I am from bell bottom jeans when they were in fashion the first time, Bonnie Bell lip smacker, and perfecting the side ponytail.
I am from the ranch home near the gravel pit and train tracks where we built forts, chased the trains and smoked my dad’s Kent cigarettes.
I am from the hide and seek games in the cornfields of tornado alley and skipping rocks along rugged the shoreline of Lake Superior.
I am from picnics on a Sunday afternoon and contagious laughter, from St. Marie and Glader and MacKenzie.
I am from private to a fault and stubborn as a mule.
From clean your plate and drink your milk.
I am from a long line of Catholics with whom I couldn’t take communion, kissing my boyfriends under the pews at the more welcoming Methodist church lock-ins, and falling in love with the boy at his Bar Mitzvah.
I am from Duluth and French Canadians, walleye dinners, jello salad, Blue Nun wine on ice and hard work.
From my grandfather working nights on the railroad but still stopping to kiss me before he set out again, visiting my grandmother at the men’s clothing store and helping her fold sweaters, and my mother working part-time and going to school so we could have a better life.
I am from licking the frozen street sign, four on a sled and learning to ice skate. I am from Shaun Cassidy’s DaDoRonRon and staying up late on Saturday nights to watch the Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
I am from 8mm home movies and the first Polaroid instant pictures. From my grandmother’s boxes of saved cards and letters which we found when she died.
I am from simple and nice and living the Golden Rule. I am from love your neighbor and help out a stranger. I am nothing out of the ordinary and perfectly happy living that way.
I did this earlier this week and fell in love with it.. yours is beautiful. I was too young for bell bottoms but I remember my older sisters LOVING them..
I would call that an almost perfect life. Smoking kent cigs???? And you have grown into a wonderful, thoughtful, generous person and a Mother that I hope your girls will remember all the fun times they had.
Okay I like totally kind of not really made that up they we would steal his cigarettes..
Oh so lovely. Love this. I remember Blue Nun wine when I was in university, I’d never drank a single drop of alcohol before then.
Love the last paragraph.
I wonder if Blue Nun is still in production?
I loved this post! My kids just don’t know how to play outside!!
I know – sometimes I will yell “go play outside” and they will respond “with what?”
This is great! I never did the side pony but tried to crimp my hair like crazy. It never did last, my hair refused to crimp!
Love this!! I stayed up late Saturday nights to watch Love Boat and Fantasy Island too!
P.S. Did you really lick a frozen street sign?
I did – doesn’t every kid believe it really won’t happen so you have to try it yourself. Gah.
I saw this at She Suggests and just loved it. What a great way to learn more about you. I stuck my tongue to a swing set once at school. It wasn’t pretty.
Dana
Oh I am so glad I’m not the only Northern girl with a bloody tongue as a child.
This is beautiful! Beautifully written. Thank you for letting me know where you are from
Me too…just change the location to Massachusetts. Those Saturday nights were great watching Love Boat. I remember waiting with baited breath for the Bay City Rollers to come on the Mike Douglas Show one afternoon. …
OMG S A T U R D A Y ..NIGHT!
I licked the frozen gate post. Ouch! I might also have licked my Shaun Cassidy poster.
Oh I know I licked my Shaun Cassidy Poster – right after Leif Garret.
Love. Really just love this. Trying hard to write mine– this is grounded and imaginative
Oh I love this Tracy, love everything that is says about you.
Love that you admit to licking a frozen street sign. Sounds like a great childhood.
We are so obviously only two months apart.
Oh my.
I was all about jello-salad, the clean plate club, and the golden rule; I too loved boys at their Bar Mitzvahs, watched 8mm home movies, and LOVED the Love Boat (but I was a little scared of Fantasy Island.)
All this I share with you.
But you can’t have Shaun Cassidy.
He’s mine.
I covered my eyes many times during Fantasy Island…but I LOVED it.
Maybe we can share Shaun – or I know, you can have David Cassidy.
xo
Dear Tracy,
I am from the same time! Things seemed much simpler then. Hey, isn’t that what old people say? Ouch!
Your Utah Friend,
Tina
Oh the good old days. Wait – where’s my cane.
I’m absolutely loving this meme . . . the only thing I can add? My first kiss was at a Bat Mitvah. And I went to a string of, I think 7, Mitzahs that I kissed someone.
I wasn’t Jewish.
Love this girl. A lot!
That part about your Grandfather gave me the chills. This is beautiful. I loved learning more about you. xo
p.s. I miss The Love Boat.
I’ve always wanted to lick a frozen pole but sadly haven’t had the chance yet!
ack, David Cassidy was so old
but Shaun (remember the Hardy Boys?)and Leif, I may have fought you for Leif, lol, and where is he now?
I just love these. I’m completely kicking myself that I didn’t make the time to do mine. Maybe I still will belatedly.
I loved this prompt and reading what everyone else had to write on it. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we don’t all live next door because it always seems like we are always dropping in for coffee (so to speak).
I adored this, loved how we 40 somethings have memories that connect us. BONNIE BELL LIPSMACKER. LOVE IT.
This just made me love /crush on you just a little more. xo
Loveliness.
Thanks for introducing me to Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. I love your posts! P.S. I live in the Twin Cities too.