MY MEMORIES ... 1974 - 1980.

Well, it's late and I can't sleep ... A common occurance for me. The house is quiet and no one is going to scream my name; well, atleast not for atleast 5 hours anyway, so I thought what a better way to waste the time by writing a blog. It's been awhile.

Actually the blog that has been on my mind is more for myself or my kids later in life sometime. I have toiled over the thoughts in my head, more specifically my memories, that have deepend as I have gotten older. I honestly do not know why I remember the things I do, the details I do or why the things I remember are so vivid. I can tell you before I write a few down that it isn't always a blessing to remember the things I do. (but mostly my older -teen- memories)

So, lets see. I was born in November 3rd 1974, @ 3:33 am. The pic I included is of myself because this is the age where I will start. My first memory EVER is BLUE. LIGHT BLUE. When I asked my mother why I would have this sharp thing such as a color bind my mind, she responded with an awe. "That was the color of your nursery". (always my fave color BTW.)

I remember a musty smell and my mother said that was the basement. Mirrors, BIG mirrors and my mother said that was the bedroom.

Ok, not too astonishing, that could mean alot, but the next is more interesting seeing there are no pictures. I am about 6 -9 months old. Laying on a bed with a darker blanket in the sunlight coming in through a window. I was wearing something light and had my feet up in the air. (as babies do) I ALSO had a hat that my mother says that day I ripped to shreds and tore apart. It had flower petals and leaves on it and was a darker shade of pink. Clearly telling my mother this, made her mouth drop ... yep.

Next, I can remember my crib. It was wood - the slats were set wide apart and at the end it had 3 little yellow and white balls on it that I would spin. It was set next to a window where I loved to lay in the sun or even better stare at the moon. At this time we lived in Hammond, Indiana - next to train tracks. Which I can vividly remember hearing.

I remember my sister (10 years older than me) dropping me by a kitchen table once. Obviously I wasn't that old.

I remember my Great Grandma. I was in a walker that was green with ugly yellow flowers on it, the seat pinched my butt and we were in my Grandma's livingroom. She was wearing a dress with flowers on it and She sang me a song in Dutch and I still remember it to this day. " Ain, Tway, Dre, fair" (means one, two, three, four in english ... a song about a paper hat.)

Jumping ahead. I was 2. I was at my Mom's Aunt Carle's house in Lake Village, Indiana. There was a family picnic going on or something. I was by a big red barn where they had horses and I was stung my first time by a wasp. I was picked up and carried to her house, which was an A-Frame. Once inside I can recall the exact placement of everything and details of where everything was and the precise smell of vinegar. According to my mom, Vinegar was put on my sting to stop the swelling. Again, no pictures and no one ever told me of this situation or where things were. I just remember. Another time - same place - I remember meeting my sisters friend Sandy, very beautiful girl and she drew me a smiley face on a yellow plate after I ate all the frosting off my cake.

Shortly after this time my family decided to move from Hammond, Indiana to Lowell, Indiana. I do not remember the move, however I do remember seeing the new house. It faced south and was the first new one in a brand new neighborhood. Across the street was an older farm with a kid named Mike that lived there - they had horses running from thier barn to the cemetery down the road.

I remember shortly after moving in, how my sister used to ride her skateboard down the hill and jump on her pogo stick in the garage. How I had a yellow plastic pool with cheesy toys and a green bathing suit with white polka dots on it. I would have been 2 1/2.

I can remember the day Elvis died. August 77, (same time to our moving in the new house)so I was 2 1/2. My sister was 12 1/2 and she stood next to the refrigerator which was next to a counter with the radio on it, She wore a yellow Elvis shirt that day and the news played on the radio and she screamed and cried for hours. I remember looking up at her thinking she'd lost her mind.
I remember our rooms and how the first song I remember (by a band) was "Dust in The Wind" by Kansas.

I fell out of my bed once when I was 3 or 4 and hit my head on my dresser. I was too afraid to go tell my mom because the fire alarm/ smoke detector on the ceiling had a red light on it and it scared me. I thought it was an eye. Other times, in my room my dad use to leave books under my pillow so he could read them to me. I still have them.

I remember getting up and not being able to sleep (even then) and my dad was watching Mash, we made a fort in the living room with blankets and played Memory. On another occasion I can remember it be very hot and sticky out, we did not have air, I was in my pink pajamas that had a cinderella castle on it, the material was very light and I had bare feet standing on the tiles before the front door by the screen door at night. I can specifically can remember the crickets chirping in the bushes next to the door.

I remember meeting my bestest childhood friend (Terri) in the houses behind mine on a dirt hill that would soon become a neighbors house. Age 3 1/2. I remember my mom watching her once and when her mom left she cried sitting on my couch - we became closer after that, and I remember all the toys and times we shared ! The first movie I ever remember seeing was Disneys 'Jungle Book'. We all went in a green pick up truck with my friend Terri's family and on the way home it was raining. The littleest kids got to sit inside on the way home and my sister told me she hated me because the rain was messing up her hair.

I remember a birthay party when I was 4, my sister 14 - it was at the Lowell High School pool. They had a high dive and black intertubes. The color was brownish inside and my sister had alot of friends come. Another BD party for us (we shared a birthday just 10 years apart) I had at home and how one girl couldn't stay and how one left because I was being a sore loser. My sister wore white overalls that day and hid prizes in the linen closet. I remember recieving a stuffed bunny rabbit as a gift.

Remembering times when my sister scared my friend Terri and I with some weird 'spaceship' music and put make up on us to look like clowns, to which she got into trouble for is always fun. I remember once when my parents went to dinner leaving her in charge, I sat and watched them leave out our bay window and when they were gone she then shoved me into a highchair and tried to force me to eat Mac and Cheese. One other time she zipped me up in a sleeping bag and put me on the top of her closet and wouldn't let me out.

I can remember we had a car called a Vega. It was white with red and blue lines on it. Soon after my parents bought a little black Chevette from Christensen Chevrolet in Highland. Age 4 (even better, I remember the neighbors cars) But who had the black van ?

I can remember playing with the next door neighbor named Susan and some weird rain storm coming in while we played on the sidewalk. Every now and again we would play Barbies and later she even taught me how to ride a bike on her brother Skips red bike that was in thier back yard by thier dog named Fonzie. Susan was younger than me by a year. lol.

I can remember being so upset when my bestest friend Terri (who was a year ahead of me in school) went to kindergarten without me. I was left alone. Eventually when I got to go I discovered that we had the best bus driver ever, who I still remember to this day ! (Mrs. Heath)

I remember going to the other next door neighbors house (The Hendricks) and eating Coconut for the first time in their back yard. I will never eat it again mind you. Later that year, the Dad, Gary, would fix my tri-cycle when I was riding it in front of thier house and the handle bars broke off. He welded it back on for me.

I remember going to a store (that was called Fry's, now Saco in Lowell) and being in the checkout with my mom and neighborhood friends and playing ring around the rosie with them. We got yelled at.

I remember going to Evergreen Park and being Superman or Spiderman as my friends and I took turns going down the "BIG" slide.


Big wheel. Whoaaa, got lots of memories with those words. Criss, cross, crash ! LOL.. Guess you'd had to have been there ! Playing in my garage, the trees outside, waiting for the bus, running up and down the driveway.. I could go on for HOURS.

Finally Kindergarten. I was 5 - soon to be 6. I went to Oak Hill Elementary School and my teacher was Ms. Parente'. She had married the gym teacher. She was tall and had grey hair. I thought she was very pretty and very nice and always wore the prettiest dresses to class. I can remember the EXACT placement of EVERY single thing in the class in the school and on the way to my class and every one of my classmates. The play area was to the left of the class as you came in the doors, right next to a line of windows. The cubbies we kept our coats in etc. were to the left of coming in the doors along the wall. The play area had a fire hat and dress up stuff on the top of the shelves that always had to be in their exact placement. I can close my eyes and the picture is always in my mind. We cooked pumpkin seeds once . We were all sitting indian style in a circle to the right of the class and Ms. Parente' had a toaster oven in which she cooked them in. She had her desk almost in the right/ middle of the class and had tissues on the left end of the desk. I still can smell paste every time I remember these thoughts. She made us home made Christmas ornaments that year too. Mine was a white snowman to which she wrote my name on the back.

I can remember an orange rug behind dividers behind the play area. we always sat on it and it was to the back left of the class. We read stories there and had show and tell. Once Julie Fisher threw up on it and it got on Lori Korte's shoe. The janitor came in and sprinkled this gross peach colored vomit cleaner on it and it smelled sooo bad !

On that same orange rug in the spring time, we were having a parent show and singing "It's A Small World" to them. I wore a dress that was white with red and blue flowers on it. I can remember being highly embarrassed that my mother was there and I told her to go home.

Now, these are The majority (there are more) of my memories (FIRST 6 years anyway) that I have that are soooo vivid and unforgettable that I had to get them out. I do not know why they are so clear or why I remember every little single detail, of so many things. People, places, voices, what they wore, what they did, things they'd say ... sometimes the memories haunt me and never leave me alone. Like I am still there. I can close my eyes and actually be there. I have had so many people tell me how they remember nothing and how lucky it is to do so, but sometimes I don't think so. Sometimes however I sit wondering what is the point of it all ? Should I draw a picture of it ? Should I share it ? There has to be a reason.... I have never heard of anyone else remembering things the way I do. Then there are times I wonder if maybe I have a brain tumor and that is why it acts the way it does...haha... there are sooo many, many more memories. EVERY grade has things I can tell you ... who, what, when, where I forgot nothing nd remember everything... mostly, I guess, I wish I wouldn't remember anymore because as I got older my memories are not of good things anymore and the vividness becomes pain.

Well..... thanks for listening to my dribble. Sometime, I would like to type out some of my other thoughts and memories so that someday maybe my kids will be able to finish reading them. That is, if they are interested. Hey, who knows - someday maybe somday someone would find all this useless dribble worth something.

TAMMIE