Remembering When...

So my first memory of life was when I was probably around 2....I remember having my diapers changed and looking at out bathroom ceiling and marveling over the wall paper on the ceiling. It was a black design...after that I remember just little things with my brothers, my crib and how all of us shared a bedroom...4 of us to a room...so I was in the crib a very long time it seems...I can remember climbing in and out of it so it seems like I was maybe 3 almost 4 when I was taken out...my 3 older brothers were not very kind to me...always hiding my things and teasing me. They thought that it was appropriate that they scare me about the boogie man and that torture went on for years. One time when we were traveling we were stuck in a motel room watching the mummy (I was about 4) and when they saw I was scared I became the brunt of their entertainment. I still have issues at night 50 some plus years later....and watch any kind of scary movie I just can't.

I loved the house that I grew up in. My maternal grandfather owned a lumber yard so our home was custom built. We didn't have any furniture that wasn't a hand off or a cast me down but it was a nice house and wonderful neighborhood. We spent a lot of time in our back yard and in our neighborhood playing. Since we only owned 1 TV we didn't watch it very often and when we did watch it was controlled by my father. When he wasn't in control... well ... I was way down the line in the pecking order! But I had a playhouse that my grandfather had built for my mom and now it was in my backyard and my little house to run. It was quite roomy for a playhouse and many fond memories of tea party's and school and house were had there!

I lived in a neighbor hood that I knew almost everyone that lived on our street. To the left of us was the Reynolds (he was a vet of WWI), next to them the Characters (she lived up to her name) Across the street in the cul-de-sac was the Wells, Smiths and Halliwells, across the street was the Stricklands on the corner, next the Debois (had a real crush on their son who was many years older) Waltermans (10 kids) to the right of us the Chapmans(taught at Fullerton Jr. College) , the Helveys...and the list goes on and on...I even knew most of the people on the street behind us...it was a great life and very simple...not much expected becasue we lived so simple.