When I was one of those kids who couldn't sit still, we didn't have the term "attention deficit disorder." Kids like me, to quote my first-grade teacher, had "ants in their pants." That was me, The Kid Who Fidgets, Goofy Girl, Antsy Pants. Now, I probably didn't require medication, even if it were available, but my inability to stay focused in class and the fact that I enjoyed being the class clown, didn't help my grades any. Laughter is a release valve for me. When you grow up with six siblings in a five-room beach cottage, you have to do something to survive. So I used humor to escape the chaos (or at least hold it at bay). I told funny stories about my idiotic antics and/or the funny things I witnessed others do. The stories kept my friends in stitches and telling my stories kept me sane. Then, when two of my sisters got discovered on a TV talent show, and quickly became radio, TV and movie stars, my life took a delightful detour into Hollywood (same chaos, but better vittles!). Later, I married a wild-child kid that grew up in Avalon on Catalina Island and wrote stories about his unique life in this one-of-a-kind environment. And, as people do, we had kids. But, because I was not quite prepared for the experience, ... MORE stories! When my sister and I bought the Seal Beach Pet Shop my antics with animals created a boatload of humorous events....from pythons, to puppies to pigs. As I got older, I began putting my stories down on paper. This book is the culmination of my sometimes silly, sometimes poignant, and very often downright ridiculous, adventures. And what's amazing to many folks, is that all these stories are true.
