I grew up in a town with a population of 50, later moving to one with 500. Most of the kids went barefoot year-round. The schoolteachers, all women, were like family. As part of the curriculum, we read the news each day in the papers. It was a rich religious and moral life, close to nature. I swam in rivers and creeks, camped along the banks, hunted and fished. I worked in the hay fields, shined shoes at the barber shop, worked at the bakery, mowed yards and ran a paper route morning and evenings. Work and play ran together, with songs to accompany them. I lived close to nature, learned much of the meadows, woodlands, the birds and animals. I became an avid marksman and weapons lover, began hand-tooling metal early in life.I was raised in an Anglo working class family rich in stories and teachings of nature and history, poetry, music, I remember hearing my great grandparents speaking of the Civil War, my grandfather of being a millwright in the 19th century. There were many stories then from those returning from World War II.I served eight years during the Korean conflict, later attending college at four different universities before graduating with a degree in Geology and certification to teach high school math, physics, and biology. I also studied psychology and the Greek and Hebrew languages. My background from the rural South taught me to appreciate and respect the home, family, nation – its rules and laws. I raised five children of my own. I taught high school for 27 years, owned a beauty shop, a gun shop, and a small grocery store. These varied experiences and life situations give a rich background for thought, imagination, and emotional tones for life of a positive realism. I’ve written short stories, poems, collected stories from the military, relatives, and records of many sorts. I occasionally slow down to a good meal and refreshment which usually holds for three to four days. I work in a small shop hand-tooling knives for hunters and chefs, and tater peeling.Read more about this authorRead less about this author