Mrs. Zook, My First Blowfish and Colorado Rock Candy

Usually in ones school years they remember a favorite teacher, for me it was a private teacher that even to this day is so dear to my heart along with her husband, her name was Mrs. Zook.

We had just moved into this neighborhood and I was to attend second grade at the same school a few years later, that I would meet and be a teacher for my good friend Aaron.

I had not been in this grade long when I developed a health problem for a time because of California smog, which at times I had to stay at home and with the other problems at home during this time; it was not very pleasant.

Nevertheless, upon my mother's instance a private teacher was finally hired because of her worries of me getting too far behind in my learning. Which the second grade teacher in that short time had already accused me of being a poor student.

When Mrs. Zook was hired, she had to go meet my second grade teacher and get my lesson’s, over time she had to go back and forth on numerous occasions, but her first visit I will never forget. The second grade teacher accused me of being dumb among other things and outright insulted Mrs. Zook. Mrs. Zook, not telling me exactly what the second grade teacher said, because she thought it was not for children’s ears and that Mrs. Zook said she had never met a dumb child. But I did learn later, while the insults where those people actually do not repeat, they where Anti-Semantic in connotation which Mrs. Zook admitted and she also told me to always be careful when I was around that teacher.

Mrs. Zook was not only and excellent teacher, making learning enjoyable with such books as one that taught phonics with somersaulting pixies and for a treat because she thought I was actually an outstanding student was a piece of Colorado rock candy; that she use to receive from her daughter. She kept the candy in a bowl on top her piano, which she played sometimes, because she felt it would make me happy.

Even without my lesson’s I spent a lot of time there, for it was like an oasis from the outside hardship’s and when I was to learn about her husband’s terminal illness, use to go into their library to help him feel better; we usually talked until I knew I had to go home. When he was having a good day, he used to have a wood workshop in his garage where he made some of the most wonderful things. When I was having my sick days, he made colorful beautiful wooden birds on these metal sticks to be placed outside my window to make me feel better, among other things; which sadly have disappeared over time.

My mother use to also go visit with Mrs. Zook and have tea, which we all became like one very happy family.

Some days if the weather was nice, we would go sit in the patio; my first time I saw something that while I had never seen one before, at first was not sure it was real-a blowfish. Mrs. Zook chuckled when I asked if it was real, while it was, sometime ago, her and Mr. Zook had gotten it on a vacation. To this day, I can still see it in my mind’s eye suspended from the roof of that patio.

Eventually, Mr. Zook's health got so bad, they where going to move where their daughter was and while I never where to see them again; I still would walk by there apartment to just take a little time to think about them.- HRM Deborah