TERRY GROVES

I remember Mom telling Dad how the next door neighbor's boy had asked to be driven somewhere. The response had been that the gas tank in the car was empty. The young boy, being very industrious and clever, proceeded to gather sand from the side of the road and pour it into the gas tank. Being as young as I was, we were still living on Jameswood Drive on the air base in Winnipeg, so was about 4 or 5, I failed to understand just what that action meant but filed it away in the b

We can get called by many names during out life. Here is the history of my nicknames

Growing up a military brat, for me, resulted in a fair bit of regimentation in my childhood. I am not certain it would have been the same had my father chosen a civilian occupation. I feel the structure he and Mom gave our family, helped my siblings and I lead relatively productive lives. A lot of the regimentation manifested in chores around the house and family. Making my bed each day was one of the chores I did to earn my weekly allowance. One day each week was wash day, w

Did you grow up believing a misconception?

Being a brat didn't always involve just military settings. Sometimes we got to interact with the civilian population at a more personal leve

Can kids be trusted to make smart decisions?

This story meanders a bit but illustrates a couple of brat bits of wisdom. I left home at 17 after graduating high school. I went to London, Ontario to go to Fanshaw College for auto mechanics. While I waited for classes to begin, I worked at the Holiday Inn as a busboy, and then for a cleaning company at the White Oaks Mall running a big floor scrubbing machine. When it was time to begin studying, I decided I didn't want to go to college (big mistake- tell your kids to get t

Wolf Cubs and Boy Scouts were a constant theme throughout my youth. Through the activities and my never-ending quest to amass proficiency badges, my horizons were broadened and I gained new skills and knowledge. At the time, I didn't realize I was learning things, I was just having fun. From learning about nature, geography and gaining a love for reading, I also learned leadership and independence, growing to be quite proficient when I was away from the comforts of home. All

My first job had a profound effect on my career

Even when I was so young I was still mastering walking, we were encouraged to spend time outside. In the winter, the activities were varied and, because we were living in Winnipeg, often involved snow. . .lots of snow. Besides building snow forts and ice caves, we would build snowmen. My parents taught us, make a big snow ball, then another one, not quite as big, and then another one, a bit smaller yet. Pile them up with the smallest on top, add a hat, carrot and two briquett

Growing up in a military family, being one of six boys, finances were always tight. Mom and Dad did what they could to squeeze every nickel, ensuring we always had what we needed. One of the ways Dad saved a few dollars each month was to cut our hair himself. When I was very young, Mom tended to pile my hair up on top of my head and everyone thought it was cute. In those days I didn't care but those days didn't last. Eventually, I outgrew that and was glad to climb up onto Da

Some challenges seem so much bigger when they are right in front of you.

Not only did I learn to build relationships with other brats, I learned about non-brats too

When we first moved to Clinton, we brought our cat, whom we had named Cotton because she was all white, with us from Winnipeg. Unfortunately, she did not survive our time at the farm. We found her dead, by the edge of the highway. There were no discernible injuries so we don't think she was struck by a car. We buried her in a stand of trees that bordered the farm's front lawn. After we moved into the base PMQs, my grandparents, Dad's parents, came for a visit. They brought a

What sort of stuff grows in a dump?

Even when I was really young I had a passion for plastic models. For me, it was the assembly, fitting the parts together to make something, that held my fascination, more so than the final model. I recall watching my older brothers, Mark and Robin, assemble cars, planes, boats, tanks, and even monsters. This was before I had enough manual dexterity to manipulate the small parts myself. I watched as Dad showed them how to remove the parts from the frames that held them, trim o

So, you wanna do something about it? Fighting as a kid.

Moving always meant another opportunity to meet good people.

Winter can be so magical when you are a kid.

Legends abound when you are a young brat. Read about my adventure in the arms of a fateful tree.