[Chickie]

WinnDixie - Losing that precious ring down the register can only be described as a near catastrophe, but luckily it was retrievable and life-long trauma was prevented. I must admit that the rings were not 24-carat gold, but the arrowheads and spurs were of a better quality material and workmanship. I have most of those items tucked away in a box of childhood souvenirs somewhere, and the last time I checked, the whistling ring was still operational, although a bit tarnished. I wonder how many toys of today will still be whistling along in 60 years? It was actually a good investment, as I probably could more than double my investment if I were willing to part with it and offer it for sale to a collector.

Mechanic Street School? Ah, yes I remember it well. Who can ever forget the beautiful artwork we created with love and a gob of paste? The paste incidentally came in a huge jar and was distributed to each child on a piece of arithmetic paper. It had the distinctive aroma of teaberry gum and many a student was seen licking his or her fingers after applying it to paper. The inkwells were filled from a large jug and often leaked down into our desks, ruining everything it came in contact with, including the beautiful art we had worked so hard to complete. Music class was my favorite and I still can remember many of the songs we learned. As with all things in life, there are good and bad memories associated with school days, but we survived and can now look back upon them with fondness (for the most part).