JEWELS OF MY MEMORIES...

What happened to running outside on a early summer's evening..the heat from the day winding down to the stifling stillness of night.. dressed in a tank top ,shorts and tennis shoes.. jar in hand .. to capture fire flies.. with out the need of protection from insect stings or sunscreen. ?? where have those days gone?
What happened too playing outside.. and laughing so hard until your belly ached and your cheeks hurt... ?
What happened to Saturday Jaunts with my Dad and summer business trips to really fun places.. resting quietly in my memory and laughing and silly thoughts often shared.. and enjoyed..
What happened to my banana seat neon yellow bicycle with the long safety flag from McDonald's??? discarded and broken in some old dump...
What happened to hot dogs and hamburger on the grill nearly every summer night... gone the way of weight watchers now..
What happened to thick steaks on Monday night each bite dipped in ketchup... gone to every now and then.. if at all... red meat is not too good for you now...
What happened to hearing my mom sing in community plays... put one day she thought she was too old too sing.. I have never known why.. neither has she...
What happened to turning our bicycles upside and down and pretending we were making ice cream by turning the pedals..lost in the old remembrances scattered in a childhood long ago...
What happened to the deck of cards we carefully weaved in the spokes of our bikes so that they would sound like the sputter of motorcycle? gone the way of some old dump I would guess...
What happened to going on family trips and stretching out in the rear window ledge ( YES I DID THAT AS A KID) ... SEAT BELTS happened which I guess is a good thing..
What happened to Cracker Jacks and great Tattoos.. gone the way of smaller boxes and no tattoos...
What happened to the Brady Bunch, the Partridge Family, The Monkees, HR Puffinstuff, Land of the Lost, black and white Little Lulu cartoons... ? Some have gone the way of TVLAND and can be watched still..
What happened to hanging out with the neighborhood kids on a hot summer night and cutting through the bush's after 9pm to go home... hmm CHILD PREDATORS happened...
Where did those days of wandering all around the mall go.. ( THE ONLY MALL IN THOSE YEARS ) and pretending we were mannequins in dad's furniture store disappear too... like the season things change...
What happened to real double stick Popsicles where calories did not matter and if you really wanted too you could break the Popsicle apart and share it with a friend after a full fun day of swimming... I miss my swimming days...
What happened to the country club grill with cheeseburgers and french fries.. and friends.. friends who only knew you in the summer time at the country club... ? hmmm it is still there serving out those burgers to other kids .. wrapped in towels and ringing wet..
What happened to secretive teenage chats with friends who only knew you via the phone.. because your coolness was so uncool that it might rub off on them at school.. and god forbid they walk with you at school...
What happened to taking the first spin around the block with my brand new and hard earned drivers license....
What happened to KISS, VAN HALEN, TED NUGENT, ROD STEWART, LED ZEPPLIN, THE WHO... though no devotion was greater than to KISS... where did that all go... ( THANKFULLY all the music is still around... compared to the rot that is out there now...
What happened to my friends from boarding school.. who made me laugh and laugh and taught me what real friendship was... especially when the local boys at the skating rink made fun of my large size and ungraceful moves on skates... when friends wiped away tear drops and replaced them with hugs..
What happened to graduation.. and bits of college.. and the freedom of my 20s that I thought where chains that bound me..
but they were my beginnings as a young adult learning my way in this world..
What happened to the tiny 2 day old baby in my arms... who sipped a water bottle and gazed intently at my face as if I knew some great secret of the universe... my first niece...She is a graduate with honors from Pharmacy school and just got engaged to her boyfriend.. who is doing his residency now...
What happened to that chunky cheeked bright eyed sweetness.. all baby girl... who is in her third year of college with eyes towards a degree in special education... My second niece...
What happened to my Buddha baby.. round and curly headed with a laugh that made me laugh and cry at the same time.. a fearless toddler wanderer who then loved animals and at 3 years old declared she was going to be an animal doctor... She .. niece number 3 will be in her last year of high school this coming fall.. with an eye towards college and attaining a veterinary degree..
Where are the 7 months since our wedding.. and the sweetness of our vows.. it too is another jewel of my memory
Those days all of those days are jewels of my memories...
WHAT ARE YOUR JEWELS????
Tell me...
Wish me well
Wish you well too
That is it ..For a Monday in Sunny Hot Alabama...