Random Memories

... this can go along with the brainstorm page, for collecting bits and pieces before turning them into a completed topic, but also for specific individual memories that may not make up an entire blog post on their own.

Derek Facebook May 2020

Growing up, I used to roll my eyes (but secretly love) when my Dad would belt out “Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day!” He did this regularly. There are so many Lamar-isms that are fun to remember. 🙂 a few more: calling every kid either George or Henry (irrespective of gender), whispering to the boy grandkids “you know, those girls are nothing but trouble.” And whispering the same to the girl grandkids about boys. 🙂 Greeting everyone with “Good Morning!” No matter what time of day it is. “You’ll fall and break your bones Misses Jones!” this is said if any dangerous activity is embarked on. There are so many others!  (Jen added "No thanks I just had a bar of soap" and "flutterby" instead of butterfly. Daring the kids to eat a bug ...) Heffalumps and Woozles too!

From Scott - regarding the "Satan" bunny early in his life. It bit him. He said in an email ... I still have the scars on my arm. Some from the teeth and some from mom whacking my arm with a large spoon to get the bunny to let go.

From Mom-

Funny experience: After Diana flew back to California, I went down to Scott's room in the basement, where she had stayed, and I found dollar bills strewn over his bed. I wrote Diana and told her she certainly didn't have to pay for staying at our house! She wrote back that she didn't know what I was talking about, but hoped we had a windfall. Then I learned from Scott that he had been collecting dollar bills with different serial numbers or something and had hidden them up behind the big picture on the wall above his bed. I guess something had dislodged his collection right after Diana had left and that was the money strewn all over!! Mystery solved!!

From Chris -

• The first memory that comes to mind is coming home from swimming lessons at Cottonwood High School.  We would get dropped off, and run inside the house to find Mom out sunbathing on the deck (with blankets draped all around the railing).  Fruit leather would be drying in the sun, and we would dig in and have a treat, even though the leather was only partially dry.
• For many years, I remember waking up to Wendy or Jenny practicing the piano in the morning.  It was actually a nice way to wake up.  Most of the house would still be dark (and dark outside), but there would be warm light and warm music coming from the piano area (between the fireplace and the white couch).
  I remember going through times (when I was planning on being a tennis pro) when I would play tennis against the garage for a certain period each day.  The garage door was actually suited for practice, as the three-dimensional patterns in the door often sent the ball off in an unexpected direction.  I also remember Dad hitting tennis balls super high and us kids trying to catch them (or hit them back) from out in the circle.
• I remember that whenever any of us were sick, Mom would make up a little “sicko place” in front of the TV (right around the wall from the kitchen).  We always wanted to be close to Mom, and she was usually in the kitchen or in the TV room.  We would get to have 7-up, and I liked mine flat and warm (leftover from the night before was the very best).

Wendy included a LOT of memories in a Mother'sDay post.

When the kids would take our homemade fruit leather to school in their lunches, they were in high demand and could pretty well trade it for anything they wanted.

THE WHITE COUCH
Scott - I do have fond memories of the white couch - where most of the diapers for all the kids were changed and when cleaned with 409 became an indoor slip-n-slide.

MUSIC/RECORDS

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Scott: Guess what I found. A whole box of childhood. I will bring them Sunday.

Jen: No way! Chip and Dale ... Little red caboose chug chug chug! Do we have a record player? Do you have the "animals" record in there?

Chris: Very nice - How did Scott end up with them? He never had a childhood, did he?

A Facebook Exchange

From Jeni: Yesterday as I was getting the younger boys ready for school, I called Colton "Colton Caboose" and proceeded to ask him if he knew what a "caboose" was. I then told the boys about a record we used to play when I was little. I then sang them the song ...
"Little red caboose chug, chug, chug
Little red caboose chug, chug, chug
Little red caboose behind the train
Smoke stack on its
Back, back, back, back
Coming down the
Track, track, track, track
Little red caboose behind the train"

... do my siblings all remember this?

Wendy:  I remember the song well and I am sure I have sung it to my kids

Chris: Yes, I remember, and I remember the record and song "It's a small world after all" also.