I first became acquainted with the green rocker on my grandmother’s front porch at 33 Ash Street when I was about 3. I would stand there hoping someone would lift me up onto the chair, which they often did. I would rock as hard as I could. I was “king of the...

In the journey from childhood to independence, my 16th birthday was a giant stepping stone. My friend Jackie’s birthday was two days before mine in August. He lived on a large farm with many acres of woods. When he was around 8 years old, his father purchase a...