Until I was nine years old, I lived in Concord, Vermont (population about 1000). We had a black and white TV and no cable. There was one general store in town, a small post office, a library and a K-12 school. My sister was a baby then (so not such a great playmate), but I had neighbors who had two daughters who were around my age. We used to act out episodes of "Love Boat" and "Charlie's Angels" and "Fantasy Island" (all shows I'm pretty sure were on past my bedtime). We also pretended we were married to the Osmond brothers or that we lived in a little house on the prairie. My neighbors had a rambling old house, and the upstairs was where we played
store,
beauty salon,
restaurant, and
taxes (yes, taxes...their mother did people's taxes). In the summer we brought my portable record player outside and put on shows for our parents. I remember the albums all got warped in the sun. We also lived near the railroad tracks and a quiet river. We spent every day, all day playing outside. We rode our bikes for miles and miles and threw Barbies up on the roof only to watch them fall down again. We didn't have organized sports, piano lessons, or Wii. And it was great. These were some of the best years of my entire life.
Me, at seven.Here is your chance to share your favorite memories of playing as a kid. Post your favorite playtime recollection in the Comments area below by midnight Friday night (3/26). And make sure you include your e-mail address. I'll pick my favorite, and the winner gets a signed copy of my novel,
The Hungry Season.
2 comments:
I love the beauty of your memories! I wish mine were so unblemished! Growing up in Maine was a constant war with Mother Nature. Each season saw it's battle. During 'bug season', my older brother and I would play hide and seek under the crabapple tree for about 20 minutes before having to go inside to have the blood wiped out of our ears from all the black fly bites. During 'mud season' we would lose our galoshes in the knee-deep mud and happily finish our mudpies in socks. During the 'hunting season', we were forced to wear long, scratchy, bright orange knit hats to make sure the hunters would see us. After climbing trees all day we would spend our entire bath time combing our bodies for ticks. Oh, and of course, after finding them (which happened often) we would have to burn them off! During 'snow season' well, most of the daylight we had, was spent in constant dressing flux as we came or went from the cold, we had to peel off or pile on layers and layers of winter paraphernalia!
But of all the seasons, Mother Nature never failed to reveal her surprises! Once after rolling down our hill, I found a hole and of course stuck my finger in it. At once there was a squeak which made me jump and scream to Daddy. He came back with a shovel and inside we found a little toad. I introduced my new friend to my pet duck, Buffy, who then, to my complete horror, swallowed it whole. In winter, the first snow always promised the best snowman-making, and the spring lilacs always meant summer water play was on it's way. Thanks for helping me relive my childhood...that was fun. I'm going to go book my tickets for a trip home this summer - hopefully my kids will have the same type of fun (oh, but only during the best month of the year - August)! harris92107@gmail.com
Your memories resonate beautifully with mine, and I'm smiling broadly remembering my own Land of Make Believe. Even after watching Saturday Morning Cartoons, my sister and I would turn our Fisher Price Little People into the Flintstones and Jetsons. I remember the joy of transforming everyday objects into a futuristic innovation for our characters. My parents also let us draw on the concrete floors of our unfinished basement playroom, and we created an entire town and blueprint dream houses for our Little People (probably why I now love House Hunters). And with my friends and cousins we played office, social worker, bank, school (of course), and college newspaper (so glad my mom kept it our first edition). But my best memories are of all the shows I "produced." There was Xanadu, Mickey Mouse, Sock Hop, Copa Cabana (complete with stuffed bikini top and feather duster in the hair), and my own screen play of Grease 3 (how much worse could it be than 2?). I also spent hours alone in my room developing Lincoln Log villages and designing paper doll fashion collections. My parents were afraid I'd be lonely and an outcast, but I was so content to go within my Pisces mind. I even created my own line of Muppets, headlined by "Cake Monster." (Okay, originality was surely a challenge for me.) But how I cherish those times. And it now motivates me to get down on the floor one more time to play "Hide Under the Blanket so Monster Won't Get Us" or "Catch Me I'm a Turtle" one more time with my son. Wistfully Yours, Angie
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