Memories of My Youth

     Just thinking about when I was in elementary school brings back many memories. We had moved into a new home with an enormous  picture windows that had a fantastic view of the Catalina Mountains here in Tucson, Arizona. Unfortunately, the neighborhood had a good view inside our home, too, so my father built a solid wooden fence in front of the picture windows and painted scenes of the desert on the inside of the different panels of plywood. 

     He also painted a picture on the wall behind the TV set in our living room. We had a huge wooden console TV, and because they used to believe it was bad for your eyes to watch TV in a bright room, we had a lamp on top of the television that was a ceramic mallard duck on a brass filigreed stand. (I I loved that duck lamp and kept it until a few years ago when we lost it in a house fire.) We would watch "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza". 

     I would use a roller skate key to attach metal roller skates to my saddle oxford shoes, and skate up and down on the sidewalk. I would practice hitting a ball in my front yard, so I would do better at school when we played softball. I used a homemade ball and a carved, painted baseball bat we bought down in Nogales, Mexico. I loved to sit on the cool painted concrete hall floor in my house and play jacks with a golf ball. Another game I loved to play was hop scotch. I used to use this little plastic bear on a chain that came from Oso Negro gin bottles from Mexico to toss into the squares. It was the perfect weight for me to toss. I used to walk a few blocks from my house and play on the swings, the sliding board, and the see-saw in the public park. 

     Each day after school, I would go next door to my neighbor's house to wait for my mother to get home from working as a nurse. The lady next door taught me how to knit. She gave me some yarn, knitting needles, and a shoulder bag to carry my knitting around. She also gave me a tiny porcelain tea set for my dolls. I had a Tiny Tears doll and several others that I liked to play with. I liked to change their outfits. I miss those care free days. I'm glad I have those good times to remember.