It is all coming back to me now said the Skunk after he sprayed into the Wind.

The Brien family is what they called us .We had I suppose what Realtors call

A scenic Acreage with an Ocean View surrounded by Whales and Sea Gulls.

Three Salt Box houses,A Root Cellar,Two Barns,A Coal House.All fenced in.Our house was up at the far end of the lane.

Uncle Ben had our grand parents old house lived by himself.Uncle Vince had a house with a small Grocery Store which he recently bought from his brother Cy who moved to Boston to find love and a job.

Mother had me who was 3 at the time.Pauline was 2 and I do believe our Sister Carmela was on the way.3 older sisters.Cee,Mary and Rosie called after our Aunt Sister Rosie The Nun.

Our sister Mary later said Mom knew the 3 B’s.Babies,Bingo and Berry Picking.

We were free Range.We  wandered the yards without any

Supervision or at best minimal .

Uncle Ben was up at the Root Cellar and had the door wide open.No Child safety gates back then.

The Cellar had a Rock Wall and was ten feet deep.Uncle Ben had a good year harvesting the Potatoes.

I remember a lot of Red ones.Cousin Ray who passed last year with a Heart Attack and made his living as a Sailor in Halifax.Ray started on Trawlers out of Trepassey when he was a Teen.Anyway Ray came over to play and we eyed an Old Baby Carriage in the Cellar.Must have been for twins or triplets.It looked huge to us.Of Course everything looks huge to 3 and 4 year old Eyes.

We were pushing the Trolley back and forth to each other.I had my back to the Cellar hatch which was open with Uncle Ben inside.I am surprised Ben did not kick us out because he was very responsible.(Not that day)

I had my back to the opening in the floor with no guard rails or railings around it.buggy got pushed a bit hard toward me as we were having fun and picking up speed as we found we could really push this thing.

The last push I lost my balance and fell into the hole on my back and landed on the Big red potatoes.

Broke my left femur bone in my thigh.

Uncle Ben raised the Alarm and ran to get my Dad.Ben was very short and fit from tap dancing a half a set in the Old Kitchen floor with Uncle Cy on Accordion before he shifted up to Boston.

We take phones for granted nowadays.I mean we can’t go to the Bathroom without one.

Trepassey had few Phones operated by Business owners and the Nursing Station.No Electricity.

No first Responders or Doctor.We did have Nurse Abernetty a Public Health Nurse A Doctor,Nurse,Dentist and Vet all wrapped into one.Bless her Heart.The Nursing Station was where The Edge of The Avalon Hotel is located these days.

McNeil’s Taxi Service was a mile up the Road.Mister Joe and his son France were the drivers.My Da walked a mile to his knees in Snow to get the Taxi to come get me.

Mister Joe was a World War Two Navy Hero who had saved a bunch of his Ship mates when they were torpedoed.

If anyone could get us to St John’s it would be Mister Joe.But it did not look good ,A Storm was raging with a Big Gale of a Nor’easter heading on Shore.Reports that the Roads between Portugal Cove South and Cappahayden were blocked with Snow and not much Equipment to Clear the way.So Mister Joe like a Navy Seal attempted  to head out on his mission.

Luck was starting to be on our side as it was a very cold winter and you could drive on top of the Snow.Don’t see that nowadays.He took us to the Old Fever Hospital which is not there anymore in St John’s.Doctor Landel’s was our Doctor.I had a cast put on from my hip to my toes.Not sure how long I stayed in Hospital.I do remember it having a Rodent problem with either Rats or Mice.I would see them coming out of Cupboards.Stuff Nightmares are made out of and I did dream about them and Uncle Ben vouched for me He had seen them with his own two eyes.

The horror was not over for me and my family because when I got home we discovered that the Cast was put on too tight.So we had to go back out to St John’s and have a new one put on.Coming home France was our Taxi Man and we got stuck up in the Country and ended up spending the Night at Harold Lawlor’s in Cappahayden.That is when I first heard of Johnny Cash.Father was a bit of a joker and to ease the stress a bit told me the Passenger named Johnny who was a Singer from the Trepassey famous Sutton family was really Johnny Cash.The next day was sunny and the Weather Cleared ,Roads were Plowed.We headed for home.Good Old Newfoundland hospitality.We stopped in Portugal Cove at an Old Lady’s house.She might have been an Aunt or friend of Frances family.She invited us in for dinner(Lunch).She had Baked Duck,fresh Vegetables and Gravy.Even as a 3 year old.I still remember how good that food was to eat.

Because there was no Ambulance.Taxi drivers did Emergency trips and were called Special Trips.I believe they were paid

more than a regular fare.I remember the Welfare Office was in Renews and if someone was having an issue.France would stop in and be a Spokesman for them.It was not uncommon for France to stop into a Store along the way and buy us all Soft Drinks and Chocolate Bars.A great Business Man and he always went over and above his expectations.

Later that year I had a bout of Meningitis.I was very sick and father told me in later years.He did not think I was going to make it.I was his only Son.So,It was important that I hang around.My sister Pauline also had Scarlet fever at that time.Mother said she believed it was called The Fever Hospital because If you didn’t have any fever when you went in there.You sure as hell had one when you come out.It was shortly after my Broken leg that all this happened.

So this ends another Saga in the life of Kenny Ricky O’Brien.Look After Yourself!