Childhood Memories

Requested by my Mom, this mother's day (which is probably the only reason I actually made the list). This list reflects just some of my memories of childhood in Portland during the mid 70's and 80's. It will make little or no sense to most who read it (a perfect blog entry by many standards). Posted here for nearly no reason. Enjoy...

1. Doing my Jimmy Durante impersonation
   
2. Burning a hold in the carpet with a lighter and covering it with a towel, leaving a bowl of cereal near by to throw you off
   
3. Scraping paint off the porch ceiling to paint it
   
4. Throwing up in a coffee cup, riding in the station wagon, during a trip back from the Saturday Night Wrestling midget car races
   
5. The little black and white TV sets and the stereos for Christmas
   
6. Idaho trip and the breech calf being born (pulled out by Uncle Morris)
   
7. Christmas and Thanksgiving with the Pfeifers
   
8. Christmas morning trips to Prineville
   
9. Family picnics, especially at Aunt Mabel and Uncle Clyde's
   
10. The accident that took out a tree and three cars on our street
    
11. Dr. Donkle, Dr. Base, Mr. Wendle, The Couple down the street, Uncle Tiny, The Klinks, The Lulays, The big family across the street, The Moores, The Leonards, The Andersons
    
12. Grandma playing the piano in the hall
    
13. A trip to Mail-Well with Grandma to pick-up Dad’s check when Katie was born
    
14. Uncle Charlie, Sour Kraut, Pickled Pig’s Feet, and Saturday Night Wrestling
    
15. Uncle Dick smoking a cigar and holding Sugar upside down by her feet at Christmas.
    
16. Mail-Well First Aid classes
    
17. Playing Bill Cosby, The Bickerson’s, The Smothers Brothers & Redd Foxx records
    
18. Walking to Edwards and all my teachers and most of the kids who I went to school with
    
19. Long trip around Oregon (Sea Lion Caves, Oregon Caves, The Oregon Vortex)
    
20. Coming home from outdoor school to find the mural in my room
    
21. Tracing coasters with Grandpa Larry
    
22. Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, John Denver, Bluegrass concerts
    
23. YMCA swimming lessons, Piano lessons with Jeanine, T-Ball & Little League
    
24. Roller Skating Birthday Parties at Oaks Park
    
25. Before there was a deck, before it was covered, before it was enclosed
    
26. The storage locker at the meat cutters
    
27. Candy bars at Mail-Well
    
28. The Foot-Long Hotdog place on Hawthorne
    
29. Climbing the tree in our back yard
    
30. Salisbury Stake, Cream Tuna, Cheese Balls
    
31. Dad’s black lunch box
    
32. The Big Green Desk, The Big Furnace Grate, The Porch Swing, The Side Yard, The Pantry, The Door from the kitchen to the playroom, The wood railings on the front porch, The dining room
    
33. Watching ‘Silent Running’ and being so sick I sounded like a robot
    
34. When Uncle Jim lived with us
    
35. Dancing like a dog with Mom and Kate
    
36. The ‘Make Me Laugh’ incident at the Andersons
    
37. Foster kids
    
38. Mr. Chin, Sugar, Lovie
    
39. When everyone smoked
    
40. Dad’s motorcycle, The truck with a band-aid and smiley face, the big red Suburban*, the little brown Honda, Grandma’s little green Hornet, The Blue Nissan Truck*, The El Camino*, The White Carolla*, The blue car you gave to Uncle Jim (* all involved in an accident with me behind the wheel).
    
41. Mom’s poodle haircut, Dad’s beard
    
42. All of Grandma’s moves and all of Uncle Jim’s weddings
    
43. Rancho Flowers, Fred Meyer before the remodel, Lloyd Center when it was exposed, KFC, Arctic Circle
    
44. Fishing on Lost Lake and Deep Sea fishing with Dad
    
45. Building the fence with Dad, Upholstery, Say It With Wood, ‘Helping’ dad downstairs
    
46. Abbott & Costello reruns on Saturday afternoons
    
47. Mom having to yell from downstairs muttiple times from me to finally get out of bed and get ready for school
    
48. Before there was cable
    
49. Frog Lake trip with Moms and kids
    
50. My Red Schwinn with backpedal brakes
    
51. Legos