Tuesday, June 17, 2008

weird random thoughts about my childhood

Writers are miners. Yep, we often dig into our own past to extract tidbits for use in stories. I actually have coal miners in my family tree, and my paternal grandfather died while on the job. He had congestive heart failure complicated by black lung. That's what happens when you've been mining since you were 13.

I took the oldest kid with me today as I ran my morning errands. She commented on how her eyebrows were finally growing back in. She over plucked in an almost comical way, so much so that when we visited my folks a month back, my mom even noticed and grabbed her chin and peered into her face and did the 'tut-tut' thing before asking "What in the hell did you do to your eyebrows." Ever seen a teenager melt? Too funny!

But, her comment made me remember a kid I knew back in the day who used to pluck out her eyelashes. She had none. All lost to whatever childhood angst she suffered. She also had green hair from swimming too much. I wonder if Leann's eyelashes ever grew back in or had she damaged herself for life.

She of course made me think of the kid who I went to school with who brought a hot dog for lunch every day. Every single day he'd unscrew the lid to his thermos and pull a hot dog out of the steaming water. His mom had a bun wrapped up in plastic wrap 'buttered' up with catsup and mustard. When we had hot dog day once a month ( I went to Catholic school and we didn't have hot lunch but once a month when the moms made us hot dogs) he was in his glory. I wondered if he also had a specific dinner item that he ate every day. I think his name was Gary, but I can't remember when he left our grade school. I know he didn't complete 8th grade with us. His family must have moved.

I also remembered Shannon who wore "Jaws" socks with her school uniform. Yep, decked out in a plaid jumper complete with a white peter pan colored blouse she sported the scary shark on her shins on his way to devouring that skinny dipper. Or at least she sported them until Sister Catherine Delores advised her not to wear them again.

Not sure why all these memories are popping into my head today. But, they were just quirky enough that I wanted to write them down. To capture them before I forgot about Leann, Gary and Shannon. Never know when they will inspire something more.

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