Loving Nature -A Teaching Moment

While I was teaching I also taught summer school for a few years. The students were part of a migrant grant from the Federal government. We worked about 4 hours each day and on Fridays we went on field trips to different locations. One of the trips was at a nature center. I was in charge of about 10 third graders who were all Latinos. Near a tree the students were screaming and moving away from something. When I went to look there was a small spider. I picked up the spider and it was in the palm of my hand. All of the children were backing away except for one child came forward. Thinking it is a great teaching moment I held out my hand for the child to see. He quickly slapped my hand killing the spider as he yelled "cockroach". Well, the teaching moment passed!

Playing Against a Hall Of Famer

The Leominster school teachers organized a game against a team made up of New England Patriot Football players with the proceeds going to a charity. The elementary team played one quarter. I was matched up at center against Andre Tippett who was a 6' 4" 240 pound linebacker who also made the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Andre was about 25 year's old and an All Pro and I was about 40 year's old. HE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE. I am proud to say I scored against him. Well, not really, I drove down the lane and as I took a shot he fouled me. I did however step to the foul line and sink both free throws.

Near Death Again!

My father called me and asked if I was willing to build a second story in the Fitchburg Plumbing warehouse that was newly constructed. He had plans and had purchased a predrilled girder system that would be about 15 feet above the cement first floor. I had a small crew of helpers and we had to clear all of the warehouse items from below where we were putting up the steel girders. We had a lift to help us because the I-Beam girders and the flooring (1 1/4 tongue and grove 4'x8' plywood sheets) were very heavy. I was working in an area where we were putting in metal flooring that allowed light to go through to the first floor. I stepped on a piece of the flooring that was not tied down and I was soon in the air heading for the cement floor 15 feet down. I grabbed for the girders but could not hold on. I was falling with my body out prone so when I would land I would be hitting the cement floor with my head and body at the same time. A quick thought crossed my mind - will I survive? Someone was looking out for me that day because I hit a cardboard box that was about 3 feet high. Inside the box was a coal burning furnace so the landing still hurt but was not deadly. It was the only warehouse item we had not moved. I went up to the 2nd floor and started to work again and I hit another loose flooring but did not fall. I had the workers bolt all of the loose flooring. Next day I awoke with black and blue bruises up and down my legs and arms.

Don't Do This!!!!

While living on Snow Street in Fitchburg after finishing college I lived with Butch Kibort and Don Starr on the third floor of an apartment. There were two porches, one in the front of the apartment and the other on the side of the apartment. Butch was in our living room listening to music and I decided to surprise him. I went out onto the front porch and climbed over the railing and started to cling to the side of the apartment (30 feet up) that had a little ledge (about 2 inches). I slowly edged myself 10 feet and then had to go around the corner of the house to the side where there was a window that would give me a view of Butch. I had to go about 15 more feet to reach the window. I was like Spider Man holding on the the siding while edging on the ledge. I arrived at the window and started to knock on the window. I was 30 feet in the air with concrete sidewalk and metal railings below. Butch nearly had a heart attack and was screaming at me. Problem was the window couldn't be opened and I had to edge my way back to the porch. High wire acts are always dangerous but I lived to tell the story. The apartment pictured is similar except our porch was in the middle of the building.

Groucho Marx Quotes

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be.

 Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.

The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.

A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.

Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying  the wrong remedies.

Anyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot.

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.

I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.

A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere.

I intend to live forever, or die trying.

One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.

Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough.

Well, Art is Art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know.

A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running.

No man goes before his time - unless the boss leaves early.

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.

I read in the newspapers they are going to have 30 minutes of intellectual stuff on television every Monday from 7:30 to 8. to educate America. They couldn't educate America if they started at 6:30.

I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.

I must confess, I was born at a very early age.

Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?

A woman is an occasional pleasure but a cigar is always a smoke.

The Value of Saying Goodbye

If you do one thing right in your life you should always remember to say goodbye to your friends and family when you leave from their company. The words "I love you" are also very important in your life. Do not have any regrets that you did not tell someone who is important to you how you feel about them. Life is "precious"and  we need to state our feelings often and mean it. I regret that I did not get a chance to see a good friend before he died. Don't put off until another day for we are not guaranteed another day on this earth.

Uncle John's Memorial Service

My Uncle John (my mother's brother) lived in Fitchburg for many years. I spend several weeks during the summer living with them. One time because my baby brother Jeff was being born. Aunt Irma and Uncle John moved to Provincetown for the last 25-30 years of their lives. When Uncle John died there was no service but a memorial service during the early summer days at P-Town. My wife and myself went to the service. After the service Linda wanted to do some shopping. So with my 3 piece suit and dark glasses we proceeded to a clothing store. Once inside I simply waited in the middle of the store waiting for Linda. A young salesman came up to me and asked if he could help. I said no thank you and then he asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with him. I told him I was waiting for my wife. He then asked me if I was FBI! Beautiful town with a unique character.