Childhood Memories
At one of the forums I post to, one of the participant posted part of her blog post about "Childhood Memories" so I thought I would share mine as well.
For some reason, it really brought many memories flooding back. I'm going to even add to what all I posted on the forum.
Sometimes, memories of my childhood are so clear, they are nearly palpable, and others.. I guess my mind would just rather forget. My youngest brother (I have two, one is just a year younger the other four years younger) can remember things from when he was like 5 or even younger, I have trouble with anything before 10 usually.
I remember we had a dog named Pebbles (named from the Flintstones cartoon), she was part miniature collie. I loved that dog so much, she used to follow us around the neighborhood as we rode our bikes and everything. Before the days of having your dog on a leash. She was such a good dog too. We used to be gone from breakfast to bedtime, coming home only for lunch and dinner it seemed, and before the street lights came on. That was the rule. Well my grade school was just two blocks away, and I walked.. alone (gasp).. back then everybody did! I wouldn't dream of my grade schooler walking alone now a days.
I remember being in school and the Principle having to come down and get me to take my dog home. Here pebbles would follow us to school, we'd holler at her to go home as we walked and she would sometimes, others she would be in the school lobby (back then the doors were always left open on warm days) and Mr. Campbelle would come and get me to take her home.
Can you believe I got to leave school long enough to walk her home and then come back? *laughing* It was very different back then!
Another memory I love, when we were younger, my parents and us kids, along with my grandma and granddad and two aunts (my aunts were 8 and 10 years younger than my dad due to WWII and my grandfather being gone and all so we were the only grand kids for quite some time) would go camping to Atlanta, Michigan. As a child I thought everybody knew where it was, because you'd say you were going to Atlanta and they all knew! Later I found out nobody knew where it really was, even people from Michigan. It's just this small town way up north, and it's near this lake or something called Crooked Creek. Most people that went up there went there for fishing. Well at night my dad and granddad would go out fishing for cat fish. I remember on the lake there was even a sign posted "Cat fish crossing" I loved it! One year, my dad and granddad deemed I was old enough to come along! I was so excited that night.
I remember my aunt popping popcorn in the camper, Jiffy Pop and cooking it too long, the smell of burnt popcorn was still lingering as my mom kissed me goodnight for a nap, so I could stay up with Dad and Granddad. It was such an adventure when I was finally nudged awake by my dad saying "Let's go Carol", sleepily dressing in long pants (the mosquitoes there could eat you alive) and a sweatshirt, going out on the boat.. a coleman lantern lit on the front of the boat as my hands gripped the sides. It seemed forever before my dad decided a spot was just the right place.
I remember the joy of catching my first catfish! I had caught Blue Gill off the side of the dock before and pike even during the day in the boat as we'd trolled along, but never a catfish! It was huge and my dad took it off the hook with a glove on his hand, complaining all the while about the fish swallowing the hook as CatFish tend to do. After wards I watch them fish for a while, curling up in the boat on a blanket, eventually falling asleep. I guess my dad carried me back to bed in the camper that night. It's one of my favorite memories.
I also remember that same dog, Pebbles, getting hit by a motorcycle the night we were leaving on vacation. We always left around 2am. My dad used to drive me crazy! Why we had to leave in the dead of the night was beyond me. Later I came to realize as a parent traveling with kids, you put the kids to bed, pack up the car and get going, knowing they will sleep a good part of the way. Not always though, my brother John who is only a year younger than I am, he and I used to try to see how long we could stay awake. We wanted to stay awake the whole ride there (ten hours). Luckily for my Dad and Mom, we never made it.
Here we had the truck camper all packed. Us kids and Pebbles (hell yes we took our dog on vacation with us!) would ride in the back of the camper, peeking out the window as we'd go down the highway. Anyway, everything ready to go, the boat already hooked up to the trailer hitch on the back of the truck and my Dad carrying Jeff, my other brother out to the camper as he never seemed to wake up when we left. Pebbles loved to chase cars, motorcycles, school buses, you name it, she chased it. It was the only bad thing she really ever did. Well we all saw it, she got hit by a motorcycle that night just as we were ready to leave.
The driver felt horrible. but it surely was not his fault and that's what my dad told him. I can remember my dad muttering something about "that damn dog" probably mad Pebbles messed up his time table. She seemed ok actually just limping on her back right leg. My dad said let's just take her with us, I think she's ok, if not, we'll take her to a vet up there. Pebbles rode in the front between my Mom and Dad and I was petrified that we'd stop for gas (because that was the only time Dad stopped so you better go to the bathroom before you leave) and Pebbles would be dead, but she wasn't! yay! She ended up fine by the end of the trip, she was running on all four legs again.
You could see deer like you'd never seen deer up there, I remember going driving when we had the station wagon, with the tailgate down and us kids sitting on the tailgate as my dad went slowly, very slowly down this little dirt road, watching the deer just bounding through the tall grass. It was amazing! I loved that little town of Atlanta, Michigan and I wonder what it's like today.
<------------- Me at Crooked Creek, getting ready to go out on the boat I think. Look at that life jacket. LOL
Well time to get my son up for school.
ta ta for now,
Carol
For some reason, it really brought many memories flooding back. I'm going to even add to what all I posted on the forum.
Sometimes, memories of my childhood are so clear, they are nearly palpable, and others.. I guess my mind would just rather forget. My youngest brother (I have two, one is just a year younger the other four years younger) can remember things from when he was like 5 or even younger, I have trouble with anything before 10 usually.
I remember we had a dog named Pebbles (named from the Flintstones cartoon), she was part miniature collie. I loved that dog so much, she used to follow us around the neighborhood as we rode our bikes and everything. Before the days of having your dog on a leash. She was such a good dog too. We used to be gone from breakfast to bedtime, coming home only for lunch and dinner it seemed, and before the street lights came on. That was the rule. Well my grade school was just two blocks away, and I walked.. alone (gasp).. back then everybody did! I wouldn't dream of my grade schooler walking alone now a days.
I remember being in school and the Principle having to come down and get me to take my dog home. Here pebbles would follow us to school, we'd holler at her to go home as we walked and she would sometimes, others she would be in the school lobby (back then the doors were always left open on warm days) and Mr. Campbelle would come and get me to take her home.
Can you believe I got to leave school long enough to walk her home and then come back? *laughing* It was very different back then!
Another memory I love, when we were younger, my parents and us kids, along with my grandma and granddad and two aunts (my aunts were 8 and 10 years younger than my dad due to WWII and my grandfather being gone and all so we were the only grand kids for quite some time) would go camping to Atlanta, Michigan. As a child I thought everybody knew where it was, because you'd say you were going to Atlanta and they all knew! Later I found out nobody knew where it really was, even people from Michigan. It's just this small town way up north, and it's near this lake or something called Crooked Creek. Most people that went up there went there for fishing. Well at night my dad and granddad would go out fishing for cat fish. I remember on the lake there was even a sign posted "Cat fish crossing" I loved it! One year, my dad and granddad deemed I was old enough to come along! I was so excited that night.
I remember my aunt popping popcorn in the camper, Jiffy Pop and cooking it too long, the smell of burnt popcorn was still lingering as my mom kissed me goodnight for a nap, so I could stay up with Dad and Granddad. It was such an adventure when I was finally nudged awake by my dad saying "Let's go Carol", sleepily dressing in long pants (the mosquitoes there could eat you alive) and a sweatshirt, going out on the boat.. a coleman lantern lit on the front of the boat as my hands gripped the sides. It seemed forever before my dad decided a spot was just the right place.
I remember the joy of catching my first catfish! I had caught Blue Gill off the side of the dock before and pike even during the day in the boat as we'd trolled along, but never a catfish! It was huge and my dad took it off the hook with a glove on his hand, complaining all the while about the fish swallowing the hook as CatFish tend to do. After wards I watch them fish for a while, curling up in the boat on a blanket, eventually falling asleep. I guess my dad carried me back to bed in the camper that night. It's one of my favorite memories.
I also remember that same dog, Pebbles, getting hit by a motorcycle the night we were leaving on vacation. We always left around 2am. My dad used to drive me crazy! Why we had to leave in the dead of the night was beyond me. Later I came to realize as a parent traveling with kids, you put the kids to bed, pack up the car and get going, knowing they will sleep a good part of the way. Not always though, my brother John who is only a year younger than I am, he and I used to try to see how long we could stay awake. We wanted to stay awake the whole ride there (ten hours). Luckily for my Dad and Mom, we never made it.
Here we had the truck camper all packed. Us kids and Pebbles (hell yes we took our dog on vacation with us!) would ride in the back of the camper, peeking out the window as we'd go down the highway. Anyway, everything ready to go, the boat already hooked up to the trailer hitch on the back of the truck and my Dad carrying Jeff, my other brother out to the camper as he never seemed to wake up when we left. Pebbles loved to chase cars, motorcycles, school buses, you name it, she chased it. It was the only bad thing she really ever did. Well we all saw it, she got hit by a motorcycle that night just as we were ready to leave.
The driver felt horrible. but it surely was not his fault and that's what my dad told him. I can remember my dad muttering something about "that damn dog" probably mad Pebbles messed up his time table. She seemed ok actually just limping on her back right leg. My dad said let's just take her with us, I think she's ok, if not, we'll take her to a vet up there. Pebbles rode in the front between my Mom and Dad and I was petrified that we'd stop for gas (because that was the only time Dad stopped so you better go to the bathroom before you leave) and Pebbles would be dead, but she wasn't! yay! She ended up fine by the end of the trip, she was running on all four legs again.
You could see deer like you'd never seen deer up there, I remember going driving when we had the station wagon, with the tailgate down and us kids sitting on the tailgate as my dad went slowly, very slowly down this little dirt road, watching the deer just bounding through the tall grass. It was amazing! I loved that little town of Atlanta, Michigan and I wonder what it's like today.
<------------- Me at Crooked Creek, getting ready to go out on the boat I think. Look at that life jacket. LOL
Well time to get my son up for school.
ta ta for now,
Carol