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It was another sizzling summer day in
Texas, and then, there he was! He was looking down at me and he was laughing!
Well, I couldn??™t hear him laughing, but I could tell by the expression on his
face that he certainly was. I had been admiring the fluffy, dancing clouds,
when in the blink of an eye; there appeared a gigantic, laughing snowman.
Suddenly the heat didn??™t even seem so unbearable, and immediately I realized how
seldom I take time to view the clouds, unless a storm is in the making.
Watching the ???laughing snowman??? aloft in the sky brought nostalgic thoughts to
mind. I was once again a child lying in cool, green grass looking for pictures
in the clouds. The pictures were always there; they were just waiting for
someone to look up and enjoy! And they still are, if we only remember to look.
By the time my ???laughing snowman??? melted
into oblivion, my mind was racing with a montage of fond remembrances, all
passions from my childhood. He had come with a gift ??“ an avalanche of wonderful
childhood memories. No wonder he was happy and laughing; it is always better to
give than receive!
My very next thought was of fireflies,
although I haven??™t seen one in years. An entire evening could zip by while
scrambling to fill my faithful mason jar. Always with holes punched in the lid
so they wouldn??™t all drop dead. Before releasing them I would gaze into the
twinkling jar; it was as if I had captured my very own piece of the nighttime
heavens. Hopefully the kids of my generation didn??™t catch all of them, every
child should experience fireflies. They are magical little creatures.
Then Big Chief tablets popped out of my
memory bank. Each new one smelled better than the one before, and the paper
could never be duplicated. Somehow the soft texture, combined with my writing
style, always made my cursive appear so very elegant. Well, at least I thought
so at a young age. Not too many years ago I bought a Big Chief tablet, just to
again have one in my possession. As I recall, I hid it once I got home!
Next came visions of ???gold stars??? on grade
school papers! Add one of those little gems to a homework assignment (that was
completed on Big Chief tablet paper), and it was a thing of beauty. Maybe if
they had continued passing out gold stars, I would have been more serious about
my high school assignments. Somehow, receiving a written score wasn??™t nearly as
thrilling as gold stars, or even a silver one for that matter.
And, jacks! Hours could zoom by without
notice. It was a thrill when the oversized jacks first hit the marketplace,
painted in striking iridescent colors. They were delightful as compared to the
old original, drab-gray, metal jacks. Eventually the paint would begin to wear
off, and it was time for an exciting trip to the five and dime for shiny new
ones. I can still feel the sensation of rummaging my hand to the bottom of the
bin, raising it slowly, and letting them trickle through my fingers. Then came
the serious and time-consuming job of picking out the perfect ones that had no
chips on them already. Our garage floor was smooth like glass, which made
playing the game with a golf ball ideal. Rubber balls just weren??™t the same,
and I think part of it was the lack of sound. Golf balls clicking with each
bounce gave the game such rhythm.
Naturally, memories of coloring books came
to mind. They also had their own distinct scent, and I always took a sniff or
two before coloring the first picture. If I was fortunate enough to have a new
book and new box of crayons at the same time, I might as well have been floating
on one of those clouds. Oh, how I hated when the perfect points on the crayons
wore down to a rounded stump. They were just never the same after being
sharpened with a paring knife. Those stumps made staying inside the lines
nearly impossible, and I was not satisfied with imperfection!
Last but not least, was remembering that
mother taught me everything I ever needed to know about chemistry, and my
experiments took place in the kitchen sink. I was in awe when she demonstrated
how to mix vinegar, soda, and food colorings. I loved the sizzling sound, the
smell, and the brightly colored volcanoes erupting from different shaped
containers. I tore the poor woman??™s kitchen apart looking for interesting jugs,
pots, bud vases, and the like!
The food coloring stains I left in the sink
made me wonder if mother bought Comet by the case. She loved that stuff, to the
point of even using it on me! She thought it could clean anything and
everything, including my elbows. Mercy, she couldn??™t have a little girl with
dingy elbows. Today she might end up in court for child abuse - using a
???caustic substance??? on her child. Well, my elbows seem just fine and I chuckled
at the memory.
Yes, a laughing snowman visited and brought
a simple gift, one of long ago memories. For a short while I was transported
back in time with many of my favorite things. Compared to today??™s standards
they probably seem mundane, but to me they are priceless and I??™m glad they are
mine. For me, a laughing
snowman was the key that opened my treasure chest of remembrances.
The
ever-shifting clouds are always there, and I plan to spend more time looking for
pictures! When given the chance, I never pass up coloring, and vinegar and soda
still give me quite a ???kick.??? Actually, I have the cleanest disposal in town!
Now if I just had some bugs, gold stars and jacks??¦
Lnstrlady@aol.com
2005 Kathleene S. Baker |
