Buckshots

             The Texas theatre in downtown Sherman presented the movie, “The 10 Commandments”, starring Charleston Heston and Yul Brynner when it came out came out in 1956.   It was the greatest motion picture I had ever seen in my few years.   It was chock full of special effects such as the Red Sea parting, pillars of fire, water turned into blood and the green cloud of death, coming down to kill the Egyptian’s first born.     Further, the Texas theatre seemed to be showing it on a regular basis.   By watching the church page notices, different denominations were sponsoring their children's Sunday School classes to see the movie for free.     All one had to do was show up with the group from the church and they let you in.   I claimed to be a   Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Catholic and Presbyterian to be allowed in with the other young believers.   I LOVED that movie and saw it at least a dozen times between 1957 - 1960.      A big part of the appeal was Yu

      By the time the 4th grade rolled around at Bryant Elementary in 1959, I had turned into an insecure, paranoid whack-o.   I was afraid of everything...this included my father, who I thought might kill me in my sleep; burglars who would enter our simple, non-assuming home and kill me in my sleep; school yard bullies, who would kill me while I was wide awake; and lightening, which I heard could come right down the antenna wire and blow you up while you watched TV.      I had so much on my mind I was constantly in a state of distraction, knowing there were a number of factors that could lead to my instant destruction.  I was an 8 year old Woody Allen character.      I started the 4th grade with a newly graduated, extremely high strung teacher who found me hopeless.  She did not hesitate to dress me down in front of the class over my many shortcomings and preoccupations.  We turned into mortal enemies.           The word on the street from the wagging tongues was we we