Thinking Back

[RustyAngeL]

I was thinking back last night about my growing up years in Michigan. I now live in California but love to think back on my childhood in a time when when you could walk home from your friends house at night in the summer time and you were safe. We had pizza parties and beach parties at night and never once did anyone get out of hand. We were not worried about someone kidnapping us and we loved and respected our parents. Our favorite time is our house was Christmas. My dad and I would start looking for decorations on my birthday ( Dec 12th) then spend hours putting them up. We always picked the coldest day to hang the lights outside but we still had a ball doing it. We had three trees in our home. One in the living room, one in the family room in the basement and one on the porch that my dad and finished and made into a beautiful room. Our home was full of color and wonderful smells the tree had dozens of presents all wrapped my mom and I and it's a time I looked forward to every year. I'm wondering what are your memories while you were growing up?

[refugepsa91]

I grew up in Michigan too...still am My favorites are when my grandpa was still alive (my dads dad) He would come and pick me up from the park, when my mom and dad would call me home and I didn't answer they always knew to get in their car and go to local ice-cream shop and there we would be. You can't do that nowdays at all, the parents would assume the child had been kidnapped. Me included in this day and age.

I remember I learned to ride a horse before I could ride a two wheel bike....got hurt less on the horse too I remember pets galore....I remember falling asleep in the back seat of the bus and waking up to grandpas step in the bus aisle, step-drag, step-drag, he had a bad leg....I remember him picking me up and holding me tight and telling the bus driver he better leave now before he broke his neck Ya see I fell asleep and never got dropped off at grandpas...the bus driver didn't check the bus after he got back to the garage so I stayed in it....

I remember learning how to cast a fishing pole to fish with my dad, when mine sunk to bottom of the lake he gave me his, when his sunk to the bottom we oared back to shore and went to the sporting good store in town and bought another one....dad took a small peice of rope and tied the pole to my wrist til' I learned to only let go of the button, not the whole pole. He never got mad, not once.

I remember dad telling me to stay out of the bottom of the barn until he had it all cleaned out, cuz there was wood down there with nails in it. Well I wanted that kitty....so went anyway...stepped on a nail and the board stuck to my foot...dad found me, carried me to the car (with the board) and took me to local emergency room (grant had a hospital then) and held me while the docs pryed it off....and all he said to me was "what did you learn today" I answered very wisely..."to listen to you!"

Wow I love this thread, I hadn't thought of those in so long......theres sooooo many more.

Love and Blessings,

Angel

[RustyAngeL]

I grew up in Michigan too...still am My favorites are when my grandpa was still alive (my dads dad) He would come and pick me up from the park, when my mom and dad would call me home and I didn't answer they always knew to get in their car and go to local ice-cream shop and there we would be. You can't do that nowdays at all, the parents would assume the child had been kidnapped. Me included in this day and age.

I remember I learned to ride a horse before I could ride a two wheel bike....got hurt less on the horse too I remember pets galore....I remember falling asleep in the back seat of the bus and waking up to grandpas step in the bus aisle, step-drag, step-drag, he had a bad leg....I remember him picking me up and holding me tight and telling the bus driver he better leave now before he broke his neck Ya see I fell asleep and never got dropped off at grandpas...the bus driver didn't check the bus after he got back to the garage so I stayed in it....

I remember learning how to cast a fishing pole to fish with my dad, when mine sunk to bottom of the lake he gave me his, when his sunk to the bottom we oared back to shore and went to the sporting good store in town and bought another one....dad took a small peice of rope and tied the pole to my wrist til' I learned to only let go of the button, not the whole pole. He never got mad, not once.

I remember dad telling me to stay out of the bottom of the barn until he had it all cleaned out, cuz there was wood down there with nails in it. Well I wanted that kitty....so went anyway...stepped on a nail and the board stuck to my foot...dad found me, carried me to the car (with the board) and took me to local emergency room (grant had a hospital then) and held me while the docs pryed it off....and all he said to me was "what did you learn today" I answered very wisely..."to listen to you!"

Wow I love this thread, I hadn't thought of those in so long......theres sooooo many more.

Love and Blessings,

Angel

You know something..you just jogged another memory for me. We lived right on the lake until I was about 7. My dad and I use to go fishing in the summer from his row boat and in a ice shanty in the winter. I was a daddies girl and my dad was my knight in shining armor. Sounds like you grew up like I did. I had a wonderful grandfather too. I called him papa...he was big and loved to laugh. Thanks for the memories.

[mikado5001]

All the good times I had with my Dad. I rememder the first time I 'helped' him fix the car. Going to see movies. We were huge movie nuts. Star Wars, Grease, Love at First Bite, Lady and the Tramp, BattleStar Gallactica. Oh the days. He would comfort me when I was sick. And he was so full of love. YOu could feel him from a mile away. I would beg my Mom to take me to pick him up at work. And we'd hug like no huggers you ever hugged before. And if you ever meet me in person. You'll see what I mean.

[BroChuck]

I grew up on a farm and the only heat we had was a coal/wood furnace, we had to cut wood till dark and shovel coal into the coal shoot that led to the basement, for years i thought "man! i can't wait to get old enough to get outta here and go see the world! ".. well I did get to go see alot of the world .. But I'd give anything to be back in those days and back on the farm where life was sooo much simpler, hard work, but so much simpler, I also have fond memories of fishin with dad and he was the best teacher! We would bring home 2-3 stringers full of bass, and mom would fry them up, Sure miss those days.

Ya know i look in the mirror sometimes and wonder ... Where did that kid go? ... I miss him too ..lol

Wonderful Thread Faith!

Love in Christ .. yur Bro .... Chuck

[samarelda]

I have so many childhood memories. It is funny how a smell or song or sound will bring them back so close to your heart. My memories are sweeter now that Mom and Daddy are both with the Lord (March 14,2003-my Mom and March 15,2004-my Dad). Mom was always in the kitchen and Daddy was always in the barn or field. I remember coming home from school and walking into the house which smelled like fresh baked bread. Mom never bought bread and now as a mom, I don't either. I bake every day. I remember the smell of the rich valley soil when my dad was plowing every spring. I loved the smell of the barn in the fall when we kept the cows in at night again when the weather turned cold. Then the joy of turning the cows out to pasture again in the spring and seeing them savor the sweet grass that they hadn't eaten for months. I almost wanted to eat with them. I remember licking the cow's salt block with my sister and drinking out of the cow's drinking cups in the barn. (YUCK) The sweet smell of fresh cut hay. Picking strawberries from our garden and digging potatoes. Crawling throught the garden on my hands and knees pulling weeds out with a cat laying on my back and about 40 others out there with me. Having a whipoorwill land on our house and sing me to sleep. Sitting down by the creek after evening milking just relaxing and listening to the sound of the water. Swimming in the creek on hot summer days after being in the hay field. Coon-hunting in October with my dad, sister and the neighbor boys--the woods had that damp, woodsy, fall smell. Delivering hundreds of newborn calves and never getting over the wonder and thrill of it. (I wanted to be a cow mid-wife when I grew up). Getting the cows early in the morning barefoot and having my feet get so cold from the frost that I would stand in warm cow pies to warm them. (By the way, that is one of the big reasons my hubby fell in love with me--wanted an old-fashioned gal and you can't get much more old-fashioned that that!) My heart is still on the dairy farm. We have 8 acres here and have goats, chickens, geese, etc... but it is not the same as being in that barn full of cows at milking time. I loved it as a child and as a teen and into my adult years while I was still there. So many good memories. They are so sweet to me now. I wonder what my own kids will remember about their growing up years. I think home-schooling will be near the top of their list. We have such a great time. It is enjoyable reading about everyones fond memories.

[Giaour]

Did anyone grow up in the city?

I lived in Las Angeles county until I was 11.

We used to pop caps on the sidewalk.

Go down to the spill ways and drainage ditches and go swimming.

Not much fun.

When the Watts riots started in '65, things really went down hill.

Dad moved us to a farm in Indiana when I was 11.

It was awesome!

I remember jumping off the rafters into the hay loft.

We raised hogs and would go to the hostess warehouse and buy day old bread for the hogs to eat.

They would also throw in twinkees, ho ho's, cupcakes, snowballs etc.

We would have to take them out of the wrappers and throw the food into the hog lot.

The food was still good but had passed the expiration date so we would open the wrappers, take a bite and throw.

We ate sweets until we were sick.

Now that was fun.

[Giaour]

We had a mean old goose names Joe.

He would chase us up the driveway and try and bite us.

My dad sold him 3 different times and the thing kept coming back home.

Man, I hated that goose.

[cmariebright]

Some things that I remember about growing up is hanging out with Kristi, Kassi and Gregory Schindler they lived about five streets over and we would ride bikes around our neighborhood together. Me and my neighbors next to us started a make believe zoo in my backyard and acted like we were tour guides and showed off the animals to visitors we also played school on my carport. My brother and I would play video games together and each year my family would take a trip somewhere. We went to Washington D.C., Panama City to the beach, San Antonio, Tx ( my first plane ride), Ohio to see my grandparents. Each year my grandmother would make a birthday cake for us. Since Grandpa and my birthday is in Jan we would celebrate our birthdays together, Mom and Pat's (my brother) birthday was in Nov and my dad's and cousin Nikki's birthday is in August ect. I had a wonderful childhood growing up in South Alabama,great times and wonderful memories..cms

[RustyAngeL]

We had a mean old goose names Joe.

He would chase us up the driveway and try and bite us.

My dad sold him 3 different times and the thing kept coming back home.

Man, I hated that goose.

I love it!