DOES END JUSTIFY MEANS ??

Are we ever justified to do something shady to accomplish something good? I guess the first question is, just how shady and the second would be, just how good?

I previously mentioned a time when my parents were separated for a while and how precarious our existence was. My father was closing down his construction business in Key West while conducting some funny business with a lady friend on the side.

My mother who had lifelong severe asthma problems had been forced by health matters to take my brother and I back to Ohio where she could breathe more easily. At least that was the story we kids were told. Mother was thinking divorce.

Dad paid our bills but there was very little extra. Money was as tight as I can ever remember. We were living in a tiny trailer in a low end trailer park in Austintown, Ohio. The only food money coming in was often just what my fifteen year old brother could pick up after school and weekends working for the park manager.

This is where I learned to loath spaghetti. Mother was bed ridden and scary sick with a deep cough and swollen legs. I was just twelve and the family cook. Jim made 75 cents a day which went for milk, bread and canned Chef Boyardee spaghetti which I was actually capable of warming up.

My father had always been the cook in the family. Mother had come from money and had grown up being waited on. I don't recall ever seeing her prepare a meal. Her poor health kept her in that role and it helped that my Dad was a marvelous cook. So she could not help me with more than my warm-up-canned-food skills.

Ole buddy Chef and similarly canned products were our nightly meal for way too long. I can feel my gag reflex wanting to let loose just thinking about it. Now I know this sounds grim but it did sharpen my survival skills and gave me a base line for as low as I ever want to go which is always good to have. Today, as long as I don't have to eat spaghetti, I am good.

Mother's birthday was coming up and there was no money for a present. Mother was depressed by my father's ignoring us and by her illness. I felt a desperate need to get enough money to buy her something really nice to cheer her up. My only marketable skill was baby sitting and at that time there were no jobs available. I was a new, unknown quantity. I just had to get some money. That is when the “shady” Patti was born.

Friday before the big day I was taking a long walk, trying to come up with a plan. I noticed how some of the homes along the road I was taking had lovely flower beds. An idea was buzzing in my head. I took my tiny self ( I was always undersized) up to a house that had an especially attractive garden and rang the bell.

"You have such a pretty garden." I mumbled with head down when a lady answered the door. "Would you let me pick a few flowers for my Mother's birthday?"

"Of course sweetie," the nice lady responded. She went into the house to get some shears and proceeded to cut me a lovely bouquet. She then tucked the flowers into some silver left over wrapping paper and proudly handed them to me.

I thanked her over and over and she just beamed at being able to help the cute little waif. I am sure she carried a warm glow in her heart for several days. That part I could feel good about.

Now a nice kid would have been satisfied and taken the flowers home to her Mom who would have been quite pleased and the story would have ended there. Everyone would have been happy. However, I wasn't necessarily a nice kid. I had more ambitious plans.

I walked with my bouquet down the road. I had a plan. When I saw a house with no garden, I walked up to the door and rang the bell.

Again a lady answered. With my most pitiful look, I made my pitch. "Would you like to buy some flowers? I am trying to raise some money to buy my mother a present for her birthday."

Of course the nice lady bought my? flowers. Wouldn't you? I was suddenly a whole dollar richer. That was big money in those days. She was not only nice but generous. My plan worked perfectly.

Now I should have stopped there but it was working so smoothly that I continued my con at each new house with a garden followed up by selling my gift bouquets at the next house I saw without a garden. Fortunately the houses were spaced far apart.

I repeated this con 4 times and as far as I know, no one was the wiser and eight women went to bed that night feeling quite pleased with themselves and I was $3.75 richer. One lady was not quite as generous but that was OK.

I really didn't feel like I was lying, just was not telling the whole truth. However, I did take from one to sell to another. Can anyone spell ponzi scheme? Did that make me a budding baby Madoff? I am a bit embarrassed to admit I was quite proud of my scheme.

Ok, that was the bad Patti. The good Patti bought her mother a planter shaped like stone gristmill. It actually had a wheel that turned reluctantly and was stuffed full of African Violets.

Curious, I Googled "gristmill planter" yesterday and good grief, there it was exactly as I remembered. I was amazed to find that these planters are all over the Internet from $8.00 to $30.00. I evidently was not the only one who thought they were cool and I only paid $2.50. Such a deal. There really isn't anything you can't find on the Internet.

As you can see, it really was quite garish but I was busting with pride at what I thought was beautiful and expensive looking. In my 12 year old mind, it was museum quality. The African Violets helped some.

I had enough left over to buy a whole chicken which our sweet neighbor who had taken me shopping had roasted for us and thoughtfully provided the veggies and potatoes. I knew Mom had to be as sick of canned spaghetti as Jimmy and I were.

She was delighted with it all and was happy as I had seen her in days. When she asked where I got the money, I just said that I got it picking flowers. Not a real lie, no real harm, but was there actually a foul? Remember, I was Beaver Cleaver twelve. Judge me gently.

Have you ever slid over to the dark side for a noble purpose??

Just a quick thank you big time for the prayers and good thoughts you sent Jewels. She is still in treatment but is feeling better. She was quite overwhelmed and warmed by your caring and comments.

It seems she was not the only one suffering from this rare disease in our county. Three others have been also been blessed with Tularemia. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so proud of my bloggy friends. You really are the "best".