Home Sweet Home

Back home again after a long weekend jaunt to visit my mother. We were surprised to have an uneventful trip--traffic wise. Seems the high gas prices are keeping folks closer to home. No delays, not even in the construction zone!

Mom thinks I should know my way around the area, but things have changed so drastically that even if I did remember, I wouldn't be able to find my way from point A to point B without directions. We were looking through old pictures and she pulled one out of her half-brother. I remember hearing stories about him, and I know he flew a plane. It was orange and white and he'd tip the wings when he flew over the street where I lived with my grandmother for a few short years. Mom says we lived with him when I was four years old. She got angry when I said I didn't remember. :)

Sitting in the back yard, I was fascinated by what I did remember about my childhood. For instance, the back yard has shrunk. I remember it being at least twice as long and wide. I remember the apple trees, which are no longer there. I remember the chicken coop, which is no longer there. But it is still peaceful and beautiful. I long for the quiet, the creek in the backyard, the heavy wooded area surrounding the house.

Now we're back in the busy neighborhood, where mothers scream at their kids so loudly it's hard to tune out. We sit on our screened in deck and try to ignore the neighbors on each side and pretend we have our own little private paradise.

What happened to the "good old days", where people were happy with having "just enough" and neighbors became friends who would get together for a barbeque? What happened to being able to allow your kids to run off to play with their friends a mile away and never have to worry about anything worse than a skinned knee happening to them? Days of building blanket tents in the back yard. Riding a stick that was your special horse? Imaginations were vivid, creativity high. (Sigh) I want that back again now, but when I was young I couldn't wait to grow up.

So on Memorial Day, I remember our fallen heros, I remember the ones who are fighting for our freedom, and I remember "way back when."

Thanks for stopping by.