Blast to the Past, Introduction

I can say that I had a great childhood. It wasn't that I had an overly charmed life. I was constantly at the bottom of the food chain in our family. However, I came through it feeling totally able to take care of myself. I was lucky in love and had good enough sense and grades to go for what I wanted. I was athletic, but small, which was advantageous in certain respects...easier to do gymnastics, good for sneaking into the drive-in, appreciated for the tiny footprint in gardening jobs, etc. I was always surrounded by a wealth of diverse people in the communities my parents chose to live in. For that, I will always be grateful

 We travelled a lot as a family, in the car. I was the one who always got carsick. I got to sit in the front a lot between Mom and Dad because of this.  It was a curse and a blessing because Mom smoked  occasionally and that probably made me more nauseous. Jammed in the front was definitely better than being jammed in the back of the station wagon. 6 kids plus 1 yellow lab and 2 parents didn't leave a whole lot of room for  other stuff. One time I was sitting next to a window and I was holding my stuffed dog Spot out, to let him catch some air as we drove down the highway.  I accidently let go and watched in horror as he flew into a cornfield and disappeared.  My dad would not stop.  It was the only stuffed animal I had and now he was gone.

We drove to California from Iowa and Dad talked about the orange grove that was just across from our house. By the time we got there, that orange grove had been plowed under for urban development.  Disappointing yes, and a signal for things to come. But Claremont was, and still is, a magical beautiful place and not just because Disneyland was not that far away. We lived in a scenic friendly spot with great weather, just far enough away from pollution to forget about it.

So with this short  post, I'm starting a mini series to celebrate childhood memories and the lessons learned.