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Friday, May 1, 2009

More Memories

Reading Tara's post An Ode to Blogging at Too Much Information got me thinking about life in general. I have all these memories, but nothing written down. I do journal, however it is more of a venting journal since I can't just go run at the drop of a hat. Before kids, my way to vent was to go for a good run. I am now realizing that I should document more of what I did as a kid and share those stories with my boys now that they are old enough to appreciate them. They have been to my hometown many times, but I have not taken the time to show them where I played as a child. We are generally too busy visiting family and going to our favorite family spots, such as the Sweet Shoppe and best local bakery in town. Next time I will have to drive them around and aquaint them with my old childhood haunts.

The Babysitter's House: my home away from home

My mom and my pop both worked, so my sister and I went to "The Babysitters", at least that is what we called it then. Now we call it a Home Daycare. Jeanne, the babysitter, was older than my mom, but not quite as old as a grandmother. Times were very different back then. The older kids were allowed to go to the hill (at the end of her street) and play without adult supervision. The hill was like an escape, this is where I truly felt creative (and I am not very creative). I would go there and play on this bunch of rocks, that looked like teeth to me, and just hang out. Other kids would go too and we would play as if we were in the jungle......at the tender age of 7 and 8 it was like a jungle, lots of trees, bushes, wild flowers, and tons of poison oak. There wasn't a time I didn't come home without getting the nasty rash that followed. Later in life I discovered that I get it so bad that contact with the pollen is enough to trigger the burning itch and nasty red rash. Any way, another favorite was to get cardboard and climb to the top of the hill when the grass was dry and "sled" down. We all came home with ugly bumps and bruises, but none of us cared because it was such a great time. When we got tired we would go to the west side of the hill and look at the view. You could see most of the town, all the way to the freeway. It was beautiful.

The Hill: my own personal backyard

Sadly, many years ago, a family cut off the top of the hill to make way for their house. I don't blame them, the view is lovely and they probably enjoy it every day. But gone are the days of childhood fantasies as well as the freedoms that we were able to enjoy many years ago.


And this is my childhood home. My mom still lives here.

16 comments:

Sally's World said...

wow, i imagine growign up with that space, that back yard, its lovely, great post.

Fine Hand said...

Your childhood home is lovely and it's so nice your mom still lives there.

Jenny-Jenny said...

We live in a great neighborhood now where the kids can have some freedoms, but not like we did when we were kids. In my childhood neighborhood, we had 'the pit'. I think at some point the foundations were dug for 2 homes but never built. This made for great dirt hills for bikes.

Carrie said...

My parents still live in our chilhood home and now my sister and her 5 kids live there too. It was always great beacause it was so open and big. Wes still have gardens and we use to have horses about a million years ago. :)
Plenty of running room for bikes,ATV's,and hide n seek

Frogs in my formula said...

Isn't it interesting how outdoor spaces hold such meaning for us as kids? My friend lived near a soon-to-be development so there was a clearing with steep drop offs (nothing dangerous, just sand). We used to shriek and jump off the ledges and I remember feeling so free. I got lost awhile ago and accidentally drove down that street. The houses are up and the trees are grown--you'd never know those cliffs were there.

Grand Pooba said...

Look at your childhood home! That is just adorable and that's great that your mom still lives there. My mom is going to be selling my childhood home because she is getting married and it makes me sad!

This is a great idea to get your memories down to have a record of them. And you have pictures to go along with it!

Anonymous said...

Someday, I want to have a house that my son can say "That's where I grew up. And my parents still live there." There is just something to be said about that. I love the thought of sameness for so many years. Although, I guess most people don't like change.

Rachael Schirano \\ Rachael Schirano Photography said...

what a lovely idea, to document your childhood. i should really do that!

Tink said...

What a great place to grow up. It does not look like it had to much change. I'm anticipating more of your stories.

theUngourmet said...

Oh my gosh! Your house is darling! I love that style!

Shawnee said...

So glad yo joined our garden apron swap!!

Aunt Spicy said...

Suzi, I am so, so glad that you wrote this post! What a treasure this will be for your kids! I am a big fan of documenting your own personal history for your family... And I am so in love with your mom's house, it is perfect Americana-Nostalgia!

Julia said...

So you have been living in old decrepit houses for your entire life now. Cant wait until we can build our fantasy dream house.

Debbie said...

Looks like a great place to grow up.

Mama-Face said...

Your childhood home is so beautiful. How cool that you can show these places to your kids. Did they enjoy it like they should? ;-)

I remember playing in places that no parent would ever consider safe now. Empty lots, going to other's houses and not even thinking of telling the parents, etc.
Not now. Not my kids. Even my 17 year old.

thanks for the visit.

Running Mommy said...

Aw! I love your childhood home!!! I love the color and the shape and everything about it.

I applaud you for thinking of telling your kids stories about your childhood. It's something I've noticed kids love to hear. It gives them a sense of continuity.

Thanks so much for coming by my blog and commenting. Hope you find time to run again soon! It's a great way to keep from going insane.