by Hayward J. Prince I was born in the 40's in the small outport of Princeton on Bonavista Bay in Newfoundland, the son of an inshore fisherman. The fond memories related here are of my younger years till age fifteen, when I left home to live in the city. THERE ARE GERMS EVERYWHERE! The other day, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, I found myself at Canadian Tire. My basket was almost full of germ-killing products, but I was staring at cans of Lysol spray. A man beside me wondered at my over-the-top purchases and my seeming attraction to Lysol spray. He listened patiently as I explained about my mother and her lifelong relationship with Lysol spray. You see, when I was growing up, whenever my family travelled, my mother was always paranoid about germs, so she would never leave home without a can of Lysol spray in her purse. Before us kids were allowed to use a public washroom she had to check it out first and, if it wasn't up to her standards, she'd give it a good shot of her Lysol. That fear of germs has stayed with me all my life and, yes, I can see germs where nobody else can. To this day, I may not have a can of Lysol spray with me when I use a public washroom, but I certainly make sure it's clean. When I'm in a restaurant, believe it or not, I can SEE germs on the table. My wife will smile at me as I neatly spread out a napkin in front of me before they bring the food, knowing I'm having a flashback to my younger years. I have another little restaurant quirk that I blame on my mother. After I stir my tea I never set the spoon down on the table. Instead, I insert the bowl of the spoon into the empty creamer container. There's no way I would let it touch the table! Oh, I could go on and on, but you get the point: There are germs everywhere. I explained all this to the man in Canadian Tire, adding the fact that, because I have cleaning contracts with credit unions, with the outbreak of the coronavirus, management wanted me to use hospital-grade products that kill germs. Of course, in my mind, there's no doubt which product is best for the job. Anyway, maybe it was because of the tear in my eye that he patiently listened as I talked about my mother, but I convinced him that he should buy some as well. Over sixty years have passed since my mother introduced me to Lysol spray, but if she still were alive I'm sure she would be proud of me.   Submitted By: Hayward Prince