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 Writings about things that have occurred in my life. Not in Chronological Order |
| Things that have happened in my life, good or bad. The entries will not be in Chronological order |
My Early Years I'm going back through the cobwebs in my mind with this entry. We moved around quite a bit in my early youth. My earliest memory is of us living in Cheverly Maryland about 1957. I don’t recall much about living there, heck I was only 3-4 years old! After living there for a short while, we moved to Mobile, Alabama. In each case, I couldn't begin to fathom where we lived, let alone how/where my father was employed. I do remember a couple of things from Mobile though. My father worked at a car lot of some type. I remember him bringing a car home one time. We didn't have a car then, so having a car for the weekend was special. I was 5 years old when I learned to tell time. The reason why I remember it is because my mother was wondering what time it was. I looked at the clock and told her the time. She didn't believe me and checked for herself. She was shocked that I could tell time at that age. Also, I was able to help her and my aunt find a jigsaw puzzle piece that had eluded them. Again, she couldn't believe I found it. Then there was the fateful day my father bought me a bike. I was probably six, but I have no idea really. Fateful day I say? Yeah, because for some reason, the front tire came off, and I landed on my 'you know what' on that metal beam. Yep, that was the end of my fun time that day. In 1960, my father went to Milwaukee while we remained in Mobile. Later that year, we caught a train there, and moved to a house on Humboldt Ave. It was near the Milwaukee River, and I found it in 2002 when I drove to the Upper Peninsula Michigan to deliver a class. Funny, I recall that house being on a steep hill that we would slide down in the winter, making sure to make the turn into the loading dock next door. That hill wasn't near as steep as I remembered. Hmmmmm, Milwaukee memories. We (my father and I) were in a parade, the State Fair Parade? Maybe. He made our wagon look like an old Pirate ship using cardboard. He pulled it, while I sat in it with a beer bottle held to my eye, as if I were a Pirate! For a 6-7 year old child, this was something else. Another memory is of my sister roller skating (yep, we had that ‘brand new key’) in the basement and skated around it, circling the old heater. We made sure to avoid the coal chute. Yes, our house was heated by coal! While skating, we’d sing Swanee River. Well, we’d sing the verse(s) we knew at least. In 1962, my father was hurt at work. He worked at a Red Lion Inn as the Night Auditor and was helping move a portable stage when it fell over, crushing his foot. He was out of work for a while, and was advised by his doctor to move to a dryer area to help with his asthma. My parents decided (basically my father decided) to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had visions of us going to St. Louis and joining a Wagon Train. Boy, was I ever disappointed! And that’s how/why I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1962-1972. Along the way to New Mexico we spent 10 days in Spencer Iowa, living in the old Nash Rambler my father had bought, while her worked for his old friends, Wilbur & Adeline on the Clay County Fairgrounds. But that will be another entry.  Jim Dorrell |
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