Warm Memories

Lately, I have been trying to dig up good, warm fuzzy childhood memories. This time of year always makes me remember past Christmases and the toys I enjoyed playing with. Christmas is such a magical time. Opening those gifts on Christmas morning, well, there’s just nothing like it. Christmas morning is probably the best day there is for a child. I remember the spirograph. I could sit for hours and make designs on paper. Oh, what fun to create those masterpieces! Then there was the fashion designer where you would take different plates and put together outfits, place a piece of paper over the top of those plates and color over them. Voila! You could put together anything you thought up. It was magical! Light bright-I have memories of sitting on the floor with my light bright in the dark. The black paper with the white letters that indicated which color to use. The only problem with the light bright was that once the black paper prints were done and/or the light bulb burnt out, it was pretty much junk. Oh, then we can’t forget the easy bake! I had a lot of fun in Grandma’s kitchen with my easy bake. She even had a pantry for me complete with little mixes. I made cakes mostly. I felt so accomplished! Can’t forget the viewmaster either! My viewmaster was from Grandma. It’s my first memory of falling in love with Hawaii. She brought back slides from one of their trips and I looked at them over and over again. I remember one with a Hawaiian girl standing with a grass skirt and long hair next to a waterfall. I wanted to go there and I wanted to be her. That love of Hawaii has never stopped! I partook in "luau's" also, from a young age.

Barbies-My favorite past time. I remember my first one. Kissing Barbie. She came with lipstick. It was a plum color. She had a square button on her back and when you’d press it, her lips would move forward, imitating a kiss. I’d make her kiss Ken on the cheek. He loved it J I made furniture out of scrap wood at Grandma and Grandpa’s house even. I covered the furniture with thin styrofoam “paper” and made elaborate houses for them. Of course, the setting up was the best part. After set up there wasn’t much playing. I remember the last time I played with Barbies. I struggled to use my imagination and felt bored with them. I remember consciously thinking it would be the last time I would play. I clearly remember where I was on my floor and looking up and around at all of the Teen Bop posters on my walls. I had posters mostly of John Stamos, Kirk Cameron, and Ricky Schroder. I had a MAJOR crush on Kirk and Ricky! I do remember posters of The Jets, The Menudo boy band and Rick Springfield, too!

I only had one younger brother. I remember taking turns picking matchbox cars, too. I don’t really remember playing with them, just picking them. My brother and I also made a homemade monopoly game. That thing rocked! We used to play Monopoly out at Aunt Kim’s house and when we didn’t have our own at home, we did the only logical thing and made a homemade one! We had a board, money and game pieces. We used our imaginations. We also played the game of “Saw it first!” after watching a movie. This involved watching through the boring credits until the oval global type symbol came up at the end. Why we did this, I still do not understand but I still say it in my head if by chance a movie is still on after the credits roll. Oh, we always made it a plan to camp out in the living room and stay up watching Night Tracks, too. Every week I was the only one who stayed up with both my brother and my mom crashed on the couch before the first video. After that, was the National Anthem and then fuzz. I was always still up!

I loved playing cards with Grandma, too. That and Chinese Checkers. I need to teach my kids how to play Russian Rummy and Chinese Checkers. We’d play quite often and those are fond memories. I did puzzles with Grandpa, too. I was his puzzle pal. The other grandkids didn’t seem to have the time or patience to do puzzles but I did. Grandpa and I would sit and do puzzles and watch Scooby Doo, The Flintstones or Looney Toons. He’d laugh and laugh at Looney Toons. I can still see him now, sitting at that card table with that concentrated look.

Another fond memory I have is when I’d call Grandma and Grandpa to come and get me at school because I didn’t “feel good”. Grandma would make me soup and I’d watch either Gilligan’s Island or the artist Bob Ross. It’s so relaxing. I have nothing but warm, comforting feelings from Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Here’s a fun little video of him painting happy little trees and clouds. Bob Ross Remix

Grandma was always so good at comfort, whether it was with food, scratching my back by the fire, or just simply being there. She helped with homework and taught me how to bake. She also taught me manners, respect for my elders and not to snap my gum! She made the best peanut butter and jelly toast. I could never make it as good as hers. I didn’t know how she made something so simple taste so good. That is, until I added butter. She also added half and half to my lucky charms! Yum. There was also the air popper and popcorn with real butter. Grandma ate her popcorn with her tongue! I thought that was the coolest and I always tried to do it but was never as good as her.

Oh, but I mustn’t forget about the carefree summers. Man, we just did what we wanted all summer! We rode our bikes around the neighborhood, made forts and even rode to Whitewater several times. I can’t imagine ever letting my kids do that nowadays but back then I don’t even really remember any of us kids telling our parents where we were going. In the good ol’ days, we just came back when the whistle blew, which was 6 o’clock. As long as we were back by then, it didn’t really matter what we were out doing. The fort we built was a HUGE hole dug in the ground. All of us neighbor kids pitched in and dug it out. We were determined, hard workers! It was lined with tarp and covered with ply wood. It even had a door with a lock! The Evan’s, Hartzell’s and us would hang out in there. I remember a huge rain we had. We all decided to hide in there but it didn’t last long. It became a mud pit! We had secret clubs, too! And oh, the days in the cool basement of the Hartzell’s house playing Odyssey were the best! The Hartzell’s had the best house. It was the nicest and they had air conditioning, something we didn’t have!

What a fun, carefree childhood I had. I choose to focus on that. I hope my kids have the same warm memories someday. These things we can hold onto. I choose to let the other not so soothing or warm memories be less memorable. Something I find interesting is that of all of these good memories, I have very few of my own parents. One thing I do remember that’s good is a time when my mom walked with me up to the top of the hill up by the dump. I think we watched the sunrise and ate some snacks. That same hill had bad erosion on the gravel road when it rained. All of us neighbor kids and my cousin Brandon would make dams with rocks during and after rains. That was fun! I remember my Dad bringing my new red bike with the white seat for my 5^th birthday, also. I rode that bike around and around out at the farmhouse!

I remember the summer when Jackie and I were best friends. We’d listen to our records and make friendship pins and bracelets. We made so many! That, and folded up notes. We had a large garbage bag full of notes from each other. I wish I would have saved those. They'd be fun to read! She seemed to always be babysitting so we’d run up the street from each other’s houses and meet each other halfway. We’d exchange notes and bracelets. Those were the days. Her and I had a huge crush on Mikkel, a Foreign Exchange student from Denmark. We got him candy and a post card that said “U R A Q T”. We put them in his locker. He gave them back to us, saying he had diabetes. CRUSHED. I still have that card. Why didn't he at least keep the card?! How embarrassing that was! Oh, to be back in 8^th grade again. Actually, no thanks!

Wrapping up, I really hope that anyone reading this might have thought of some warm childhood memories. They are really nice to hold onto and maybe even share with your own kids, or nieces and nephews and grandkids. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!