I missed posting last weekend since I was in the emergency room getting a pulmonary embolism diagnosed.  It's a small one and I have medication for it and am back to normal now.  Here's another of my boyhood stories that some of you might relate to.

The Entrepreneur

The kitchen table was the center of our household universe.  It was a bulletin board for notes Mom and Dad would leave each other.  It was the place snacks would appear when Lee and I  came home from school.  It was the  place we did our homework, and it was the place family discussions were held.  When anyone came into the house, the first order of business was to check the kitchen table.

There was a large package on it when I came home from school that afternoon.   It was addressed to me.  It was from THE SEED COMPANY.  It was to be my introduction to the world of business and entrepreneurship.

Weeks ago I had finally succumbed to the lure on the back page of my Captain Marvel comic book.  "Win Big Prizes!" it said.  "Sell seeds to your friends and neighbors!"

There were fifty packages of seeds.  I was to sell them for 10 cents each.  When they were all sold, I would send five dollars and twenty-five cents (to cover shipping and handling) to THE SEED COMPANY.  They would send me back the quality fishing pole and reel so beautifully illustrated with the rest of the prizes in that ad.

Now that I was a businessman, I hardly expected a semi-scolding from Mom.  I expected her to be proud of me.  But there it was, the familiar, "'Noel, what have you done now?"

I explained to her that I would sell the seeds and get my fishing pole.  I was tired of going down to the pier and catching shiners and smelt with a piece of string held in my hand and a hook.  I wanted a real fishing pole.  And this was an easy way to get it.

Mom gave me the 'look', and went about her kitchen chores without another word.

I opened the box and marveled at the colored packages of seeds.  They were so elegant  no one could refuse to buy them.  As I ate my after-school snack I read the instructions and sales tips that were included in the free Junior Salesman's Kit that came with the seeds. This was going to be easy!
I donned my paper Junior Salesman's Hat (also a free gift from THE SEED COMPANY) and set out to make my fortune. 

The first call was a success!  The little old Italian lady whom we called Mama, and who lived upstairs from us, took a thin dime from her worn change purse and placed it in my hand.  She almost closed the door without taking her package of seeds.  I asked her what kind of seeds she wanted, but she didn't care.  Anyone one of them would do.

By the time I got to the end of the block, the initial rush of success adrenaline was beginning to wear off.  Something was wrong.  People didn't want to buy my seeds. I went back home to read the instructions in my Junior Sales Kit again. 

Three weeks had passed.  I sent Lee out to try his luck with my seeds.  He was smaller and cuter than I was, maybe they would buy from him.  But still no sales.  Mom and Dad bought three packages.  Aunts, uncles, and cousins bought another five.  My grandma bought a couple.  The relatives' market was tapped out, and I still had thirty-nine packages of seeds left to sell.  I put my Junior Sales Kit and the seeds in the closet and forgot about them.

The white envelope with my name it was right next to the plate holding my after-school sandwich.  Mom was ignoring me.  I knew it wasn't from Captain Midnight or Jack Armstrong, because there was no picture on it.  The return address said THE SEED COMPANY.

My nervous little fingers opened the envelope and withdrew the single sheet of white paper.  It simply stated that I owed THE SEED COMPANY five dollars and twenty-five cents (for shipping and handling).  If I didn't send the money immediately, dire things would happen.

I had netted $1.10 from all of my sales.  I spent that days ago on expenses.  Candy, chewing gum, and a yo-yo.  What was I going to do?

Tears welled up in my eyes as I handed the letter to Mom.  She read it and said, "Well, what are you going to do?"  I whined out the standard, trembling,  kid answer.  "I don't know."

Without a word, Mom put on her coat and went out the door.  She left me alone to worry about my uncertain future.  I sat at the kitchen table and read the letter over and over.  What was I going to do?  At twenty-five cents a week, it would take all of my allowances for the rest of the school year to pay it off.  I didn't think THE SEED COMPANY would wait that long.

Lee came in the house, took one look at me, and went right back outside.  I was in trouble, and he didn't want to have any part of it.  If there was going to be spanking that night, it was to be mine alone.

Mom finally came back home.  There was a little piece of green cardboard in her hand.  It was a Post Office money order for the amount of five dollars and twenty-five cents (for shipping and handling).

She put it in an envelope, addressed it to THE SEED COMPANY, and told me to go to the corner and drop it in the mail box.

When I got back home I got the scolding of my life.  I was never to mail a coupon again without letting her or Dad see it first.  I was given a 'mom' spanking and sent to my room to sit in the dark and consider what I had done.

Mom came into  the bedroom and woke me up.  It was time for supper.  She hugged me, wiped my eyes, and kissed me on the cheek.  I walked into the dining room and looked at Dad.  Relief fell over me like a blanket.  She hadn't told him.

I never did figure out why we had beans for supper every night for the rest of the week.
 

Noel

Hello Noel,

Sorry to hear you've been out of sorts but very pleased to hear that you are well on the mend now.

Thanks again for another little story, it was lovely, I really enjoy your tales.

Very Best....  Phil

20 minutes ago, birdguy said:

I never did figure out why we had beans for supper every night for the rest of the week.

Another wonderful "Noel Story." I too am saddened at your medical distress. I am scheduled to have an angiogram on the 27th, the which I am most certainly not looking forward to! Just thinking about the yards long catheter entering my right femoral artery and snaking it's slinky way into my heart has me as nervous as a cat around rocking chairs... 

But, they say it's necessary to discover why my vascular pressure is low. 

Always a nice read Noel... and get well soon and stay safe. Take care...

Cheers

T.

Fr Bill.  It's a piece of cake.  I had one a couple years ago.  My heart guy gave me a chemical stress test and said their might be junk in one of my arteries.  I went in for the procedure and just stared at the ceiling.  The next thing I knew the doctor was standing there.  I asked him when he was going to start.  He said it's done.  It was a false alarm.  Your arteries are clear.  That kinda surprised me because of all the butter and red meat and eggs I eat.

Noel

Thanks, Noel. I feel a lot less anxious now! They said it could take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on what they find. If it turns out to be some plaque, they'll insert a stent to open up the artery.

While I will receive a local anesthetic, the most they'll do is give me a mild sedative. I guess that if they hear me scream, they'll know they've screwed up somewhere. <joking of course!>

Quote

That kinda surprised me because of all the butter and red meat and eggs I eat.

In my case that could be that I much prefer a well-marbled steak! It's the seared fat that imparts most of the taste after all... ❣️

Noel and Bill...please take care and good luck with those procedures.  My sister just had her newly replaced heart valve (open heart surgery) in 2017 replaced again using the catheter method up through the aorta.  The entire procedure took less than an hour and she was awake and blabbing to everyone.

Another great Noel saga.  Ya oughta try selling sea monkeys to make a buck! 🤔

More prayers sent for Fr. Bill.

(I was voted "Most Likely to Sack Seed" in High School).

Excellent read Noel !  Thanks for sharing ! 

And my sincere wishes of full recovery !!!

 

All the Very Best for you Noel !

I too am on the Medicare carousel. One test after another. It seems to never end, but thank God for Medicare.There is nothing easy about ageing.

 

Bill W

17 hours ago, charliearon said:

You oughta try selling sea monkeys to make a buck! 

Back in the late 40s I don't think many people knew what sea moneys were let alone buy them for pets.  Maybe goldfish?

Noel

 

Medicare and insurance Bill.  Being retired military I have Tricare for Life.  It's a godsend.

Last fall I had to have my gall bladder removed.

I had gone to the ER with a pain in my lower right abdomen.  I thought it might be my appendix.  After all the tests it was determined my gall bladder had to come out.  After the CAT scan they took me back to my room in the ER and I went to sleep.  The next thing I knew I was being jostled around.  I looked up and they were loading me into a helicopter.  I was airlifted to a hospital in Las Cruces because they didn't do that kind of surgery in Roswell.

Medicare paid whatever they approved for the 6,000 dollar helicopter ride (150 miles) and Tricare picked up the deductables.

I was in the hospital in Las Cruces for 4 days and was telling the nurse I would have to rent a car to get back to Roswell (a 200 mile drive).  But the nurse arranged for a volunteer driver group to take me back to Roswell.  

I agree, Bill, there's nothing easy about aging.  But I consider myself very lucky.  Things didn't start happening to me until I reached 84 or 85.  In fact my wife and I took our last hike in the mountains when I was 82.  I thought I was invincible.  Then I flew back to Charleston to spend three days playing with my great granddaughters.  When I came back I had my first pulmonary embolism for sitting in an airplane and not exercising my legs.  I was 84 it it was the first time in my life I was admitted into a hospital.

I have been very fortunate and plan to go on flight simming and writing and watching old movies for at least another decade barring something like a massive stroke.

Like I said before.  The tires are bald.  The shocks are worn out.  The steering is wobbly.  But the motor still runs fine.

Noel

1 hour ago, birdguy said:

Back in the late 40s I don't think many people knew what sea moneys were let alone buy them for pets.  Maybe goldfish?

Noel

 

Actually, sea monkeys were a type of shrimp!

Yes, Charlie, I know.  And some people keep them in aquariums.  The normally live for about a year.

4 hours ago, birdguy said:

Medicare and insurance Bill.  Being retired military I have Tricare for Life.  It's a godsend.

In my case all my health needs except dental is covered by the VA. I'm fortunate in that the Jesse Brown VA Hospital in Chicago has been rated #1 VA Hospital in the country for the past six years. With no fewer than nine world-class medical schools to draw from, the have some of the finest to draw on for residency..