I Had Jelly on My Nose and A Hole in My Breeches: The Memoir of A Boy on His Dangerous Journey: Volume 1 - Softcover

McNally, Robert

9781475102413: I Had Jelly on My Nose and A Hole in My Breeches: The Memoir of A Boy on His Dangerous Journey: Volume 1

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1475102410 ISBN 13: 9781475102413

Verlag: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012

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This is the memoir of a modern day Huckleberry Finn who delighted in youthful romances and wild adventures. His earliest memories are about living next door to a crematory and across the street from a cemetery on top of a hill during the Great Depression. This was perfectly normal to a child who had yet to reach the age of four. For an older child this God-forsaken region might have seemed frightening, especially when witnessing the daily wanderings of Gypsies, beggars and hobos. For this youngster these characters were a sight for sore eyes. Daylight hours were fun for the author. The evenings were dead quiet except for the occasional sound of a passing vehicle. Scary was when his mother whispered, “Someone is outside snooping around” when automobiles stopped at the curb in front of the house. After living in this unforgettable area for at least two years, the President of the crematory, who happened to be the author’s great aunt, decided to replace their home with a chapel. Sadly for the youngster he and his family had to move away. After two relocations the family moved back to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the author was born. The boy was now five. There were no children to play with so he had to settle for grown-up passersby who stopped to speak with him. His favorites were the inmates of the county jail situated across the street. They were well behaved convicts who, when they were allowed outside the jail walls on Sunday mornings, gave a cheery greeting to the youngster. They became his best friends. Before long his grandmother died, her house was sold and the boy and his family headed for Ridgewood, New York. The author was now six and had to transfer to a new school. An unfortunate incident occurred on registration day which made the principal decide to place the boy in the first grade where he would begin school all over. He lost an entire year. Within a short time he was punished both physically and emotionally and when he did graduate grammar school he was all of sixteen years and three months. Pretty old, but a story worth reading about. What made up for an unpleasant school life was falling in love with three girls before he reached the age of ten. When the last one moved away another delight came his way. It was the discovery of a railroad yard that was two long blocks from his home. He was soon hopping rides on freight cars and crossing the tracks to a field where he captured garter snakes. Then something else caught his eye. In the insurance industry it would be known as an attractive nuisance. To the author it was Paradise. A fenced in trolley yard. Barbed wire could not keep him or his friends out. They hooked the trolley cars to the overhead electrical wires which put the power on and they drove them back and forth to their hearts’ content. Before reaching eleven he fell in love for the fourth time. Falling in love was the greatest joy in his life. School was not a good substitute for this desire, especially because of the beatings the teachers gave him. Bullies didn’t bother him because he saw right through these weaklings and they knew it. They steered clear of him. On the other hand, he had to watch out for knife wielding and hatchet throwing “crazies.” Worse still was World War II which put fear into most everyone. The war also brought him some fun. Air raid drills and blackouts were exciting, as was tracking down Nazi spies. The author’s sister Judy and he discovered one living in their apartment building. Before long spies were popping up all over Ridgewood. The author has many interesting stories about the 1930’s and 40’s. For instance, one evening in 1945 he and his friends built a fire in a parking lot. The next day they returned to the area only to discover something terrible and startling in the burned out fire. The adventures are exciting, humorous and well worth reading. You’ll have the feeling you are right there with him. Let the author take you on his dangerous journey. You’ll love it.

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Rese�a del editor

This is the memoir of a modern day Huckleberry Finn who delighted in youthful romances and wild adventures. My earliest memories are about living on top of a hill next to a crematory and across the street from a cemetery during the Great Depression. The only people I saw in the immediate area were the members of my family and Mrs. Wagner, who lived in the only other house on the hill. A few times a day I saw and spoke with the crematory workers, as well as the bereaved who attended their loved ones’ funerals. Occasionally I witnessed the wanderings of Gypsies, beggars and hobos. Down from the hill was my only playmate, Rosemary. For a two and three year old, the hill was a fun-filled place to explore during the daylight hours, but the evenings were different. When my father went out to bar hop, it became so quiet that all we could hear were automobiles driving by. Some cars slowed to a stop. My mother would say, “Someone is out there snooping around.” It was a time when the cemetery held its dead while we held each other. Although the nights were often frightening, I loved the place and my girlfriend, Mary. However, in the spring of 1936 we had to leave our home so the crematory could replace it with a chapel. After moving I still longed to live on the hill. We soon relocated again, but farther away. In January 1938 at the age of six, I heard the good news that we were going home. It wasn’t that we were moving back to the hill, but to a place I loved even more, Bridgeport, Connecticut. Here is where I was born, my Grandmother lived and what my family called home. I thought the town and our living space were in the country, not the city, and best of all, we were situated across the street from the county jail. The well behaved inmates were made trustees on Sunday mornings and given chores to do on our side of the wall. I always went out to greet them and for the sixteen months we lived there, they were among my best friends. When my grandmother died, we moved to Ridgewood, New York. I wanted to live in the country, but at the age of six I was not given a say in the matter so it was city life for me. However, by age ten my wish to live in the country became something of a reality when I discovered a nearby railroad and a field of rugged terrain. We kids hopped moving freight cars for short and long distances. In the field we captured garter snakes. Before long we discovered another attractive nuisance, a fenced in trolley yard. The barbed wire fence could not keep us out. We hooked up the trolley cars to the overhead electrical wires and with that power we drove them back and forth in the yard to our hearts content. Before I reached eleven I had fallen in love with four girls. Before thirteen I had dated two others, but something was lacking. Kisses. It turns out that’s pretty much all I was seeking in this life. School was not a good substitute for this desire, especially because of the beatings the teachers gave me. The bullies didn’t bother me since I could see right through these weaklings and they knew it. They stayed clear of me. On the other hand, I had to watch out for knife wielding and hatchet throwing “crazies.” World War II put fear into most everyone, but it also brought us kids some fun. Air raid drills and blackouts were exciting, as was tracking down Nazi spies. My sister Judy and I discovered one living in our apartment building. Before long spies were popping up all over Ridgewood. I believe I have many interesting stories to tell about the 1930’s and 40’s. This first of three memoirs will take the reader on a journey that for me was dangerous, exciting, humorous and worthwhile. For instance, one evening when I had just turned thirteen we built a fire. The next day we returned to it, and came upon a terrible and startling find. Let me take you on my dangerous journey.

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