At a time when being poor was the norm and neighbors had a meaningful place in what is now referred to as just "the hood," growing up was much simpler. Humor was the narcotic du jour and the poor to be pitied were in China or some other far-off place. Single parent families were almost unheard of. Mothers were homemakers and fathers provided as best they could. Without television or the Internet, radio and a movie matinee would nurture a child's imagination, providing limitless possibilities. This provided an inexpensive high lost on today's younger generation. The author will take you back on a humorous trip, meeting his immediate family, his colorful relatives, and the adventurous friends with whom he grew up. He writes of the cheerful optimism that was prevalent. Depression was, to him and his peers, a financial term. Making do was a way of life.