Childhood Reminiscing

It’s weird. Sometimes I have these little flashbacks of childhood. I’m sure everyone does. And I love it! I hope that my babies will have those and remember us fondly for helping to give those memories to them. Most of my memories are of both my mom and grandmother, which is understandable. They were together a lot. They were two peas in a pod that mixed like oil and water…

The other day I had a Ginger Ale with Cheezits while sitting on the deck in the warm sun. I obviously hadn’t had those two flavors together in a very long time because the taste suddenly took me somewhere else, to another time. I closed my eyes and let myself remember sitting by the backyard pool with my grandma and mom at a family friend’s house. There was a bar attached to the pool that had a well stocked pantry and little fridge. The grown-ups drank margs and gin and tonics while I grubbed out on Ginger Ale and Cheezits. Fifteen minutes and another sunscreen lathering before I could get back in the pool– that was always the hard part. I could just smell my mom’s tanning oil- coconuts. She never, ever burned. I could hear some random 80’s music on the outdoor speakers. Surely it had to be mom’s Phil Collins tape playing. The sun was soooo nice, if you closed your eyes for a second, when you opened them everything would be dark and hard to see. Where’s my pink strawberry shortcake sunglasses? Ever stubbed your toe on the concrete with bare feet? Ouch! I always loved having to go pee because the air conditioning was sooooo cold inside. Back in the pool with my barbies and a float– yippeee! Hmmm. Love those memories.

Mom and Nana were always bar hopping. Not nasty bars or anything. It might be hard to tell from these dated old pictures, but these women were Hot to Trot! They had lots of friends and Nana always loved to show us off when we were in town. We regulared Chi-Chis Restaurant on McPherson Church Rd in Fayetteville. Yummm! They had this little snack buffet with this amazing queso, bean dip, tortilla chips… There were always a bunch of grown-ups with mom and nana. Mom and Nan both liked to drink the same thing: frozen margs (not on ice, not with salt which is how I like mine as an adult). The grown ups would keep giving me quarters so that I’d go away and quit inhibiting their dirty joke telling. I would play PacMan for hours, stuffing myself sick with queso and chips and Shirley Temple sodas… I loved it!

Then there’s the beach memories. Those were amazing. Those are my favorite ones. Mom spent the entire summer on the beach. She was so so dark. I was so freckle faced and pale skinned. But back then, the best SPF was like an 8! So I was always burned up by the end of the day. You know how that burn feels right before it really surfaces? When the salt water and sand are stuck to the irritated redness? Your skin feels so tight it could get up and walk around all by itself like over starched jeans. Yikes! I loved the beach though. I could hardly get mom to play in the water with me, but when she did she would take me far, far out. She taught me to duck under the waves when a big one would come, rather than letting it hit me. She could always find sandbars out in the middle of no where, I don’t know how she knew where they were. But we’d collect sand dollars with our toes. Sometimes I’d scoot my toes across the bottom trying to find a sand dollar and instead I’d swipe up against a nasty grouchy crab who would clamp my toe. After a full day, when the sun was starting to settle, mom would holler at me to help her pack up. We’d load into the hot car with sticky skin and wet hair. YUCK! I loved the beach but I dreaded the ride home– those were always the best showers of my life, the one’s I’d take after a day on the beach! But mom always rewarded me for toughing it out and not whining on the way home. She’d stop at the quick stop and buy me a bag of boiled peanuts or a coconut ice pop. We’d get home and get cleaned up. Then mom would clean the shells and sand dollars we’d found that day. What an amazing place to grow up, I’ll tell ya. The beach is just so magical…

I’m so grateful for those women who loved me and gave me such beautiful memories…

If you have a blog, how about sharing a few stories/pictures of your childhood. What it tasted like, what it smelled like, what is fond to you now that maybe wasn’t back then (like sand in your crotch at the beach, or crab pinches on your toes)? If you do post something, come back and let me know!

Posted by: stepherz | 03-25-2009 | 07:03 PM
Posted in: General | Just Me | Susan