By PAULINE POREMBA
Rantoul Press columnist

Let me take you on a trip back in time when I was younger (lots younger) and raising our sons. I truly enjoyed them and wished that they could always stay my little boys.

What a dreamer I was. Wow! When I look back on the days that I had thoughts like that I sort of wondered what was in the tap water I was drinking.

When I tell the stories of my sons I won’t use their names, but they know who I am talking about, so sit back and enjoy.

When I would get one of our sons ready to go to Maplewood School I would bundle him up and make sure he would not get cold on that three-block walk to school.

One day, after an hour went by, the school secretary called me and wanted to know why my son was absent. Thoughts of horror ran through my mind.

Where could this kid be?

I started looking for him, the police were called and I was standing on my porch just crying my eyes out when the military police came up to the house, screeched to a stop and out jumped two fierce-looking men with our son and our dog tied together with a piece of rope around his wrist and through the dog’s chain.

The story he told the military police was “The dog took me on the base because she wanted to see an airplane.”

The two men were very serious. They informed me that he is never to appear on the base again.

That story is nothing compared to some of his hijinks.

The South African parrot the boys had in their room was the snitch and told mom everything the boys would talk about at night, and in their very own voice. They never figured it out until they got older.

We will have two bus trips to the East Peoria riverboat next month — March 2 and 30 — so give me a call and reserve a seat at 217-892-4508.

Chips and fish
One cup mayonnaise

Two tablespoons fresh lime juice

Four lime wedges

Four fish filets, rinsed and dried

One and a half cups crushed corn chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix mayonnaise and lime juice together. Spread on both sides of fish.

Place crushed corn chips on waxed paper.

Pat the fish onto the corn chips, both sides. Place the filets on foil-covered baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes  easily. Serve with lime wedges and a spinach salad.

Pauline Poremba of Rantoul writes a weekly column for the Rantoul Press, focusing on social and community issues.