Friday, June 1, 2007

Early Memories

Reno (when Dad was raising me alone)
My earliest memory is walking up a big hill on my way home, holding my dad's hand. We were returning from the grocery store, in Reno. One day I shared this memory with dad, he laughed quite a bit at what I called a "big hill." I guess he didn't think it was so big. I was probably 3.
There was a black woman who babysat me for a while. I remember yelling at her that 'she wasn't my mother.' I don't remember anything else about her... except she was rather large.
One time while we were living at the same house, I got in trouble for leaving while my sister April was babysitting me or at least responsible for me. I really don't remember where I left from or where I was going to beyond the fact that I was looking for a bathroom in a hurry!

Random memories from Sparks, Nevada
(I know we lived here by the time I was 5 years old with my Dad's new wife Marie)

My address: 14 East O Street
My phone# 358-7993
Amazing how you can remember certain things!

I loved my baby dolls! I loved counting them and washing their hair and putting pink foam curlers in their hair. One brunette doll that I had was the main recipient of my little girl hair salon. I would keep her in curlers for a long, long time (like an hour- I remember watching the clock) and her hair would not keep the curl!
I also would wash their clothes and when they were dry I would iron them. I had this little ironing board and iron. The iron would plug into the outlet but it barely put out any heat.
One time my real mom sent me some doll clothes for my birthday. I especially remember a pair of leopard spotted straight legged pants. Right after I received those doll clothes, I took all my dolls out to the front yard and set them up under the weeping willow tree (that was my tree! I always think of it when I see a weeping willow. It was kind of like a play house to me when the branches hung down long.) I proceeded to play house with them for a long time.
At some point I became aware of these teeny tiny red bugs crawling on me. They were so little that I had to stare to see them. I was mesmerized by them, even started talking to them. "Hello little bug, does your family live in this tree?" When I went inside with them all on my arms, my step mom made me stay inside.
I played with Barbie dolls too, when I was a little older. I had a shiny black case for them and all their clothes (have you seen the movie Crazy in Alabama? Do you remember the hat box she carries around? That's what my barbie case looked like.) The only outfit I remember was a drum majorette costume. In those days Barbie's legs were stiff and her eyelashes were not made of real hair, she also wore alot of eyeliner.
I loved to play alone... then again I didn't really have anyone to play with. I certainly didn't pine for anyone at any rate. I had a pink metal kitchen set that I loved! I found a Christmas picture of it recently. I would fill my little sink with water and do dishes. At Easter & Valentine I would take all my candy and put it in the fridge on it's shiny metal shelves. Then I would take a bite of each piece... if I liked it I'd eat it, if not I'd put it back in the fridge partially eaten. After a couple of days my fridge would be full of half eaten candy with little baby teeth marks in them. (Jessica gave me some candy the other day and I still do the same thing, except for the putting them back in the fridge part.)
I tended to get so involved in playing alone that I would wait until the last possible moment to go to the bathroom. Big mistake. To avoid getting in trouble I would toss the soiled articules in an obscure corner of the room. Another big mistake. I didn't avoid trouble very well.
The only other play that I liked to do alot involved singing, dancing and little 45 records. I had a couple of favorites that I would play all the time... in the privacy of my room.