By Jim Bates I’ll never forget my first helium balloon. I got two of them for my second birthday. Two red ones, my favorite color. My grandpa gave them to me. “Here you go, Lonny,” he said, smiling. “Enjoy.” I did. My grandpa loved helium-filled balloons. Not those mylar ones with sayings on them like … Continue reading Helium
Hydrogen
By Jim Bates I remember hearing the song by Three Dog Night, “One Is the Loneliest Number,” and thinking, Yeah, that’s me. All by myself. No one cares. Now I see that thought for what it really was, a cry in the night from a frightened six-year-old kid whose parents abandoned him to the child … Continue reading Hydrogen
Zinc
By Jim Bates The head of Parks and Recreation, Fred Nicoletti, extended his hat. “Good luck, kid, he winked. “You’re going to need it.” Nothing like a little intimidation to add to my already jangling nerves. I was standing on the north beach of Lake Harriet, getting ready for my final test. I’d passed the … Continue reading Zinc
Academy of the Heart And Mind 