Despite the life-altering trials in Bill Vossler's life - being abandoned by his father at age three, the painful Biblical rantings of Apocalypse Granny, and the effects of an alcoholic home - he was "saved" by an empty lot across the street where he discovered fossils identified by the Smithsonian, a curiosity and love of nature, creating his own baseball stadium, delivering newspapers, and reading, all of which nurtured in him a joy of being alive. Each vivid episode in this memoir is a thread that entwines with others to illustrate the rich tapestry of his zest for life.