A Peaceful Saturday - Part III

Visiting our old neighborhood brings back many memories and I find it curious the things I recall.  Rather than bore you with every detail, I will share some of the more interesting highlights.

Ridgeview Hills Town Homes

When we first arrived in Colorado, we lived in the Ridgeview Hills Town Homes on Hindsdale Place.  I believe we stayed in the town homes for about 6 months during the construction of our home on Fairfax Court.  The town home was the site at which I convinced my brother Steve to say a naughty word and later threatened to tell my parents that he said it.  His logic and reasoning somehow was underdeveloped at the time (he was 4 years old) as he was unable to figure out that I had said the forbidden word several times in the process of coaxing it out of him.  I am pleased to say that this trickery no longer works with Steve.  I am also pleased to say that my sense of right and wrong has developed significantly since then and I no longer tempt children into saying what ought not be said.

Lewis Ames Elementary

The town homes were also home base for my first experiences at Lewis Ames Elementary.  I don't know how I managed it, but I was an outsider from the beginning.  Perhaps it was the fact that I lived in Illinois the year before and relationships were formed during kindergarten.  Perhaps it was the difference in preparation I received; I could tell immediately that the other kids were accustomed to the environment and beyond me academically.  You may wonder why I came to that conclusion.  Well, there are two crucial pieces of evidence.  My first report card was covered with the letter "N" which indicated either Not Satisfactory or perhaps Needs Improvement.  Second, after receiving these stellar marks, I was given a small notebook that I toted to and from school every day.  In that notebook, my first grade teacher (Ms. Gough) recorded how I had behaved.  Poor Ms. Gough, I must have been a handful.  I wonder if she ever thought that I would go on to receive two bachelors degrees, a masters degree, and be a patent holder for a software invention.


Here is an excerpt from the notebook I took to and from school each day.

"Mike was good today.  He is excited because he thinks his bike restriction will be lifted.  I hope so because it is so pretty."   Ms. Gough, 5-21-71

Please note, the above excerpt is by no means representative of the contents of said notebook.  Adjectives such as fussy, excited, talkative, upset, active, and silly were much more common than the term good.


Here is a much more typical excerpt from my first grade notebook.

"Mike was quite active today.  He needed calming down on numerous occasions.  He got into fussing with several near him and had to be sent to his seat ..."  Ms. Gough, 5-24-71

Despite the best efforts of my teachers, I did pick up one habit that I just recently  conquered -- nail biting.  I tried very hard to funnel my energy into my school work and behave.  I tried not to be disruptive but my energy had to go somewhere.  Well, guess where it went?  It went to gnawing on my finger nails relentlessly.  How did I overcome this nasty habit at the age of forty-six?  Well, I figured out that the best way for me to get an infection (something I am now prone to), was to incessantly chew my nails.  Problem solved.  Illness can stop a smoker from smoking and a biter from biting.

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