-watching homemade pinwheels turn as we held them up to the grate in the hallway
-eating trix cereal sitting on the floor with Marshall and our cousins Gwyn and Ty after a sleepover
-sitting on the tailgate of our station wagon with my Dad's seminary students after the annual waffle breakfast
-dropping my favorite doll Pebbles in the gutter as I crawled into the car
When my Dad returned to school we moved from that house to a TINY student apartment in Solano Park in Davis California . As I remember it the front door opened into the living and kitchen area my parents also called their bedroom. My Mom was expecting my little sister Shelly the following April so the "Makeout couch" that folded out into a full size bed was less than ideal. There was no room for a table that would seat a family of 6 let alone chairs so my parents bought a table with 2 large leaves that folded down on each side. Two stacks of stools were stored underneath.
The girls room was to the left behind the kitchen side and behind the living room on the right was the boys room with red bedspreads for the boys and tied quilts for the girls. I remember the floral pattern and the ruffle around the edge of those quilts Linda's was tied with pink and mine with green. Maybe that's why to this day my favorite color is green. When I looked out the window in my room I could see the enormous sand box where we spent much of our time playing. I would guess it was at least 20x20 flanked by the laundry building which also held each tenants storage and 2 other 8 unit apartment buildings.
We participated in several community events. There was a parade and we made our wagon into a carriage for little sister Shelly who we dubbed "Princess Solano". Shelly was always picture perfect beautiful with her wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. Making that carriage with Linda was the first big project I remember assisting with. For most of my childhood years Linda sent me to get her supplies as she worked. I'd ask "what doing?" and her answer was always "you'll see. Linda played the ukulele at a talent show one evening. There were so many young families that life was always busy and fun.
Our upstairs neighbors had a boy named Wael that was Marshall's age. The Dad's name was Sham. For years I thought of him every time I washed my hair :).The Mother taught our Mom to make "Arab bread" known these days as pita bread.
The community also had a garden. Each family could cultivate one row. When Shelly was still a baby Mom went to work in the garden. It was far enough away that she wouldn't hear Shelly crying. One day Shelly was sleeping in her crib and Mom left me to play outside the apartment and listen for Shelly. If I heard her I was to run get Mom. I felt pretty important to be babysitting my precious little sister although the house was locked to protect her from me!
The Exchange was a small building in the center of the apartment complex where people left anything they didn't want and took what they needed. My Mom would go in and organize it and a few weeks later it would be a disaster again. The little dresser I used for all my babies is a relic from the exchange.
I started Kindergarten while we lived in Solono Park. I wanted to take a record "Peter and the Wolf" to show and tell but my Mom said no. I took it anyway and as I walked by the back sliding glass door carefully held the record "hidden" beside me. The record stayed home that day. Another memorable show and tell that year was my little brother Marshall. As I struggled to sound out each letter 3 1/2 year old Marshall taught himself to read. I brought him to school and he read a book to my class. I was so proud of him that it made being behind him in so many ways a little easier.
I rode the bus to school but often my Mom would come pick me up. I would wait at the corner by the stoplight. Many times I would reach that light and wet my tights before Mom came. My mom insisted that we wear dresses to school every day. The first day of school we always had a new dress and often a new purse. We wore full slips under our dresses and when I got home from school I would take my dress off and nap in my slip. One day I pried a wad of gum off a pole and was chewing it. I knew my Mom would make me get rid of it for my nap so I hid the gum in my belly button. When I woke up the slip me and my hair were all covered with my precious find.
I had the habit of sucking my thumb. Only those who have enjoyed this practice know how good a thumb can be. My Mom received all kinds of advice to cure my habit: terrible concoctions on my thumb, gifts, bribes and who knows what else bu I continued until I was 9 or 10. I recall sitting outside the kitchen window crouched down with my back against the wall listening to my Mom doing dishes sucking my thumb in secret so I could get the promised bribe for abstaining that day.
-eating trix cereal sitting on the floor with Marshall and our cousins Gwyn and Ty after a sleepover
-sitting on the tailgate of our station wagon with my Dad's seminary students after the annual waffle breakfast
-dropping my favorite doll Pebbles in the gutter as I crawled into the car
When my Dad returned to school we moved from that house to a TINY student apartment in Solano Park in Davis California . As I remember it the front door opened into the living and kitchen area my parents also called their bedroom. My Mom was expecting my little sister Shelly the following April so the "Makeout couch" that folded out into a full size bed was less than ideal. There was no room for a table that would seat a family of 6 let alone chairs so my parents bought a table with 2 large leaves that folded down on each side. Two stacks of stools were stored underneath.
The girls room was to the left behind the kitchen side and behind the living room on the right was the boys room with red bedspreads for the boys and tied quilts for the girls. I remember the floral pattern and the ruffle around the edge of those quilts Linda's was tied with pink and mine with green. Maybe that's why to this day my favorite color is green. When I looked out the window in my room I could see the enormous sand box where we spent much of our time playing. I would guess it was at least 20x20 flanked by the laundry building which also held each tenants storage and 2 other 8 unit apartment buildings.
We participated in several community events. There was a parade and we made our wagon into a carriage for little sister Shelly who we dubbed "Princess Solano". Shelly was always picture perfect beautiful with her wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. Making that carriage with Linda was the first big project I remember assisting with. For most of my childhood years Linda sent me to get her supplies as she worked. I'd ask "what doing?" and her answer was always "you'll see. Linda played the ukulele at a talent show one evening. There were so many young families that life was always busy and fun.
Our upstairs neighbors had a boy named Wael that was Marshall's age. The Dad's name was Sham. For years I thought of him every time I washed my hair :).The Mother taught our Mom to make "Arab bread" known these days as pita bread.
The community also had a garden. Each family could cultivate one row. When Shelly was still a baby Mom went to work in the garden. It was far enough away that she wouldn't hear Shelly crying. One day Shelly was sleeping in her crib and Mom left me to play outside the apartment and listen for Shelly. If I heard her I was to run get Mom. I felt pretty important to be babysitting my precious little sister although the house was locked to protect her from me!
The Exchange was a small building in the center of the apartment complex where people left anything they didn't want and took what they needed. My Mom would go in and organize it and a few weeks later it would be a disaster again. The little dresser I used for all my babies is a relic from the exchange.
I started Kindergarten while we lived in Solono Park. I wanted to take a record "Peter and the Wolf" to show and tell but my Mom said no. I took it anyway and as I walked by the back sliding glass door carefully held the record "hidden" beside me. The record stayed home that day. Another memorable show and tell that year was my little brother Marshall. As I struggled to sound out each letter 3 1/2 year old Marshall taught himself to read. I brought him to school and he read a book to my class. I was so proud of him that it made being behind him in so many ways a little easier.
I rode the bus to school but often my Mom would come pick me up. I would wait at the corner by the stoplight. Many times I would reach that light and wet my tights before Mom came. My mom insisted that we wear dresses to school every day. The first day of school we always had a new dress and often a new purse. We wore full slips under our dresses and when I got home from school I would take my dress off and nap in my slip. One day I pried a wad of gum off a pole and was chewing it. I knew my Mom would make me get rid of it for my nap so I hid the gum in my belly button. When I woke up the slip me and my hair were all covered with my precious find.
I had the habit of sucking my thumb. Only those who have enjoyed this practice know how good a thumb can be. My Mom received all kinds of advice to cure my habit: terrible concoctions on my thumb, gifts, bribes and who knows what else bu I continued until I was 9 or 10. I recall sitting outside the kitchen window crouched down with my back against the wall listening to my Mom doing dishes sucking my thumb in secret so I could get the promised bribe for abstaining that day.
