AFTER THE NITTY GRITTY

Well, here's another episode that I don't remember. That new house we moved to in the suburbs was 2 stories, and of course, I tumbled head over heals down the stairs! Perhaps I had MS at that early age and that's why I don't recollect this event, but it is more likely that the trauma blotted it out. BUT, could this have caused the initial breach of the blood brain barrier?

The neighbour boy and I (now clothed) used to get into all kinds of mischief. Children have a universal goal in life to do exactly that which a parent has told them not to do. In our case, we lived near a spot in the St. Lawrence river that was wide enough to be called a lake. There was a road, River Road, that separated our neighbourhood from that lake. We were forbidden to cross that road without an adult present. Of course it was our duty as inquisitive children to see what happenned if we crossed the road. Once across the road we knew we were not to go near the water. The water had Polio in it! We knew this and even though we did not know what Polio was, we were afraid. I have no memory of entering the water, although I do know we got as close as we could without going in. However, now knowing what I know about my ability to remember things at that age. Did I touch the water? Did neighbour boy touch the water? To the best of my knowledge, our parents did not find out about these escapades to the lake because we were sworn not to tell!

Something I do remember doing after being told not to - was to stick the prong of a fork into the hole in the switchplate on the wall. Of course, I waited until no one was around to perform this little experiment, and I remember the sensation (like a powerful L'Hermittes sign) only it knocked me back a few feet and I landed on my fanny. I have had a great respect for electricity ever since, and some fear!