Early Recollections
I cannot remember something from 5 minutes ago. Names are tough. A telephone number is hopeless if not written on something. Put a tool in my hand and it's a fact certain that it will be "lost" the moment I lay it down. yet, I can still clearly remember things that happened nearly 60 years ago.
My earliest recollection was from the first year of my life. We were living with my grandparents as our house was being built. My mother was giving me a bath in a washtub on the back porch (no bathroom, folks), next to the well, when I took that first bite of lye soap. Today, nearly 60 years later, I can still recall the awful sensation.
My father had cut the lumber for our house with a cross-cut saw and hauled it to the mill to be cut into lumber. He had dug the basement with a mule and scoop. He and my grandfather (the carpenter) did the framing. And, of course, Uncle Charlie (the plumber and electrician) did the wiring and plumbing and Uncle Earn (the jack of all trades) did the cabinetry. Construction of the house was truly a family affair.
My second recollection was about a year later when the house was nearly finished and I went tumbling down the unfinished stairs. Ouch! I can still see the steps passing by on my way down.
From that same time period, I also remember the planer that came to the house to dress the finished lumber used in the house. I think it was the noise and fury of flying wood chips from the machine that captured my attention.
Another early recollection was of breaking my last baby bottle, glass, of course, in those days. My mother had warned me that when the last one was broken, that was it. I can still see the bottle falling in slow motion from my hands onto the concrete deck of the side porch and hear the crinkle of breaking glass.
What a sad day that was!
Of course, the saddest day I can remember was the day they brought my new baby sister home. I had been staying with my grandparents during my Mom's labor and recovery, and vividly remember standing behind my grandmother's fig bush as she broke the unwelcomed news to me that I now had a new baby sister. Even at two years's of age, I could not possibly imagine anything good deriving from that bit of news.
But, lo!, my Uncle Glenn brought my Mom and the baby home from the hospital that day and -- horror of horrors -- drove out of the driveway and over the lawn, right up to the front door. Now, that really impressed me!
And, then the nurse maid show up to stay with us for a few weeks, giving us two new people in the house at the same time.
Life has never been the same.
My earliest recollection was from the first year of my life. We were living with my grandparents as our house was being built. My mother was giving me a bath in a washtub on the back porch (no bathroom, folks), next to the well, when I took that first bite of lye soap. Today, nearly 60 years later, I can still recall the awful sensation.
My father had cut the lumber for our house with a cross-cut saw and hauled it to the mill to be cut into lumber. He had dug the basement with a mule and scoop. He and my grandfather (the carpenter) did the framing. And, of course, Uncle Charlie (the plumber and electrician) did the wiring and plumbing and Uncle Earn (the jack of all trades) did the cabinetry. Construction of the house was truly a family affair.
My second recollection was about a year later when the house was nearly finished and I went tumbling down the unfinished stairs. Ouch! I can still see the steps passing by on my way down.
From that same time period, I also remember the planer that came to the house to dress the finished lumber used in the house. I think it was the noise and fury of flying wood chips from the machine that captured my attention.
Another early recollection was of breaking my last baby bottle, glass, of course, in those days. My mother had warned me that when the last one was broken, that was it. I can still see the bottle falling in slow motion from my hands onto the concrete deck of the side porch and hear the crinkle of breaking glass.
What a sad day that was!
Of course, the saddest day I can remember was the day they brought my new baby sister home. I had been staying with my grandparents during my Mom's labor and recovery, and vividly remember standing behind my grandmother's fig bush as she broke the unwelcomed news to me that I now had a new baby sister. Even at two years's of age, I could not possibly imagine anything good deriving from that bit of news.
But, lo!, my Uncle Glenn brought my Mom and the baby home from the hospital that day and -- horror of horrors -- drove out of the driveway and over the lawn, right up to the front door. Now, that really impressed me!
And, then the nurse maid show up to stay with us for a few weeks, giving us two new people in the house at the same time.
Life has never been the same.
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