Mememimi

Even though I just did a meme, Elizabeth at Table For Five (new address!) has tagged me for another one.

This is either the six weirdest things about my childhood or my three favorite childhood memories. Great. Either MORE admissions of my weirdness - haven't you people heard enough, or I get to offend family members by not mentioning them in my favorite memories. Hrmph.

Three Favorite Memories:

I could immediately remember so many terrible memories. Not that I had a terrible life - nope, I was one of the lucky few who had loving, funny, smart, employed parents and tolerable siblings.

It was my brain that was terrible.

I worried about everything. Not that that has ever stopped since them, but as a child there was SO MUCH to worry about.

On a family vacation we took a tour of some park up by Mount Shasta and when the ranger talked about the volcano, I thought the volcano was going to explode RIGHT NOW. I completely remember the tantrum I threw. I wanted to GO HOME and get away from exploding volcanoes!

Or the beach with that damned undertow. I always knew the undertow was going to get me.

And don't get me started on bats, which were a good reason to stay indoors at night like a sane person instead of going out to risk certain attack. So many terrifying things out there in the world. No wonder I became a really, really good reader.

I have always loved animals, so naturally one of my favorite things was going to the Zoo. Now that I am older, I have a hard time with zoos and other animal amusements, but the zoo made me feel like a kindred spirit with the animals.

A Child's Estate Zoo in Santa Barbara is still there today. There is a little train, a monkey island and all kinds of animals, but the sea lion pool was my favorite. It had windows in the side where you could stand there and the sea lions would swim up and look at you looking at them. It felt like a relationship between equals at that point.

I remember sitting around the kitchen table and arguing silly philosophical questions like "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it still make a sound?" The discussions got very passionate and lasted a long time. We lived in a tiny house with a little kitchen and at the time there were two adults and four kids at home. But sitting around that table for dinner was a really happy time. I wish all kids could have that kind of experience.


One of my favorite memories isn't a specific time but an action. When I was sick (which was often. I was not sickly but really, really loved attention) and had a fever, when I got up to use the bathroom my mom would go in and straighten the bed and smooth the sheets so they were perfect and cool.

That feeling of sliding back between the cool sheets? That was the feeling of being loved.