Share a fond childhood memory...

[thepainterdoug]

Hey, a break from madness.

I had a pleasnt memory this morning of my Father making me pancakes on a Saturday morning when I was a kid.
He would make them so perfect, golden on each side , then stack four of them on my plate with butter in between each of them and then cut them for me in nice squares . Then pour maple syrup on top . The combination was perfect.
All I needed to do was put my fork into a stack square and eat. Its a wonderful memory I can still see, smell and taste.

Anyone want to share a fond childhood memory?

[heretogrow]

My father took us three girls into the woods often, carrying a shovel on his shoulder. He dammed up a little stream for us to wade while he proceeded to dig hole after hole on the hillside. He would scope out the trees and the landscape and exclaim this is it! Sometimes we would get bored so he instructed us on how to make fairy houses in the hollowed out tree stumps. After years of this, I finally found out what was up with all the digging.

Apparently when he was a little boy, he and a friend raided his mother’s jewelry box and buried a treasure of some of her valuables. When they returned to dig it up they couldn’t find their treasure. He spent years trying to find it and even resorted to a metal detector but it was never recovered. He concluded that his friend must have returned and dug it up without him.

My father took special care to fill in the holes and transplanted many ferns around our little swimming hole making this a beautiful landscaped piece of forrest.

Regardless of the loss of the treasure me and my sisters made magical memories in that forest that shaped all of us. To this day we love the nature of the forest and have taught our children to build houses for the fairies, and had many of our own adventures. We all believe in the magic and wonder of this beautiful world and we are able to escape all the madness by retreating to our favorite forested places.


Thank you for opening this thread, Doug! You brought a cherished memory I hadn’t thought of in a while, straight to my heart!

[avid]

My older cousin was a boy scout, and in the field behind my house we explored the corn rows. He showed me how to find a mouse nest, and we observed little nests and their precious contents before leaving them to their secret hideaways, such a gentle and caring thing so that they all survived, but we would go home and say how many mouse babies we had secretly seen that day. Innocence and caring traits nurtured until adulthood.

[thepainterdoug]

Im already so pleased and moved by these two memories. Thanks!! And now a new memory of my own from a little stream behind my house has been revived. Ill share it some time later after others have.

[EarthGirl]

Helping my Grampa feed baby calfs on his farm. You had to mix this calf milk with warm water and whisk it hard, then when the calf put it's head in the bucket you put a couple of fingers inside the calfs mouth to help it suckle. I will never forget the feeling of its 'raspy' tongue on my fingers as it sucked happily. Like you Doug I can still remember the smell of the milk, it smelt wonderful. This was the early 70's and I was about 6 x

[Alecs]

Ah yes, the cool, rainy days at the community pool when almost no one was there, just my sister and me--two skinny kids whose Mom made us wear swimming caps to protect our hair. My face cheeks were so big back then I must have looked like a goof, but it didn't matter. We always challenged ourselves to try new things like back flips off the pool edge and swim under water the width of the pool. It was so easy to spend literally hours in the water when the air was so much cooler. I recall, lunch was typically a 15-cent, 6-pack of peanut butter crackers. We'd arrive home just before dinner.

Really, my mind is chock-full of fond childhood memories, some because they were truly fun events in challenging and creative ways, others because they were experiences with family and good friends.

Thanks for the thread thepainterdoug!

[Vicus]

I have many fond childhood memory...but one is paramount: it is about my depart from childhood.
whit friends was always fun, alone too, i was never boring. I was lucky whit a vivid inner fantasy world.
Back from the movies i recreate them in my playground: Piraten, Cowboys and Indians, Homer tales whit Hector and Aquiles ,etc.
i Bild castells and then soldiers, destroy everything and began again, and again...years go fly...

One day i try to begin again... but i couldn't and it struck me : it was over.

I unterstand what it was. i was no more a child. I don't feel sad , it was what is was.

slowly and full of grateful and love for all the fun i have, i pack everything and put it away.

Then i began to reed Homer Iliad and Odyssey...

[JackMcThorn]

No sugar sodas at home.

But every Sunday when we visited the grandparents... 'You boys want a tonic?'

Coca Cola Classic in the basement fridge. We would run downstairs to get one.

My best childhood memories are with my grand parents. This is just one of a million.

[Pam]

I must have have been 3 years old. It was the first time I had seen the ocean. My grandmother carried me down to the water and left me to stand there on Santa Monica beach in California. The small wave came in and when it went out it pulled sand away under my tiny feet and I start to cry at the strange sensation it created . At the same time it was the most magical moment of my three years.

[Karen (Geophyz)]

When I was a child and we went to my Grandparents farm we used to go wait at the train tracks for a train to come by and the man in the caboose would throw us silver dollars! We would play outside for hours, pretend games in the fields and the woods. We always had to stay within hearing of Grandmas' whistle. She could whistle louder than anyone I have ever heard, when she whistled we would come running for some tasty treat.

[Brigantia]

One lunch break time when I was at infants school, probably about 6 years old... it was a gloriously sunny day, in May or June, and we had a big field to play in. Instead of the usual bickering, we all played out magical fantasies in a seamless flow - Arabian knights on horseback, pirates on the high seas, lords and ladies in castles...

I don't know what was in the ether that day, but it felt like there was magic crackling in the air and our fantasies were real; nobody had any tears or tantrums, we just played this out in a gloriously ecstatic way. No other lunch break was ever that special, before or after.

It still brings a warm inner glow and puts a smile on my face, I remember it often.

[I am B]

Every moment still is a childhood memory for me! I'm still young ya' oldies!! ... (cries in + 1/4 of a century old)

One of my best childhood memories is picking up and breaking open almonds with my grandma right behind my house. How easy was everything at some points. Just grab some little fruit, crack it with a stone, eat, and be happy.

[janette]

Sliding down my dad's legs pretending I was on a giant slide then snuggling in for a cuddle on his lap (6 yrs ish) innocent carefree memories that I'll always treasure x

[thepainterdoug]

wow how many sweet memories!! thanks everyone. they have now opened up more memories for me. i will share a few more. i hope you all do as well

[heretogrow]

I had another memory while I was soaking my sciatica in the tub. It is garden season and I will be sore all summer but wonderful memories make it more tolerable!

My father took us to the theater in town when we were small. I remember the theater had red velvet seats that folded down and I barely weighed enough to keep them in the seating position. He would take me to the con-session stand and buy me a pixie stick that was almost taller then me. It was filled with a flavored sugar, was white with red stripes like a candy cane. The movie that I remember watching was a Disney film about gnomes or leprechauns. I can’t remember the title of the film. When we got home he complained to my mom because I fell asleep.

I loved the feel of the velvet seats and remember running my hands over them.
I remember the stage in the theater was also framed with red velvet curtains. I love to look at beautiful things, although I can’t afford them I appreciate them. Maybe this is why!

My father has dementia now. Some days he doesn’t even remember my name. It is so wonderful to recall these cherished memories of my past.

thepainterdoug you will never know what a treasure trove of goodness you have opened because of this thread! I’m off to bed. Thank you for stirring up precious memories! I know I will have sweet dreams!

[pyrangello]

When I was 8 years old my Father decided to take me, my little brother and mom to California from Michigan in a car across the country around 1968. One of our stops was at an Uncle and Aunts house of mine in Anaheim , California for a few days. Upon arrival to my uncles house, there it was, the holy grail of every little kid, a big beautiful blue built in swimming pool with a slide. And in the background 2 huge orange citrus trees with even further in the background Disneyland.

Upon our first day of arrival hanging out by the pool and sitting on the picnic table this little sparrow bird came down and landed on the table. I put my finger out and called the bird and jumped right on my finger, my brothers too. For the next 5 days that sparrow came back everyday to visit me and my brother. And continued to jump on our fingers when we stuck them out.My uncle had said he had never seen that bird before.

On the last day we were there and leaving ,the sparrow came as to say goodbye, he landed on the table and as he did I looked up at this buzzing sound and about 5000 hummingbirds swarmed into the 2 orange trees and just hovered there. After the sparrow once again jumped on our fingers it was time to say goodbye and as the sparrow took off as we watched him fly away, then too started all of the hummingbirds in the orange trees, they were following that little guy until they had all left. What a special sight that was.

A week later when we got home to California I spoke to my uncle by phone and I asked him if the sparrow ever showed up after we left, he said no after we were gone it never came back again. ...................................

2 years ago I was at my property in the woods and was planting a tree when what I thought was a bee flew by, I swatted at it and then looked up , it was a chickadee little bird on the branch above me. I put my finger out and he flew down and jumped right on my finger for about 2 minutes. I just wondered.................................:).

[onawah]

What a nice idea for a thread! :star:

When I was very little, back in the early 50s, my family lived in a big old Victorian style house in the Maryland suburbs outside of D.C.
It had been the childhood home of Margaret Rawlings, author of The Yearling.
It had certainly seen better days, but it was still very special to me.

I remember riding my little tricycle out in front on the sidewalk as fast as I could pedal, with my "Invisible Friends" beside me (my spirit guides, I think), making sure I was safe.
The world felt so complete when I could sense them with me.
Sometimes when it was windy on that street and I was outside playing, I felt almost like the wind could pick me up and take me flying.
And I had lucid flying dreams; in some I dreamed that I was helping other children learn how to fly and. I thought what a wonderful occupation to have!

We had a small grove of fig trees in our back yard where I used to play in the shade on warm summer days and eat delicious fresh figs to my heart's content.

We had a funny boarder named Bill who rented out one of the extra bedrooms.
He played a banjo and he made up a song about my teenaged sister, Ruth, who he had to share a bathroom with.
The chorus lyrics were: "Ruthie is a friend of mine, she's in the bathroom all the time."
Which would make her blush furiously, and all the rest of us laugh.


When I was 8 years old my Father decided to take me, my little brother and mom to California from Michigan in a car across the country around 1968. One of our stops was at an Uncle and Aunts house of mine in Anaheim , California for a few days. Upon arrival to my uncles house, there it was, the holy grail of every little kid, a big beautiful blue built in swimming pool with a slide. And in the background 2 huge orange citrus trees with even further in the background Disneyland.

Upon our first day of arrival hanging out by the pool and sitting on the picnic table this little sparrow bird came down and landed on the table. I put my finger out and called the bird and jumped right on my finger, my brothers too. For the next 5 days that sparrow came back everyday to visit me and my brother. And continued to jump on our fingers when we stuck them out.My uncle had said he had never seen that bird before.

On the last day we were there and leaving ,the sparrow came as to say goodbye, he landed on the table and as he did I looked up at this buzzing sound and about 5000 hummingbirds swarmed into the 2 orange trees and just hovered there. After the sparrow once again jumped on our fingers it was time to say goodbye and as the sparrow took off as we watched him fly away, then too started all of the hummingbirds in the orange trees, they were following that little guy until they had all left. What a special sight that was.

A week later when we got home to California I spoke to my uncle by phone and I asked him if the sparrow ever showed up after we left, he said no after we were gone it never came back again. ...................................

2 years ago I was at my property in the woods and was planting a tree when what I thought was a bee flew by, I swatted at it and then looked up , it was a chickadee little bird on the branch above me. I put my finger out and he flew down and jumped right on my finger for about 2 minutes. I just wondered.................................:).

What treasures, Mark :sun:

[amor]

I was a very lonely child. My mother feared for the lives of her two children and we had very few contacts with other children; therefore, I was always loving and caring for Cats who adopted me and to this day return to visit me in dreams as if to say, "I still exist and I love you." One tiger came back to visit decades after he died of eating a neighbor's rat poison which looked like cat food. Another came to visit to warn me about an important repair to my car which I neglected. One adopted stray refused to sleep anywhere but right up under my arm. After what seemed to be endless getting up to put her on the floor, I gave up and gave in. This is the cat who jumped from the window sill onto my chest as I was in a deep sleep and as my eyes opened in shock, two shining, yellow eyes were inches from my face. What a fright! I loved them all dearly. Then there was Meredith, a dear little sparrow who had broken its leg which healed out of joint. My brother and I would put bread crumbs on the gallery window for Meredith who was accompanied by another bird who seemed to be helping and protecting him. There is the wonder of compassion in the animal kingdom.

[janette]

When I was 8 years old my Father decided to take me, my little brother and mom to California from Michigan in a car across the country around 1968. One of our stops was at an Uncle and Aunts house of mine in Anaheim , California for a few days. Upon arrival to my uncles house, there it was, the holy grail of every little kid, a big beautiful blue built in swimming pool with a slide. And in the background 2 huge orange citrus trees with even further in the background Disneyland.

Upon our first day of arrival hanging out by the pool and sitting on the picnic table this little sparrow bird came down and landed on the table. I put my finger out and called the bird and jumped right on my finger, my brothers too. For the next 5 days that sparrow came back everyday to visit me and my brother. And continued to jump on our fingers when we stuck them out.My uncle had said he had never seen that bird before.

On the last day we were there and leaving ,the sparrow came as to say goodbye, he landed on the table and as he did I looked up at this buzzing sound and about 5000 hummingbirds swarmed into the 2 orange trees and just hovered there. After the sparrow once again jumped on our fingers it was time to say goodbye and as the sparrow took off as we watched him fly away, then too started all of the hummingbirds in the orange trees, they were following that little guy until they had all left. What a special sight that was.

A week later when we got home to California I spoke to my uncle by phone and I asked him if the sparrow ever showed up after we left, he said no after we were gone it never came back again. ...................................

2 years ago I was at my property in the woods and was planting a tree when what I thought was a bee flew by, I swatted at it and then looked up , it was a chickadee little bird on the branch above me. I put my finger out and he flew down and jumped right on my finger for about 2 minutes. I just wondered.................................:).

Wow what a truly precious tale pyrangello..sounds like nature is attracted to your positive vibes 💜
Xx

[thepainterdoug]

My Dad took myself and my brother to see the farewell Cream concert in Madison Square Garden in the late 60ies. Cream was on a rotating stage. My father was in a suite reading the NY Times and smoking a pipe.
When Cream began playing Sunshine of your Love, my dad put the papaer to one side , looked over to us and said , "these creams are pretty good"

[Victoria]

What a beautiful thread idea, Doug!

:) Like your Dad's perfect pancakes, though a little less symmetrical, my father used to make the best graham cracker sandwiches, all gloopy and overflowing with butter and jelly. With sticky hands, we would sit on the porch every fall sharing a plate of them under the stars, waiting for a bat who roosted there to arrive each night. In 2014, I went back and was able to stay in the same house. One night, as my fiancé and I were sitting together on that porch, I was telling him about those days and a bat swooped low over us to land in the same place. I wondered (?) and wished him to be the same bat, but 32 years was probably a stretch! :)

I was sent to live with my grandparents early on, yet before and for some time just after that, traveled extensively with my father across the US. One of my favourite experiences with him was visiting a university in Louisiana that had an extraordinary mineral collection, its scintillating colours and textures were illuminated behind glass cases in long dark hallways. I spent hours there in awe and afterward, he took me to the leper colony at Carville. I was introduced to the remaining residents and stayed with them for a day or two hearing their stories while he was at training.

I remember so clearly feeling the heavy blanket of stifling humidity weigh down... sitting on white wicker furniture, cicadas singing endlessly and watching the Spanish Moss sway from the trees outside. Time seemed to pause. It was a location that "feels" like no other. For a shy little girl, the experience was life changing and amazing to be left alone there, listening to residents' memories of how leprosy had affected them and why they continued to stay at the facility even though they could leave.  (This is an old article, but it echoes similar experiences that I heard, while there: https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/19/us/the-last-lepers-a-special-report-lives-stolen-by-treatment-not-by-disease.html)

I was fascinated to learn about Storrs and Kirchheimer's work with armadillos, because my other favorite memory with my father, from around the same time, was taking part in and watching armadillo races at Kirtland. On that specific trip, we continued on to Pensacola Naval Air Station to see the Aviation museum, afterward. :heart: I have loved rock collections, armadillos and WWII planes ever since!

[amor]

Since my previous post was of animals (which could become a small book), I realized Doug wanted memories with our parents. I remember, after my father left for work in the morning, going into his room and sniffing his pajama top which my mother put on a hangar to air. I can only conclude that what I smelled was a ferrimone peculiar only to him. He never wore shaving scent, so it was not that, I loved him so much that I made a habit of doing this when he left for work. I had completely forgotten this.

Another memory of my father was my nickname for him and his for me. I called him Dads which came out as Doods which became his nickname for me. Another memory was of sitting on a cushion on the crossbar of his bicycle and being taken for a ride to the beach not too far away. I remember the excitement of one Christmas morning in particular, under the Christmas Tree. This was a Casuarina Branch decorated with Red Satin Balls made by my mother and tinsel ornaments. We went to the local corner of the beach with many Casuarina trees to find just the right branch for our tree. Needless-to-say, this was not in ready-made everything America.

On the subject of Christmas Trees, I was a junior in high school when I chose a large tree for our apartment and not only had to carry it home on foot by myself but trim it to fit into the floor to higher ceilings there. I have a picture of my parents taken hugging next to the tree for which I had purchased 5" orbs covered in old fashioned pictures. These could be opened to place candy or small gifts. With candle/bubble lights, fashionable that year, and other pretty decorations, it was a memorable time. My father played Christmas carols on the piano and we sang. The two parakeets which I frequently freed from their prison cage had a great time in the branches. I also remember the wonderful scenic Christmas Windows at the large Department Stores of Manhattan. Are those days gone forever???