Growing up in California - First Memories

Over the past few months, I've been thinking back over my life growing up and the different places my family has lived. I thought I'd write down some of those memories since the only kids that probably remember much about that time of our life is Linda and I. When I was a child, we lived in quite a few different locations in California, specifically Southern California. I absolutely love and miss the weather there. Mild temperatures and clear blue skies are like what heaven must be like (or at least it could be). Maybe that's why I don't feel like doing a blasted thing unless it is sunny and warm? One trip along the coast, my Dad & Mom told us kids about an accident of a car going over a cliff and crashing in the surf. It scared both Linda and I and to this day, I am afraid of heights and have a panic attack when traveling along the coast.

Some of my first memories are of living in my Grandma Lyda's (Dad's Mom) small white house in Southern CA. I am terrible remembering names so for now it's somewhere in Southern CA. I'm sure that Aunt Patsy or Aunt Irene would remember and someday I'll ask them. Across the street was the church I attended Sunday School. I sort of remember Mom attending too but I remember going a lot by myself. I don't remember ever going to an actual church service until much later in life.

The school where I attended kindergarten was down at the end of the block. Next door on the corner our neighbor owned a dog of the boxer breed. They used him for dog fights. I remember this because it was an ugly, mean dog and we were scared to death of it. They had it in a large pen with a walkway over the top of the pen that you could crawl across if you were a mind to. Mind you, I did not have a mind to! We were not allowed over there very often and later not at all. Mom was certain that the neighbor stole money from her purse so we weren't allowed to go over there again.

Our neighbor on the right had a really neat metal clothes lines that we loved to climb and swing from. That is until the end of summer and the bees made nests in the ends. They didn't take kindly to four children swinging from their home and let us all know how they felt. Ouch! Two doors down from our house was one of Mom's best friends. Her name was Suzanne and yup that's who Sue was named after.


It seemed like I was always sick with tonsilitus & strep throat then. The doctor was always at our house. Yes, you heard me right. The doctors made house calls in those days! He even had the little black bag which was full of things I hated, like shots. When they came out with the polio vaccine, I turned off the TV hoping my Mom wouldn't hear about them. Shots petrified me.


To Be Continued...