1. When I was a child, my father worked away in construction and would be home on the weekends. In the summer he would take the older kids (I’m one of seven) and go berry picking. I was a special time just for us.

2. I remember the summer my younger sister, Diane, my mother, and I traveled from Arkansas to California by train for the first time to visit relatives. My sister and I were so excited, and my mother had packed homemade lunches and snacks for the trip, and our favorite books. We didn’t have a lot of money but that didn’t keep my sister from asking for a souvenir as the train pulled in for a stop at El Paso, Texas. As we were getting off the train for a short time, my sister tripped coming off the last step and it had rained hard, so she fell full body forward onto a very muddy ground, which cushioned her fall. I can remember my mother looking her over as she helped my sister up, and saying, “Well, there’s your souvenir…El Paso mud.” My mother had a way with words and she was the queen of sarcasm!?

3. My favorite summer memory was backpacking in the Susquehanna Forest as a teen. I brought along several hard back books and a mile in, my back complained, so the books were carried in 3 other backpacks. My brother while sleeping in a hammock, fell out when awakened by snorting deer. Here, he had chosen their best resting spot and surprised them. That same night, mom and I were in a pup tent with no bottom. A chipmunk scampered in my bag, I sat up, screamed and had to lay down again to let the critter out. That was the first night of the trip. We gave a wide berth to snakes under a porch of an abandoned cabin. The cold stream was clear and flowed into a pond and we refilled canteens.

4. One summer day many years ago, we were standing near an outlet of our local lake eating ice cream. My Mom had finished hers. Her camera was around her neck. She spotted a family of Canadian Geese with little ones. She wanted to snap a picture and started to get closer.

   My dad said,”those things can get nasty Marie, don’t get too close. She ignored him, and kept sneaking closer. Then the adult geese started to squawk, hiss, and charge at her. She starts yelling, “Ken , help me.” He said, “I told you not to do it, you’re on your own.” My sister and I were laughing so hard. Luckily my Mom got away from them without injury. She didn’t get her picture but never tried that again.

5. When I was growing up in the 1960’s, most Wisconsin farm families did not take vacations, but my dad always found a way to get away for a few days to visit family in South Dakota or travel to northern Wisconsin to fish and relax. I cherish those vacation memories, but by the time I was in high school, mom and dad were ready for a few days vacationing alone. So, I stayed home with my older brother to do the farm chores – he milked cows and I cooked and took care of our huge flock of chickens. Of course, we both had friends visit and had a good time, although there was always a pony who got loose, a fence that went down, or a broken hay wagon. One time we got “horsing around” in the house; I don’t even know what precipitated it, but I lost a favorite bright pink tennis shoe. When my parents got home a few days later, my ever observant mother found that shoe on top of her china cabinet in the dining room. No big inquisition, but I am sure she had oodles of questions about what went on when they were gone.

6. My best friend has a day care in her house, mainly 2-4 years olds. I know if I call her during the day that I don’t always have her full attention and often she will say things that don’t fit our conversation. Yesterday, I was complaining about my mask getting tangled in my hair and her response was ” well, if you lick your mask, yes it is going to be yucky” thankfully, she was not talking to me but a 3 year old at her house, but I almost choked on my water. 🙂 She always has the most interesting conversations

7. When I was a child, we had a pop up camper. My parents decided we would travel to my Mom’s birthplace in West Virginia with the camper. The decision was made to travel from Toledo, Ohio. We took the turnpike to Akron. We drove down the state. We stopped for the night at a camp site. It was dusk. We set up the camper and went to sleep. When we woke up the next morning, we found that we had camped on a downhill knoll. We were lucky that the camper did not roll down the knoll while we slept.

8. Of Course, I have another funny memory. This funny memory is of my grandfather & Dad. They went somewhere together and on the way home they stopped for a bite to eat for Supper. When home, my Grandmother said, I SUPPOSE YOU TWO STOPPED AND HAD SUPPER? My Grandfather fibbed to my Grandmother his wife, said no we haven’t had supper yet. So they sat down to have Spaghetti for Supper. The funny part is though my Grandmother asked if they wanted seconds. My Dad said no but my Grandfather took and ate a second helping of Spaghetti after he already ate big meal. He did all this for his wife. Funny but sweet.

9. We always had a blast as children in our pre-teen to teen years going on wagon rides with our german shepherd dog. We got Major as a pup from a retired policeman who had two retired police dogs. He stayed chained to his dog house cause we had no fence. But we played with him constantly. He was a great watch dog but the greatest time all of us had (including Major) was when my brothers would tie him to the running gear of our red wagon which we’d all straddle by age. Neenless to say I get the rump end. He and us all spent great rides down the streets on that wagon. You never knew when he’d spot a squirrel of cat and suddenly change direction. I guess you could say the dog walked us!

10. My funny memory is of my Middle sister. When we were on vacation, we stayed at this hotel/motel. Well there wasn’t enough beds and my Middle sister slept in the cot/pull out bed from the wall. Everything was going good then it happened that one night. We all heard a noise. That noise was the cot/pull out bed folding up on my sister. We had to get the bed back out from the wall. Luckily, it never did that again. My sister wasn’t hurt either. I laugh when I think of this memory of being on vacation with my family many years ago when I was a kid and the bed folding up on my sister. As children we did things fairly. She drew the short straw and had to sleep in a pull out cot/bed from the and getting eaten by the pullout bed/cot was the funny result.

11. Many, many years ago my family (mother, brother and I) were visiting my aunt’s family in Berkeley. It was a special occasion… I don’t remember what, did I mention that it was many years ago, but we were all dressed in our party outfits. Think frilly white dress, white ankle Sox and white patent leather Mary Janes. And instructions from my mom to stay clean.My aunt had three fish ponds in her back yard. “The cousins”, my brother and I liked to hop over the ponds. This time, however, just as it was my turn, there was a minor earthquake, more of an earth shift, and the pond edge I was hopping to momentarily moved about a foot. Instead of land on the edge, I landed smack in the middle. We laughed so loud the grownups came out to see what was so funny. The only one who didn’t think it was funny was my mom. And then, I didn’t think it was so funny either. But my aunt had a brand new washing machine… a novelty in those days. She put me in a cousin outfit and washed my dress. It wasn’t white anymore, but the green tinge was pretty uniform. And my white ankles also turned a matching greenish tinted. That story has been told at almost every family gathering for over 50 years.

12. My granddaughter Linnie is the sweetest, kindest child. She told her mother one day that she was put on this earth to make her mother laugh.

13. My favorite summertime memory is of my husband and my brother. It was Indepence Day 12 years ago. We were out in the country and we had a small fire going and they took turns putting on a fireworks show for me. It became so hot that my brother took his shirt off and starting dancing around the fire, all the while my husband is shooting off fireworks and so it looked like mini explosions around them. It was the most wonderful fireworks show I’ve ever seen. My brother died six years ago and I wish every day I could have that back. It’s one of my favorite memories of him and it always makes me smile. It brings true warmth to my heart.

14. Many years ago a bunch of my college friends and I went to a beach in Rhode Island for the weekend. It was the first time I had swum in the Atlantic Ocean and the first time wearing a two-piece bathing suit (remember —- many years ago!). It was so cute — white with navy blue polka dots. We walked into the surf waist high, then a little further out and we ducked under. All came up laughing —- at me! The bottom of my suit was around my knees! I mooned the whole beach!!!!!

15. No funny memory but we went to play miniature golf late at night when the air conditioning was not on at my grandparents beach place. It is the only time I remember the grownups not making us go to bed early. as we all become older , it was tradition whether it was so hot to fry thing s on the sidewalks or not. We laughed a lot and sometimes grandmom would go as well.

16. My funny summer memory is that my sister and I spent much time each summer at the family farm where my Dad and his Mother were both born. It had a large working windmill. Every summer, we would try to climb all the way to the top! Our parents never knew it! I always made it – shaking with fear. My sister didn’t know until way into adulthood how scared I was! I was very determined. I guess we’re fortunate we never fell off! Silly girls!!

17. My husband I were recently watching a special about Walt Disney and it told about his part in the 1964 World’s Fair. That made me remember that because my dad worked on the World’s Fair I got in and got to go on of some of the rides before the fair even opened! The futuristic General Electric one is the one I remember best. Did I have boasting rights or what!

18. Hi when I was little my granny and grandad would visit and swing me on the swing in the park. Granny would sing ‘swing me up a little bit higher, Obadiah do, swing me up a little bit higher and I’ll love you, swing me up so I’ll never fall, swing me over the garden wall, just a little bit higher, Obadiah do’.

19. I ring handbells and most summers I work with a company that makes custom shirts, etc. that feature handbells. Anyway, we were in Winslow, AZ seeing the sights in a 40 ft. RV and turned down a street. We could see that there was an overpass/tunnel ahead and it said the height clearance was 14’6. I was driving and asked the RV owner how tall we were…..crickets. We slowed and decided we could go through. I think we held our breath the whole way. At the end of the street, there was no place to go so I flipped a u-turn in the huge RV and we went back through the tunnel again. Did I mention that this was my first day driving an RV?

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