Earliest Memories

What is your earliest memory? I had another one of my random thoughts and it flashed through my brain--A&W root beer. The earliest memory I have is when I was about five years old and my mother had stopped at the A&W Drive In by our house and bought me lunch. She had picked me up from kindergarten and it was a special treat to eat out. I had a hamburger and a root beer. It was just me and my mother. That was a rare treat for the youngest of five children. I still smile when I see an A&W restaurant, although you can't find a drive in anymore.

My next flash of memory was surgeries I had on my ears. Again, I was about five years old. My ear drums had burst and I was in the hospital. I still remember my head being wrapped like a gauzy white mummy head creature. The nurse had set me on a chair while she changed my sheets. (An unfortunate accident. I couldn't get to the bathroom in time.) My face still burns red at the embarrassment I felt so many years ago. It's funny what stays with you. The nurse was kind, and I kept saying I was sorry.

I don't have a continuous memory of my childhood. It's a hit or miss--second grade and seeing the spanking paddle the principal had hanging in his office. Never used on me, but my brother got spanked. Boy, my mother was furious. She threatened to use the board on the principal if he ever used it on my brother again. We kids laughed at that image. Mama could do it, too.

I remember chasing horny toads in the desert and worrying about stepping on scorpions. I remember a cookout on a California beach and family members teasing me that the crabs were going to grab me and drag me into the ocean. I still have a fear of deep water. lol I can close my eyes and still smell the smoke from the fire we built. We had so much fun.

I remember being at a park and to water the grass they would basically flood it. We'd lie down on the grass and soak in the water. It was the closest thing to being in a swimming pool.

I remember a guy who lived near us who didn't like kids crossing his lot, so he put nails upside down in a piece of wood so we kids would step on it with our bare feet. No pain like stepping on a nail. I think he got in trouble for that, but I can't be sure. I can still see the vivid red drops of blood dripping from my foot and crying so hard my eyes swelled up.

I remember a trip my family took to Tijuana, Mexico. The businesses were run down and there was a lot of dirt. I was afraid and excited at the same time. We had our pictures taken on a donkey painted to look like zebra. Even I knew at that young age that it wasn't right. I just enjoyed being on an adventure with my family.



What are some of your earliest memories?