Thursday Thirteen Ed. #84: Thirteen Things I Did as a Kid
(Edited to say — whoops! I forgot to link!)
13. I could whistle like our neighbors’ guinea pigs. I trained the little rodents to run to me.
12. 1 loved to eat frozen lemonade concentrate straight out of the can.
11. I devoured Pixie Stix.
10. I taught myself to cook out of the Betty Crocker kids’ cookbook, then moved on to lasagna al fredo, chicken cacciatore and beef stroganoff. And homemade bread, apple pies and Chocolate Volcano Cake.
9. I fell in love with the boy down the street when we were in first grade. Our parents were friends. Our little sisters were good friends. We dated until we were 22 and then broke each other’s hearts.
8. I was the neighborhood foosball champion. The first concert I went to was KISS and Cheap Trick. We all booed Cheap Trick. (Sorry, Robin.)
7. I started babysitting when I was nine and worked part-time or full-time after that — steady — until I had our kids. (I’m still writing and editing, of course. Although I’ve become discouraged with all three of my manuscripts — two fiction, one non-fiction. One of them has to sell. So I guess I’ve been working for 33 years now???)
6. My first “real” job was as a soda jerk for the neighborhood drugstore. My boyfriend worked at the gas station straight down the street. (Just like Mayberry, if you overlooked the hot rods, drinking and the fist-fights between the guys.) On Saturday nights he’d wash his car, grab a shower, and come and pick me up. (“…shine up my old brown shoes/put on a brand new shirt…”)
5. Is it any surprise that my dream is to move to Main Street, U.S.A.? My husband put on a nice black silk shirt the other night when we went out and it did me in. And he told me I looked beautiful. Adulthood has its perks, but everything you love now? It started in childhood.
4. I swam like a river otter.
3. I beat up the neighbor kid when he was mean to my little sister. Then his dad beat him because he had insulted us. (He was making fun of my dearly departed father — he deserved it. The kid, not my dad.)
2. I used to share candy with my dog. (Geez, I guess I’ve always had a sweet tooth.)
1. I used to sneak out with my friends and walk eight blocks to the park at my grade school. We’d lie on our backs on the grass and watch the stars, the moon and the bats flying. It was good.
, 
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I devoured pixie sticks too and sponge candy. I’m surprised my teeth didn’t fall out.
Mine are up too. It’s all about chickens this week.
March 14th, 2007 | #
Ah, those were the days. I can’t tell you how many things I did as I kid that I wish I could do now, though I still lie on my back and stare up at the clouds or the stars.
March 14th, 2007 | #
Boy, do some of those sound familiar! I loved frozen lemonade concentrate. It probably drove my mom nuts–pulling out a can to make lemonade and finding half of it gone. :)
March 15th, 2007 | #
kiss and cheap trick, that must have been quite a show — alive II and live at budokan are two of my favorite albums of all time! happy TT, mine’s up!
March 15th, 2007 | #
Pixie Sticks, hahahhaha!
March 15th, 2007 | #
Loved pixie sticks! and Kiss (have you seen Gene Simmons Family Jewels on A & E? It’s hilarious!!)
As for #7 — good luck and keep trying. You’ll sell yet!
March 15th, 2007 | #
My, what a nice, rounded, american childhood you had. I think I might be jealous!
March 15th, 2007 | #
Oh God, I totally used to sneak out to the park down the street, and then my friends and I would run in the sprinklers or watch the stars.
March 15th, 2007 | #
You and my sister could go to concerts together. I was never into KISS, but she loves them!
March 15th, 2007 | #
Oooh I love Pixi Sticks. That and fizz candy are the best! I couldn’t eat frozen lemonaid, but I was big on bakers chocolate. :)
March 15th, 2007 | #
Yep, some sweet tooth you had! I loved mallow cups. Your first concert was definitely a lot cooler than mine!!!!
March 15th, 2007 | #
Love your TT.
We used to light matches, then try to smoke them…
We;d also open the gate to our neighbors pig pen so they would run rampant through the neighborhood….
Happy Thursday WM
March 15th, 2007 | #
So glad that dad was wise! Nowadays it wouldn’t go over like that.
March 15th, 2007 | #
Oops, I forgot to change my website link, you went to edition 8, and I’m on edition 10! Love your search finds, though, lol. Funny stuff!
March 15th, 2007 | #
You booed Cheap Trick! How could you! Expect a visit from The Dream Police tonight! Thanks for visiting my T13 #33 13 Quotes About Men Edition
March 15th, 2007 | #
Chocolate volcano cake is my favorite comfort dessert food! I might have to make one now. The power of suggestion! My Thursday 13 is up :)
March 15th, 2007 | #
Happy Thursday, everyone!
Dane, I know, I know. Later on (two or three years later, that is) we were all like, “CHEAP TRICK ROCKS!! Why did we say they suck? THEY ROCK!” Oh, I just remembered something! A year or so later, they were opening for someone (no idea who) and their equipment had gotten stuck going over the Rockies or something. So they didn’t play. They came out on stage to apologize and WE BOOED AGAIN! Like, “GOOD! Because last time YOU SUCKED!” Portlanders are a vicious lot.
Chablis, sorry about that ;)
Wylie, I’ve never seen Gene Simmons’ show but you’re the second one who’s told me it was funny.
All for now — TV to watch.
March 15th, 2007 | #
Where is that Betty Crocker cookbook? I LOVED that thing! Back when I was a little girl, and cooking was something you had to ask permission to do (as opposed to now, when it’s something I’m required to do). It’s an adorable TT. Thank you. Mine’s up — favorite movie quotes.
March 15th, 2007 | #
Good for you for beating up someone who picked on your little sister. I’d do the same. I’d still beat up people who pick on my sis, and I’m 45, she’s 32! :)
March 15th, 2007 | #
The Gal Herself, I still have *all* of my old cookbooks from when I was a kid — I collected them and have twenty or so. I saw a cool reprint of a vintage one — not Betty Crocker, I don’t think — at our local grocery story. Just did a quick search and can’t find title. But it looked really neat-o.
I bought my kids this one — http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Cr.....0028634063
It’s an updated version of the old one, but I bet you could find the old one on eBay. Then once again you could make pear halves shaped like bunnies.
March 15th, 2007 | #
Very interesting TT list :-) I should do one like that. Good luck with your writing! (I’m an aspiring writer struggling to be published and fighting writer’s block and many other things :P)
March 17th, 2007 | #