The decision to write this book was based on a suggestion from my older daughter. She had no idea what unusual things went on in his childhood. James tells these stories in a way that many people can relate to. Some of the stories are quite odd for the modern person. His granddaddy taught Bucky, the pug, to smoke a filter cigarette. That was fitting since Granddaddy had nicotine stained yellow fingers from smoking cigarettes.At ten years of age, James got a rifle for Christmas. It was too cold to shoot it during the winter so he would sit in a chair in the kitchen and shoot at an arrangement of bottles and cans sitting on a table in the back yard. He would raise the rifle; kick the door open with his left foot, aim and fire. He was careful not to shoot a hole in the screen door. There wasn’t much time to aim. The possibility of shooting an unsuspecting family member was always on his mind.One day a tractor got loose and threatened the house with total destruction. His daddy had to jump on the tractor from the front to finally shut it off. Tornados were also a threat to the house and almost everything else.After moving to New Mexico, there were fights, car wrecks, speeding tickets, court appearances, illnesses, colleges, children and a long-lasting marriage. These stories are sure to entertain all comers, and perhaps even inspire the reader to write about their stories.