School is just around the corner and all the hoopla surrounding this great event brings back fond memories of all the interesting things that happen when you’re a kid going back to school.

My memory lane walk starts with back-to-school shopping; I am so happy that my wife, Bonnie, takes care of this with my daughter. If I was in charge, the poor girl would wear nylon running pants, shorts and T-shirts for everything.

When I was young shopping was easier. Coming from a family of six on a tight budget, between hand-me-downs and Catholic school, there wasn’t much left to buy.

St. Peters Catholic School had a dress code and you could wear anything you wanted as long as it was black corduroy pants and a light green button-down dress shirt with a &uot;St.P&uot; patch on the front pocket.

Each year we trekked downtown to purchase the obligatory two pairs of black corduroy pants and while there, stopped at Virg’s Bootery to get a pair of tan Red Wing boots which had to last for the year. I loved going to Virg’s

because he was a really nice guy who had been a staple in our downtown for more than 50 years.

My mom and dad knew him well and he made a youngster feel like he was getting the best pair of shoes known to mankind. My mom, always thinking of ways to save money with six kids, would make us stand up in the boots and then squish her thumb down on our toes to make sure we had at least a six inches of space at the tip to allow growing room.

I remember the first part of the year wearing thick hunting socks to make the boots fit properly and by the end of the year having to wear my dad’s dress socks so I could still get my foot into them.

With the purchase of the pants and boots, school shopping was officially concluded. &uot;What,&uot; you may ask, &uot;only two pair of black corduroy’s and a pair of boots?&uot; Yep, and let me tell you why. The light green dress shirts with the patch on them was the school uniform for more than 50 years and my brothers handed them down to me.

I received underwear and socks for birthdays and at Christmas and did so until I was about 30. I was married with three children before I bought my first pair of underwear and then had to call my mom to see what size I wore.

Continuing on memory lane before I forget where I was, I remember the first day of school at St. Peter’s being pretty scary. Though we had the same classmates for eight years,

the intimidating part was learning which nun we’d be assigned for homeroom.

If you were lucky, you would get a very sweet woman who would teach you lessons of life as well as your schoolwork.

If it happened luck was not on your side you got a knuckle-banging-yardstick-waving nun whose calling included intimidation. I made so many trips to the office one year the principal and I

became pretty good friends.

I think over the years, I had a nice balance of both kinds of teachers and it made me well-rounded in both life as well as discipline.

I remember Sister Kathleen McKevitt had an old raggedy Bible and she always said &uot;A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.&uot; I never understood that saying until I got older, but it sure does ring true.

A couple of other personal experiences you hopefully can learn from me: Do not let your older sister give you a haircut. I thought I was getting my locks trimmed for school pictures one year when a strange odor hit my nostrils. &uot;What is that smell?&uot; I asked my sister.

I had the tightest perm ever worn by a seventh-grader and with bright red hair and freckles you would have thought I was Ronald McDonald’s younger brother. In fact, I got free happy meals for a year from that place because of that ugly perm.

Oh, and those school pictures have been burned, much like my social life for grade seven.

Secondly, hand-me-downs are not good from sisters: Unless you want a bedazzled jean jacket, jellies, clogs, tube tops, leg warmers, ponchos or huge bell bottom light blue pants with patches of the peace sign on them, it is best to stick to your brothers’ hand-me-downs.

So remember this as you get ready for your own back-to-school term: School days can be the best days of your life &045; as long as your kids are old enough to attend.