Reminiscing – the way things seemed to be. A phrase from the western novels will help – you could do most anything “…smile when you say that…” and get away with it, so I hope that I can get away with this because I am smiling (a bit).
Recollections – As it seemed to me.
Thoughts to build on –
1950’s
-Agitating the pigs by throwing things (bubblegum) into the pig pen.
-Going hunting with my father – he would stop and shoot birds off the power lines from the car (very loud).
-Riding with my father – a serviceman will not walk while he has a car, he always stopped and asked if they needed a lift.
-My father threatening to “beat the tar out of you” if you do not stop acting up. Someone whispered “what’s tar” and we all laugh and then got beat.
-Acting up in the back seat and staying out of the way of our mother’s flailing arm as she drove the car and tried to smack us. The great thing about 50’s sedans is that they had huge backseats and we could easily avoid the swipes of her hand. Eventually she would pull over, take us out of the car and whip us (to the approval of passing motorist).
-The nurse at the catholic hospital (major operations on both legs) telling me that if I cried, my parents would not be able to visit me.
-Mother taking us to Leonard’s Department Store in Fort Worth, Texas. At Christmas, they created a children’s wonderland. One day at the store (1954,55) I was really thirsty and wanted a drink from the water fountain. My mother said I had to wait for a while, “that is the colored water fountain”. It did not look colored to me, but I was learning a little bit at a time.
-Driving through the mountains with the family and stopping to get a drink of water from a stream coming from the rocks.
-Family picnics at Elizabeth Furnace, Virginia. Dave (my brother) swinging across the creek on a vine (during a winter picnic). The vine broke and he sailed into the freezing water. I laughed and was duly punished.

Rummaging through the box of photos that were kept in the hall closet. I found my mother’s wedding photo. She really looked nice in a grey (black and white photo?) suit with a hat and holding white flowers. Huh, I wonder where the other half of the picture is?