Sharing Memories (Week 38): 9 Years Old and Learning

This photo was taken when I was about nine years old.  I hated this picture of me.  I remember whining about my freckles and my hair bangs, how thin and short they had been cut.  Poor Mom, she did her best to curl my hair and fix it, but still I whined. 

At that time, I had become friends with a girl whom lived just a few streets down from me. I learned that her mother was a Girl Scout Leader, so I joined the group. I was officially "bridged" from the Brownies to the Junior Girl Scouts, a group consisting of girls ages nine through eleven. Mrs. Lana was our leader and she was wonderful. She was very involved with the troop and planned several great outings for us. I particularly enjoyed these two years with the troop because we explored so many different areas of interests and learned so much. We went to summer camps, backpacking, created leather goods and other fun activities. Mrs. Lana was very laid back and kind of zany, so she was a load of fun. It was a memorable experience for me. 

Although I still had a lot to learn, by the age of 9 years I had learned a few lessons:
1. I can not have everything that I want, when I want it.
2. Some things are worth waiting for.
3. When Mom says "NO", she usually means it.
4. It pays to know when to avoid crossing the line with Mom and Dad.
5. Sometimes it's easier to get Mom's approval when she's distracted, such as talking on the telephone or watching one of her favorite tv shows.
6. Sometimes those you think you can trust will deceive you.
7. The prettiest girls attract the most attention in social settings.
8. There are greater expectations from the oldest child of the family.
9. The youngest children in the family are usually spoiled the most.
10. Younger siblings can be a royal pain in the butt.
11. Cute boys can be total jerks sometimes.
12. Trying to be a daredevil can have tough consequences.

Sharing Memories: (Week 25) Brownie Girl Scout

About 1966-67, Brownie GS

The Brownie Girl Scouts was an outlet for me to use some of my creativity and meet others my age. I truly enjoyed attending the meetings and going on fun trips with a bunch of other girls. The Girl Scout leader, Mrs. Betty, lived right up the street from us and she had two daughters close to my age, Theresa and Debbie. After getting to know them well enough, I was allowed to sometimes spend the night with them and we had a ball! We were allowed to stay up a little late as long as we behaved ourselves and kept the noise down. We would get a big plate out and fill it up with snacks from the fridge or the cabinets. Then we would pile up in their bedroom and watch television or listen to the radio. We played card games, board games or did crafty stuff such as creating pompoms from yarn. They had a few cats and a dog and sometimes we would play silly with them, dressing them up in doll clothing.

However, we were NOT always good. Theresa and Debbie had a few little tricks up their sleeves sometimes. For instance, they would make prank phone calls to people. Yep, the famous "Prince Albert in the can" joke was just one of them. They also enjoyed experimenting with their mothers makeup. We would try on eyeshadows, rouges, and false eyelashes. We would find one of her bras and slip it on, then stuff it with toilet paper. Next came the clamp on earrings. When we were finished dressing up, we looked like miniature hookers from Bourbon Street. We then turned on some music and danced around in their bedroom, acting like silly little girls. Oh, but what fun it was!

If we got a little too loud, we would hear their mom call out... "Okay girls, what are you into?"

"Oh nothing, Mom... sorry, we'll turn the music down", one of them would reply as we all snickered.

We went on some great field trips with our Girl Scout troop. Some of them included a trip to the the Shrine Brothers Circus and a camping trip in Slidell. Mom and Dad were very supportive of our troop, helping us out with field trips and such when they could. They came along on the camping trip to Slidell. We stayed there the weekend... swimming, learning how to build a campfire, roasting weiners and marshmallows, splitting into teams and playing games.

Those were the "good ole days"... just pure simple fun. So why did I have to grow up???

Sharing Memories: (Week 24) My Friend Lois

 The Mystery Date Game was popular with Lois and I

My friend Lois lived across the yard from us in a duplex facing ours. She was about 2 years or so older than me but only one grade above me in school. We usually walked to school together and spent a great deal of time together... until her family moved. Her father was an alcoholic. I remember that he stayed gone a lot and when he did come home, he usually had a beer in his hand and also smelled like one. Her mother drank too, but I don't think she drank as heavy or as often.

Lois was a very pretty girl with tan skin and long black wavy hair. I admired her long thick hair and often wished mine was like hers. She was an only child and had a bedroom of her own filled with all sorts of games and such. She had a record player and we often sat in her room playing games while listening to music such as tunes by The Beatles and The Monkees. One of our favorite board games was Mystery Date. Another was Hands Down. We shared a lot of girl talk, Lois and I. She seemed to know a lot more about things than I did. 

When I heard the news that Lois was moving, I was sad and depressed for a while. She and I had become close friends, mainly because we lived within a few steps of each other. I missed her greatly when she was gone.

A few years later, I was at another friends house... and I saw a girl playing next door whom reminded me of Lois. As I walked closer to her, I realized that it was indeed Lois. She didn't recognize me because I had grown quite a bit since she had last seen me. We talked a lot about our old times together and laughed about the truths she had exposed me to. Her mother had remarried and was doing well. Lois was attending school and doing just great. She agreed to keep in touch with me after that, but she didn't. I have sometimes wondered whatever happened to her.

Hands Down was a popular game in the 1960's