1962Friends/Family:
Mom and Dad, Brother, Mrs. Adamson, 3rd grade class
We lived in a small southern Ohio town just a few miles from the Ohio River. It was a very "Norman Rockwell" town. I have many fond memories of that town. We would go to the Rexall Drug store and I would get a strawberry ice cream cone and I remember it having huge chunks of strawberries. It was one of my favorite things to do. We lived in the lower level of a townhouse. It had a pink kitchen and a built-in booth like in a restaurant. My mom would make donuts and put them on the high counter. My brother and I would pull our chairs up to the counter and eat donuts as fast as mom could make them. My dad must have worked nights because I remember my mom and brother and I being there alone. My mom would do her ironing at night and I would get the bottle with the holes in the lid for her so she could sprinkle the clothes. She also taught me to draw. She would draw a profile of a woman with flipped hair. She would draw it for me then I would trace over it. I drew them over and over and taped them to the door in the living room. Finally, late at night, she would put us in the car and we would go to Pasquale's Pizza. It must have been on the weekend because we did not have to go to school the next day. That was always a treat.
I remember a lot about that house and living there. Mrs. Adamson lived upstairs and she was my babysitter when my mom had to work. She had two sons. One was older and I was afraid of him. He had a room at the top of the stairs and I ran past it all the time to get to the other part of the house. I don't recall him talking to me or doing anything to me but I was afraid nonetheless. I remember hiding from him on my parents porch one day. I don't recall what happened other than hiding from him. I also remember a detached garage next to the house. Behind it was a workshop. I recall the neighbor boy and I would go in there and play. I specifically remember playing doctor but it was all on the up and up. No naughty stuff happened. We made believe that candy was pills and we would listen to each others hearts. From this house, I recall walking to school. I was in the 2nd grade. In reality, it was about 3 blocks but it seemed 3 miles. When I look back, I wonder if it was safe to walk by myself but those were different times.
We were in class one day and it started to rain. As a result, we had to play inside for recess. The girls would bring their Barbies and sit around a small table in the corner. I would put the little shoes on the end of my fingers and trot around the table, kicking and crossing my fingers (make believe legs) to make the girls giggle. One day we giggled so much that I peed my
pants. (The picture inset is the dress I was wearing.) The two elitists 3rd graders, Pam and Paula, were sitting on the floor behind me. They started to scream as my piddle spilled onto the floor. I was devastated. They ran to the teacher and she scolded me. When the recess bell rang, she handed me school papers and told me to pass them out to the class. I cried as I walked up and down the aisles. I did not know what the word humiliation meant back then but that's what I was experiencing. I do not recall what happened after that. I must have blocked it out of my mind. That teacher would be fired today.
In 1962, the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, came out. My mom and Evelyn (a good friend to my mom) took us to the drive-in to see it. I remember putting my pillow and blanket into the back of the station wagon and mom packing snacks for the trip. I remember hanging the speaker on the window and the smell of the fog they would spray throughout the park to kill the mosquitoes. After that ritual, I remember being so excited for the movie to start.
I can recall so many details from that movie. I remember being very scared at different parts. I recall the rabid dog. The black man in court. The drunk who came up on the car and fell against the glass and scared young Jim. How the drunk spit on Atticus's face. I also remember Jim getting his pants caught on the wire fence and having to go back to get them while Scout counted out loud. Most of all, I remember being terrorized by the scene in the woods after the costume contest and Scout wearing her "Ham" costume home, guided by Jim's hand. And finally, Boo, when he came out from behind the door. I had a conversation with my mom recently and asked if I was too young to see that because I remember being very scared. She shrugged it off with a "No, of course not". My mom was very tough love driven.
In history, this happened: 1962
http://www.infoplease.com/year/1962.html
Mom and Dad, Brother, Mrs. Adamson, 3rd grade class
We lived in a small southern Ohio town just a few miles from the Ohio River. It was a very "Norman Rockwell" town. I have many fond memories of that town. We would go to the Rexall Drug store and I would get a strawberry ice cream cone and I remember it having huge chunks of strawberries. It was one of my favorite things to do. We lived in the lower level of a townhouse. It had a pink kitchen and a built-in booth like in a restaurant. My mom would make donuts and put them on the high counter. My brother and I would pull our chairs up to the counter and eat donuts as fast as mom could make them. My dad must have worked nights because I remember my mom and brother and I being there alone. My mom would do her ironing at night and I would get the bottle with the holes in the lid for her so she could sprinkle the clothes. She also taught me to draw. She would draw a profile of a woman with flipped hair. She would draw it for me then I would trace over it. I drew them over and over and taped them to the door in the living room. Finally, late at night, she would put us in the car and we would go to Pasquale's Pizza. It must have been on the weekend because we did not have to go to school the next day. That was always a treat.
I remember a lot about that house and living there. Mrs. Adamson lived upstairs and she was my babysitter when my mom had to work. She had two sons. One was older and I was afraid of him. He had a room at the top of the stairs and I ran past it all the time to get to the other part of the house. I don't recall him talking to me or doing anything to me but I was afraid nonetheless. I remember hiding from him on my parents porch one day. I don't recall what happened other than hiding from him. I also remember a detached garage next to the house. Behind it was a workshop. I recall the neighbor boy and I would go in there and play. I specifically remember playing doctor but it was all on the up and up. No naughty stuff happened. We made believe that candy was pills and we would listen to each others hearts. From this house, I recall walking to school. I was in the 2nd grade. In reality, it was about 3 blocks but it seemed 3 miles. When I look back, I wonder if it was safe to walk by myself but those were different times.
We were in class one day and it started to rain. As a result, we had to play inside for recess. The girls would bring their Barbies and sit around a small table in the corner. I would put the little shoes on the end of my fingers and trot around the table, kicking and crossing my fingers (make believe legs) to make the girls giggle. One day we giggled so much that I peed my
pants. (The picture inset is the dress I was wearing.) The two elitists 3rd graders, Pam and Paula, were sitting on the floor behind me. They started to scream as my piddle spilled onto the floor. I was devastated. They ran to the teacher and she scolded me. When the recess bell rang, she handed me school papers and told me to pass them out to the class. I cried as I walked up and down the aisles. I did not know what the word humiliation meant back then but that's what I was experiencing. I do not recall what happened after that. I must have blocked it out of my mind. That teacher would be fired today.In 1962, the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, came out. My mom and Evelyn (a good friend to my mom) took us to the drive-in to see it. I remember putting my pillow and blanket into the back of the station wagon and mom packing snacks for the trip. I remember hanging the speaker on the window and the smell of the fog they would spray throughout the park to kill the mosquitoes. After that ritual, I remember being so excited for the movie to start.
I can recall so many details from that movie. I remember being very scared at different parts. I recall the rabid dog. The black man in court. The drunk who came up on the car and fell against the glass and scared young Jim. How the drunk spit on Atticus's face. I also remember Jim getting his pants caught on the wire fence and having to go back to get them while Scout counted out loud. Most of all, I remember being terrorized by the scene in the woods after the costume contest and Scout wearing her "Ham" costume home, guided by Jim's hand. And finally, Boo, when he came out from behind the door. I had a conversation with my mom recently and asked if I was too young to see that because I remember being very scared. She shrugged it off with a "No, of course not". My mom was very tough love driven.
In history, this happened: 1962
http://www.infoplease.com/year/1962.html
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