedding.

When we sang “Happy Birthday” to him, this morning, Hana’s face lit up. She knew it was a joyous occasion. I told her that she will come to know exactly what a birthday is, in several more months.

Our day was back to routine: We went on our walk to Hoblitzelle and she saw her slightly older friend running and playing on the grass, as we walked past. She will want to do that very soon. Right now, she can sit for a few minutes, then lets herself down. The pressure on her spine must still be strong.Standing and scooting will need to wait until at least the 9-month mark.

Her lunch went better today. She got to wield a small spoon, and felt each food item, thus getting used to the texture. She was more avid an eater after that. She also was able to mix the items together, which appealed to her as well.

HANA’S NOTE- Mommy and Papa sang “Happy Birthday” to Daddy. I remembered that they talked about his birthday on Sunday, but they still sang to him today. He brought back something called pizza, and a frozen thing called sherbet, from work today. I couldn’t eat either one. I’m still too little, Mommy says. That’s okay; Mommy leaves a lot of good food for me and Papa helps feed me, every lunchtime. I like putting my hands in the food and mixing stuff around.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1959 The second half of Grade 3 saw the introduction of short division and simple fractions. I started reading the daily newspaper for more than the baseball scores and comics. I read both the Daily Evening Item, from nearby Lynn and the Boston Traveler, which joined with the Globe, later in the year. That’s when I started learning a lot more things about the country and the world, from the Globe. During the summer, Miss Nugent asked my mother if I could take part in a research project that she was doing for her Master’s Degree. Mom was delighted, and so I took part in a reading program that Miss Nugent was reviewing, She left Felton School afterward and got married. I have always hoped she has had a good life.

In Grade 4, the teacher was Mrs. Kimball, a hard taskmaster. She believed in corporal punishment. I never got the stick, but I know I tried her patience at times. She is the reason that I know how to solve word problems and do long division. We followed her specific instructions on both operations, to the letter, or else.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 15

0
Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 6, 2026- After a fitful sleep last night, my granddaughter slept much of the day, and still had no trouble drifting off to sleep this evening. She doesn’t seem sick at all. She is highly intuitive, though, and like her grandmother, is jolted awake by what appear to be intense dreams. She can’t tell us what they are about, so all her parents can do is hold her until she feels safe again.

It is just as well that she needed so much rest. The folks drove off with the stroller, as we’d used it for yesterday’s outing, and just forgot to bring it back inside. So, Hana and I were stuck inside for the day. She can only sit and listen to stories for so long, and the play pen gets old after a few hours. She does like sitting and watching me take care of certain tasks,cleaning the kitchen or folding her clothes. I explain what I’m doing, so she can put words to actions. She indicates understanding by saying “Yeah” or “okay”.

HANA’S NOTE: I don’t know what to call it, but there was a scary thing that made me scream in my sleep, last night. Daddy was there to make me feel safe. I felt better during the day, since Papa was also there to protect me, in case the scary thing was real.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1958 During the second half of Grade 2, we started more study of science. Mr. Eddy, the Superintendent of Schools, came by a few times and told us that the United States would have a Space Program and would also be sending rockets into space. We also started having air raid drills. Some of us thought Mrs. McCarrier had said earache drills, but we got under our desks anyway, when the siren went off. I never had earaches, so it struck me as just a few minutes of pretending I was hiding in a fort.

Grade 3 brought us under the tutelage of Miss Nugent, a young, very pretty woman. She was , more importantly, an excellent teacher of multiplication and I had Tables 1-6, 8 and 10 mastered by December. Mom made me practice my cursive writing at home Between Mom and Miss Nugent, I also made progress in reading and was at Fifth Grade level by December. I realized one other thing- I was definitely drawn to pretty girls and having a lovely teacher didn’t hurt.