The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

I was raised an only child but one that was expected to look after herself. That included going alone to the dentist at an early age. I was given no sympathy if I came home with bruises. I was told I knew where the band-aids were; my neighborhood comprised myself and another girl and around twenty boys-learning to look after myself gave me the courage to think outside the box. I became a little ruthless, in a good way, of course.

Our neighborhood was in a small city with open grassed areas here and there. The boys liked to go into one of those fields and catch gophers. I had my own business to...