Buckshots

      Part of the landscape of Sherman, Texas, in the 50’s and 60’s was the Mom and Pop grocery stores scattered throughout the older neighborhoods.   These were located every couple of blocks and were an extension of everyone’s home kitchen.          If you needed a loaf of bread, a quart of milk  or some other staple, one could walk to the corner store at the last minute and made the purchase.  These local grocers often made wonderful barbecue, tamales, chili or hamburgers.           When we lived at 808 N. Willow Street, in half of a duplex shared with the 7 member Aleman family, we had a grocer across the street and another around the corner, arrived by way of our alley.  In my younger days, I would walk across the street to the store with dad and younger brother Bob, often scoring bubble gum at 3 pieces for a penny.      As I was older, mother sent me across the street for something and told me to charge it.  “What does that mean?”     “Just tell the person at t

      I am blessed with many outstanding feminine friends from my youth.  Some wonderful personalities, demonstrated strengths, and attitudes that stayed with them and served to make for great spouses, parents and citizens.          A friend to this day, is my buddy Kay Kimbrough McKinney.  Kay and I dated a bit during high school and I enjoy her dry wit and original sense of humor.    She would always express what was on her mind and I never had to wonder what she was thinking.  I was her date to a dance and donned a pair of new red, spangly, corduroy trousers.  My father remarked I looked like a cross between Santa and Tinker Bell.    I ignored him, drove to Kay’s home and could hear her voice inside, before she opened the front door.    “OH, NO…NO, NO, NO…she stepped outside, suggested we get in my car and return to my house.  She walked with me up the steps to our home and waited in the living room while I changed into a more conservative pair of trousers.  My father

         Beginning around 1960, I became aware of the propaganda being pushed onto elementary school children regarding the communist threat.   Every shop, church, funeral parlor and school in Sherman, Texas, had brochures detailing the treacherous methods communists utilized to undercut our American lives.      These pamphlets often used “comic book-like” stories to make the point, “communists were everywhere!”  They worked their way into our society, they could be your next door neighbor, teachers or in our government.  People you do not suspect…friends, your other-wise funny uncle…Perhaps, YOUR OWN PARENTS could potentially be under the spell of these Atheist, Communist villains from Russia or China.  How did it happen?…we do not know, but be vigilant.  IT IS ALL UP TO YOU to keep communism out of Sherman.      This all scared me to death…supplemented with TV shows and monologues from our elementary school teachers, it appeared we were on a slippery slope of doom.  My