My mom and dad were only children growing up and said they were lonely. The closest neighbors were several miles away, and they had no one to play with. I think that’s one reason they had nine children!
I was a dreamer and
lived in my own little imaginary world. My two sisters were a few years older
than me. I’m sure as the little sister, I was a “nuisance”!
My dad was drafted into
the Army when I was just a few months old, and the family felt sorry for me not
having my dad around and gave into my every whim. When he came home from Germany,
he did the same.
I remember moving a
block away from Grim Street to Jackson Street on College Hill. Walking across
the vacant lot with my two sisters, I took my life’s possessions ... a doll and
a china tea set! I was only five years old, but my memory etched it vividly in
my mind, and I treasure those childhood memories with them!
My older sister, Nona,
played the clarinet for the Arkansas High School Band. In 1950, she and several
other girlfriends in the band practiced their routine in front of our house for
majorette tryouts.
I marched with them to an imaginary drummer up and down Jackson Street and pretended to
be a drum major. I used a long stick
for my baton and a green cap my mother knitted for my headpiece. I took a
flower from a crepe myrtle tree in the front yard for my plume.
Those were the “good ole days” when we played
outside and were creative.
My sister and nephew lived in Texarkana when my brother-in-law
was in Greenland, serving with the Air Force. She had a 1949 standard shift Buick and taught me how to drive when
I was 13. She would let me use her car to pick up her needed item.
My sisters and mom
were excellent seamstresses and taught me how to sew. I entered a 4-H
competition in 5th grade and won first place. They showed me how to combine several patterns and create a unique design. In my next life, I
want to be a fashion designer.
My sister Racine’s
husband, James, worked at the Texarkana Gazette after they married and loved to
tease me. I’m sure he would have many stories to tell, but I’m glad he brought
Odis home for supper and introduced us.
My five brothers were
special too, but that is for another blog!
*Clips are from
Growing Up In The Fifties, a short story by Suzie Tyler, available on Amazon.
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