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Winter, Summer, and Elvis




The long cold days of January have sped past with amazing speed. We’ve had a mild winter so far. Overnight it is predicted that we will get 4 inches of snow. I’m sure more ice and cold temps will accompany the white stuff!

When my three girls were little the best time of day during winter was when they were all home from school and daddy would build a fire in the fireplace. I’d have a pot of vegetable soup or chili simmering on the stove. Oh how I miss those days.

I loved when the girls went sledding and came back inside for hot chocolate all red faced and sometimes sweaty in the layers of jackets and snow pants and scarves.




Why does time go by so fast, especially now? When I was a kid the long lazy days of summer seemed to stretch out before me like an endless blank canvas. I got to color in each day with dress up, creek wading, swinging, walking to the store on the corner. Any number of things that made me love my life. 
I got up early and couldn’t wait to get outside. I’d be outside all day. I’d be called in for dinner and go back out for another few hours. I slept like a baby in those days. I remember going to the movies every Saturday at the small town cinema to see John Wayne movies. I’d sit through those shows at least twice in a row. All on the same afternoon. We’d stay all afternoon and eat our weight in popcorn and candy.

I remember when Love Me Tender was showing at the theatre with my beloved Elvis Presley. It was so crowded I sat on the floor with a bunch of friends. All girls of course. I can’t remember seeing any guys in the theatre that day! On any other Saturday there would be a good number of boys, some from different schools, and we would sit behind them and giggle. Sometimes a piece of popcorn would somehow leave our hands and hit some cute guy in the back of his head. When he turned around and smiled we giggled more. They were teens and we were still in grade school which made it even more exciting. Sure we had on Evening In Paris perfume - eventually I graduated to Tigress - and Tangee lipstick -  a tube of clear lipstick that turned orange when applied.



Well, enough reminiscing. It’s been awhile since I’ve written here. I’m still getting settled in my new condo and learning my way around town. It feels good to be in a new writer's group and women's study group. I look forward to hearing from you. What are you into? Is the winter getting to you? Or is it warm where you live?

I’ll be back with news about my next novel Sweet Baby James. I’m working on  the story again. Be good to yourselves until next time!


Be well. Leave a comment. Stay safe. Here’s to spring!

Comments

  1. Loved reading about your memories. Time does fly by. It is cold here, too, but not a lot of snow. I'm still writing, just finished working on my kid's column for the March issue of Two Lane Livin' - at the moment it's titled, Creepy, Creepy Crawlies.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved going to the movies with my best friend Vicky when I was a kid--The Airline Theater in Vandalia, Ohio. Admission was 25 cents, except the showing of West Side Story, which was 50 cents.
    Thanks for sharing! Memories are lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I recall some similar memories. Things do seem to fly so much faster now. When I was younger it seemed like I could get so much more done and still have a lot of extra time just to hang around or watch TV or something like that. Now I feel like I'm frantically trying to cram just a little bit every day and end the end of the day feeling like little was accomplished. Then I lie awake thinking of things I need to do.

    Oh, gosh, now you got me thinking about the nature of time and age.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
  4. Barbara, some of your memories are similar to mine, too. You have brought them back in the nicest way. We had a theater in the next town, and I spent many afternoons there. In the summer there was always something for a kid to do in our little town, and the days went on and on. Nice that you have returned to your blog. Keep writing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What great memories! I get nostalgic, too, often about the days we lived near the seashore, and summer days were guided by the tide chart. I loved spending mornings on the beach with my kids, then pre-school age. We'd play in the water, eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and head home for baths (had to get rid of that salt water!). I cherished the quiet in the house when they were napping and the only sound was the washing machine as it readied our suits and towels for tomorrow. How I'd like to to back for a day.

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