ERIC

Tall, lean, his mother was the one with the personality. ´´drop something, Teddy?¨ she´d always say when I´d fall down diving for a ball in a backyard game.

Stoic Eric rarely played although his younger brother did, in fact he was a great athlete, good enough to start at qb for a good MTV team in the day.

Eric? He´d be hiking or maybe reading some obscure author. But he didn´t care if he belonged or not. He was Eric and that was good enough for him.

Oh he had friends. Mostly guys just like him. Guys that loved nature, the woods, maps and mysteries. No social graces for them. Boy Scout badges were their goals. Just for the sake of achievement. Not to wear to brag about. Goal conscious. Not conspicuosity.

I´ve known many Erics. But he was my first. Definitely different but worth savoring.

SKEETERS

Man, they used to eat me up. I could be sitting with 50 other people and they'd select me.

They maybe weren't as large as this Nomer, but sometimes it felt as if chunks were being taken from me.

I never figured out why I drew them. Now flies I could understand. Just kidding. But I have attracted them, too. As well as the no-see-ems and all other kinds of flyers. Except bees. Somehow they and I get along well. The last time I was stung was because I slapped the bee who was exploring my left thigh. I had fallen asleep by the pool and he was checking me out. But overall, they avoid me.

I'm so glad we have so few bugs out West. Yes, bugs bug me.

Lately I've been drawing chirping birds to a tall tree near where I take my naps outside. While I feel bad about not enjoying their sound, a man's gotta have a nap every (daily) now and then.

So when I need the shut eye, I hoot twice like an owl. I must be convincing because it rarely takes me more than 4 hoots before they are silenced. Yes, birds bug me.

Or am I just getting buggy?

HOW MUCH BUSINESS DOES THIS TREE GET?

What with huge vehicles people drive today. No way could they get through there. Width or height.

When I get surrounded by them, I get claustrophobic. I mean they tower over me, and I drive an SUV myself. But my gosh these monster trucks with tires that must cost a fortune because of their size, well, it makes me glad that gas prices are so high. If not, there's be even more of these "houses" on the road. And what kind of mileage could they possibly get?

But the tree is cool. I wasn't much of a climber. I love to climb; I just wasn't too good at shimming. Rope climbing in PE classes only embarrassed me. No rappelling for me.

But I remember one tree in a neighbor's yard that my buddy Tommy and I climbed. He, unlike me, was a great climber. We'd climb and take our bologna sandwiches with us. He always had to have mayo on his. Isn't it crazy what we remember. But we'd climb and eat our sandwiches and talk about the Cardinals and cute girls at our schools. He seemed to have cuter ones, but he may have thought the same about mine. But I liked to go to his birthday parties to see the St. Mary girls.

Trees, trucks, and girls. Staples in the lives of boys and men.

THERE'S REALLY ONLY ONE

Super Hero that is. And it's Superman. After all, he's the ony one with Super in his name.

Super Heroes are really like your first love. Superman was my first. I mean he could fly. He's the Man of Steel. Only that dreaded crypnonite could harm him.

He was a good guy. Able to leap tall buildings. Man, I loved him. The old tv show with, yes, the original Superman who was the best. The comic books.

But who else was there back then. Back when? Earlier years saw the Green Hornet. My guess would be Batman. And he was cool. But I never liked bats: plus Robin. What kind of a Super Hero needs any assistance Robin was such a twerp, too. Batgirl? Give me a break

Now The Hulk was pretty cool. Especially when he hulked . But he came along later.

I was pretty stupid though that no one except the audience could figure out Clark Kent was really Superman. I think it's called dramatic irony when the audience knows more than the characters, but that really takes it to the extreme.

Any Superman fan has to go to Metropolis, IL for the museum, statue, and whole Superman experience. It really is worth the trip.

WHAT'S BEHIND THE CLOSED DOOR?

Monty Hall made his living by playing what was behind Door Number 1, 2, or 3. Stephen King said the scariest thing to think about is what is behind that closed door. Dante said about Hell's door, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here". When boards of any kind go into executive session and close the door. "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors," the singer said.

So what is it about closed doors? Why are we to fear them?

And do they apply to all doors? Are closed car doors scary? How about doggy doors? How about Jim Morrison and The Doors? Cellar doors? Trap doors?

There was a door in our upstairs when I was a kid that had a panther on it. It was like a sticker before stickers were popular or even available. For some reason I felt a little eerie about that room. Even, believe it or not, as an adult. I don't know if it was the panther. I can't remember if the panther survived all those years. But I always had a little fear in opening that door.

I don't remember any other doors that caused a little consternation in me. But, hey, you're only little once. A good scare is good for the imagination. For your character.

On another note, I got caught by my wife today. The sun was behind me as I was watering some flowers with those plastic watering cans. I started playing shadow games with the can against a wall. I had the can on my head and was positioning the spout when I was discovered.

Not much of a reaction. Just one question. Then she went back in the house. My game spoiled, I, too returned to the adult world.

I walked through the kitchen door and........