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| The kids on Pointsettia drive
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Growing up on Pointsettia drive.So many memories,I have often wondered what happened to all the families.
Good grief,there were so many kids on that block.Our parents would kick us outside,and you wouldnt see us again until dinner time.There was big Lisa,little Lisa,Mandy and Tyree,Thomas,David and Cindy,tall Tammy,small Tammy,Wade,Craig and his 3 brothers,Nancy and Valerie and my brother and I.I'm sure im missing some names.
Trick or treating we went out in a huge group.I remember swarms of kids.I cant remember the last time I saw something like that.Now,I hardly see kids on bikes.Occasionaly on skate boards.I suppose most kids are on the computer or playing video games now.
Back to halloween.As usual small Tammys brother would go out with our group of trick or treaters.He was much older than the rest of us.We finished up collecting our booty(candy and the occasional tooth brush or pennies)Rest of the kids were dropped off home and Tammy and I got to go out with the High schoolers! We all piled into a truck and the big kids started stealing pumpkins.They took in quite a haul,the bed of the truck wasnt full to the top,nothing like that.I think they had collected close to 40 pumpkins.When they had gathered enough,they got piled into a friend of theirs yard.It was quite a sight.I look at it this way,the pumpkins they took all though that was wrong,atleast the folks that got their pumpkins taken didnt have to throw them away.It was done for them,a not asked for community service.It was a nice pumpkin pile,I havent seen one since then.
Training wheels were taken off our bikes on the same day.A couple of the Dads were put to work that day.I remember taking a few falls though I did finally get the hang of it.Big Lisa had a bad crash.She wiped out infront of tall Tammys house.Lisa was screaming,her knees were a bloody mess.We had to go get her Dad to rescue her.Many popcicles later she was fine.She too mastered the bike.
Summers were spent outside,we only went in to use the facilities.If you got thirsty you drank out of the hose.We would picnic in my backyard.My Dad had pitched his tent for us,set up 2 cots and I had my metal kitchen stuff.Child size refrigerator combination sink and stove.Even though it was hotter than blazes in that tent,we would have our picnic.Hawaiian punch,standard bologna sandwich,laura scudder potato chips and fruit.I had a little play pool,yellow with red,blue and green sail boats on the side.After picnicing in the pool we went.
Sometimes we would go to Mandys for lunch.Both her parents were school teachers,orginally from Virginia and still had a bit of a twang to their voices.Mrs. Cline loved Dr Pepper.There were cases of it along one side of the garage.It looked like the mother load.I just figured they were rich,we didnt get Dr pepper or soda for that matter.Mom always had the big cans of hawaiian punch or Hi C.At Mandys we would get an open faced grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup and of course Dr Pepper.It was like a little piece of heaven.They had tons of board games,old prom dresses with poofy skirts to play dress up in.And the best yard to make mud pies in.
Mandys Dad wasnt much on yard work,and their backyard was full of gopher holes.Growing up in Phoenix a brown yard in the summer wasnt that unusual.That wasnt the case at my house my folks have always had a meticulous lawn.The side of her house is where we made the best mud pies.Prime mud pie territory.We had our assorted plastic cups,pie tins and silverware.Loved playing in the mud!One day we made a mud milkshake and got Wade to taste it.Wasnt nice,but he did offer.
Somedays,we would go on adventures.Get on our bikes,go up to the school maybe play on the play ground or just roam through the alleys.Grownups throw out great stuff sometimes.Old tires,single shoes,broken chairs,magazines.Sometimes we would find a dead bird,we would bury it and have a funeral.We usually had Craig preside over the event,seeing that he went to church a lot.We learned the hardway not to pick oleander flowers.Coming home from another bird funeral I had brought home some oleander blooms.My Dad set me straight telling me they were poisinous.So we used dandelions after that.
It was always sad when summer was over.Mandy,Tyree and Craig didnt get to go to school with the rest of our gang.Mandy went where her Dad taught,Tyree went where their Mom taught and Craigs family was Morman,he went to a Morman school.In high school we all were together again,but of course things change.
My family moved away after I had finished the 2nd grade.Less than a half mile away,but new school and eventually new friends.Sometime during high school Craigs family had moved.Mandys parents had stayed in the old neighborhood until about 10 years ago.
It is sad how many people come into your life.You grow attatched,form bonds,friendships and then it slowly fades away.It feels like a revolving door,now I see you now I dont.Im glad I have good memories of them.
I recently came into contact with Mandy again.Shes still as beautiful as she was as a kid.Unfortunately like most of us she has gone through heartaches like the rest of the world.In High school she became very popular,she became a cheerleader,was very academic and very well liked.She married her high school sweetheart(he was one of the popular kids too)they had children and sadly the marriage soured and ended.However she has remarried,life is good but hectic for her.She has been fighting in court with her ex over unpaid child support.Im sorry shes had to go through that.During this time she also lost her Dad unexpectedly,which was a great loss.He was a kind man,he used to do magic tricks for us.
Im still searching for the others I hope they have faired well.Those were happy times growing up
with these kids.I can still see them when I close my eyes.
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Posted by pitapie50 on 2008-02-27 08:27:58 | Rating: | Views: 87
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We grew up in the 70s too..Oh the "get out side" and dont come back til dark....The fun we had...Now I can't seem to get the kids to even ride their bikes for exercise...errrrrrrr...
Oh well atleast I do know where they are....(UNDER MY FEET)lol...
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Posted by Hollis
on 2008-02-27 09:51:01
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lol,I had the same problem with my kids.
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Posted by pitapie50
on 2008-02-27 10:03:37
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Is that a picture of the kids???
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Posted by Hollis
on 2008-02-27 18:06:15
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lol, no im the one in black.My other half is sitting on my lap and his Mom is behind us.
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Posted by pitapie50
on 2008-02-27 20:01:58
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