Like Paul Warnock's fictional writings based upon his memories of growing up in

Rockingham, I also pen my non-fictional writings based upon my memories of

growing up in Rockingham.  Furthermore like Paul's CYA statement before the

opening paragraph of every story "all characters & events are fictional, and any

resemblance to anyone living or deceased is coincidental and unintended," I declare,

"All characters and events are non-fictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or

deceased is premeditated and intentional." I preface my mission statement with two

declarations:

 

 

1. A mind is a terrible thing to lose, more specifically - a memory.  Sometimes      

opinions can be perceived as the truth.  The old party game is a splendid example. 

Whisper a truth into the person's ear to your right and have him to whisper that same

truth to the person sitting on his right.  The more receiving ears in the room, the more

likely the last to receive the message may not hear "the truth, the whole truth, and

nothing but the truth."  Similarly, memories can be equally created.  The more years

between whispers, the more likely ...  Well, you get the picture.

 

 

2. My writings are like Ivory Soap.  Ivory Soap is the soap advertised to clean

complexions, yes even a baby's complexion.  Ivory Soap can perform this task

because it's commercials and paper wrapping declares, "Ivory Soap, 99-44/100 %

pure."  Likewise, my writings are " 99-44/100 %" true.  I would like to think my

writings are 99-44/100 % truth and 0-56/100 % truth stretched enough to the limits

to make 99-44/100 % entertaining.  It is with this same style that the late Lewis

Grizzard wrote about growing up in his beloved small, textile hometown of

Moreland, Georgia in the ' 50s and ' 60s that I write about "growing up in a small,

textile town in the South in the  '50s & ' 60s" - Rockingham, North Carolina, my

hometown!

 

My memories of growing up in Rockingham are based on childhood friendships.  The

older I become, the more I cherish these friendships.  I enjoy sharing memories of

these friendships via rockinghamremembered.com, the website of Joel Bailey (RHS '

66), a childhood friend and high school classmate.  I have shared some of my

memories of some of my friends over this website yet I have only briefly mentioned

the best childhood friend I ever had - my dog Zeke!

 

A young boy's dog and their bond is best described in the following quote by an

unknown author: "He is your best friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.  You

are his life, his love, his leader.  He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of

his heart.  You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."  With this quote as an

inspiration, I thought I could write a "theme paper" in one hour entitled "My Dog

Zeke " as I did in Miss Osborne's tenth grade English class on various subjects.  I

quickly discovered I could not condense my adoration into one page.  Surely though I

could capture this love in short story fashion; WRONG!!!  What eventually evolved as

I reflected on the times and adventures my brothers and I experienced with that old

dog was a mini-novel if such a literary classification exits.  The love of a dog and his

three mini-masters was fertilized by the love of their Grandmaster, my Dad.  When all

four of us are together which is a rare but cherished occasion, something in our

conversation triggers the name Zeke.  Inevitably, another unknown but not forgotten

saga about our hero emerges.  Thus, I hope you understand why a "theme paper" just

would not suffice about our love for this old mutt.  Zeke deserves more; I "owe it to

him to be worthy of such devotion."

 

 

To be continued ...