Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Lord Have Mercy

“I Was About Half Tight”

“Why Can’t You Kids Talk Right?”

War Casualty

Final Payment

“He Can’t Fill Out Anyting?”

“It’s Grade 4”

Irish Jig

All It Needed Was A Little Freon

Animal Rights

We Watched and Waited

Dad Didn’t Need No Savin’

“You Ain’t Gettin’ Nothin’”

Honesty . . . as a Policy

“Could I Stay for Supper?”

Diagnosis

“Just My Luck”

Fine Fare

Meat, Milk, Vegetables and Cereal

She Gave Him Some of the Cookies to Take Home

Jane Was Lucky

Doctor’s Orders

They Come by That Meanness Honestly

“Where’s My Gun?”

Alice’s Sarcoma

“It Helps to Talk”

They Cut Out What They Could

He Wasn’t About to Quit the Cigs

Sorry for Somethin’

“Wait in the Car”

Season’s Greetings

Singed

Too Damn Hot to Hooraw

Pumpkin Breakdown

Dad Didn’t Have Many Choices

Pickin’ Up Dad

He Never Cut Ralphie Any Slack

Survival of the Fittest

Ralphie’s Braces

What’s a Top Sheet?

Hummin’ a Tune

Maybe She Was a Half Wit

“Our Only Alternative”

“No Von Better Call Me Again Like Dat”

Special Mementos

Evidence That Dad Liked Her

“I Need to Soak My Dogs”

Boy’s Sox and Bug Lights

Happy Easter

What Came Around . . . Didn’t Go Around

Ash Tray

Big Plans

A “Meat and Potatoes” Man

Cook Stove

Gramma

“Ain’t Dat Awful!”

Native American Remedy

Headed for the Poor House

“The Only Thing Worse Than a Preacher . . . Is a Preacher’s Son”

Gramma’s Room

She Was Drinkin’ . . . Drinkin’ Jist Like a Man

Tape Worm

He Cut His Own Throat

Wedding Portrait

Old Man McCullough

“. . . Worth a Thousand Words”

Maybe We’ll Get Something

“My Worker”

“She Ain’t Got Any Business . . . Goin’ Anywhere”

Pennies from Heaven

“Singin’ in the Rain”

Sad Smile

Lost Molar

“Cain’t You Take Care of Nothin’?”

Tuff Love

“They Eat Snails Over There Too”

British Taint

Ralphie’s Tomatoes

“How Many’s He Up to?”

Tryin’ to Make Good

“No Use for a Dry County”

“Ain’t Nobody Hirin’”

“Take That Job and Shove It”

“Where Would She Have Gone?”

“He Might Not of Thought She Was Worth Killing”

Balance Brought Forward?

A Red Letter Day

“Git Out Dee Nice Kaffee Set, Landa”

The Bite Felt Round the World

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

“It’ll Grow Out”

Greene County Pork Queen

That Wasn’t Worth It

Word Power . . . the Power of Words

Poetic Justice

“They Have Manners Over There”

Hog on Ice

Alice’s Middle Boy

“She Never Even Hugged Me . . . Once”

She Didn’t Even Have a Scrub Board

Gravy Boat

Stayin’ Alive

“You Kids Jist Go on Down There”

Modern Convenience

“. . . Hardly Fit to Eat”

“Goin’ to Town”

Tuff Enough

“I Didn’t Think She’d Make It Through the Winter”

A Cop Come to Our Door One Day

Last Respects

Remembrance

Lab Eggs

Eventually . . . He Got His

Dad Said He Just Wanted to Teach Us a Lesson

Necessity IS the Mother of Invention

She Didn’t Even Know What P.T.A. Stood For

Tryin’ to Get Home

“. . . Watchin’ Yer Own Back”

Mr. Hopper

“A Republican . . . Without a Pot to Piss In”

A Stitch in Time

“Size Ain’t Necessarily All It’s Cracked Up to Be”

Behind the Eight Ball

Rough Ride

She Didn’t Get Pregnant That Summer

Treasure Trove

“The Birds and the Bees”

We Didn’t Fall for That Crap

“Big Red Slicers . . . 6 fer a Quarter”

“It Takes One to Know One”

My Pregnancy and His Existentialism

2nd Blood Test

Wanted: Live in Babysitter—Pregnant Teenager Ok

She Liked to Say, “The Baby Has Mike’s Eyes”

Swizzle Stick

Dirt for His Worm

I Got My Ring at Kmart

War and Peace

His Car

Punch in the Gut

.22 Pistol

Baby Suzi

Ann Got Too Busy

Singles’ Dance

Cold Morning

“It Was Fun . . . We Had the Time of Our Lives”

“They Know I Love Them Dearly”

Boys Are People Too

“I Did the Best I Could”

Suzi’s Tricycle

“Unfit Mother”

Advanced Degree

Dad’s Big Girl

“Pretty in Pink”

“Well If It’s Too Much Mom . . . Just Don’t Eat It All”

“I Just Luff Nice Tings to Ver”

“She Likes Soup”

“Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with You”

“She’s Just Peddlin’ Dope Up There”

Hell on a House Boat

“I’ll Get Me a Second Opinion, Thank You”

Any Time’s the Right Time

He Was Gonna Major in Philosophy

“They Shit on ME”

Good Work If You Can Get It

“It Goes for $50 a Pound”

“You Got Any Money . . . He Heeds Him a New Transmission”

Killed by Kindness

“How Could He Be My Relative?”

Three Ralphs on a Couch

A Fool Proof System

Death and Taxes

Lotto Stubs

Prayer Session

Silent Stare

Down to Zero

Nicotine Fit

Fire Fighter

Maybe Somebody Will Say, “Hi, Ralph”

Enjoyin’ the Show

“It Always Backed Up”

Things Change . . . Swamps Are Drained

Spit Bath

The Tyrant Wears Diapers

Final Word

“When I Die, the Whole Town Will Show Up for My Funeral”

Father and Son

Drunk Drivin’

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Copyright

About the Publisher