My father took great pride in one of his cock-eyed inventions, masonite boards that screwed over the house windows. He did not have to buy and use those old ugly "clamshell" type awnings. Welllll . . . one year (1964) after he passed away - I was kept in junior high school until 2 PM as a big hurricane approached (the school had to get its money from Tallahasssee for a "whole day" of lessons perhaps) and then I had to run home 2 miles (no bus service for me). So I get in (out of breath) - my mother was still working in Fort Lauderdale, and I had to drag out the masonite boards, figure out which one went to which window (windows are all actually different sizes) and find the doggone screws in the garage. And bring a step-ladder. Now, the sky is getting dark, I am trying to hold up each board and screw them in (without dropping the stupid screws in the grass of course). I made it around the front of the house when my neighbor, Mrs. Rose, came out to see what was going on. And, bless her heart, she yelled for her husband, "Come out and help the Kid!"

So elderly Mr. Rose gave me a much-needed hand in hanging the remainder of the boards, the clouds were really moving in by then, and we almost made it all the way around the house when my mother comes roaring up the driveway, zzzzoooooommmm! They let her out of work "early" but not before getting their money's worth for her temporary office services. And she's going "Ooohhhh no, oh nnnnooo," and dashing around and I told her to relax, we had already gotten the work done.

The hurricane hit and I think the eye went right over our house or at least pretty close. We didn't lose a window.

But, see Dad's confounded "invention" didn't take into account that a 14-year old in semi-darkness would have to install the boards by hand. Next year Mom and I moved back to White Plains, NY. I don't know who's stuck screwing in the boards now.

So - where are the orchids????