Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Memories

I had to hook up my scanner the other day to my computer and while I was at it, I thought, why not scan in some old photos? What turned out to be a simple idea created an onslaught of memories. I found photos from my childhood that I had completely forgotten about.

As a child growing up in the 70s, I forgot just how, well, awful 70s fashions and designs were. Case in point:
Look at this kitchen! You can't see the other walls, but they were painted a bright, marigold yellow. My mom finally redid the kitchen in the mid-1990s when I went off to college and toned things down.

Check out the living room:

That's me and my older brother. We were "painting" the walls with our paint brushes. The living room was Americana at its finest, since 1976 was the bicentennial of America. We had red carpet in one room and blue shag carpet in the other. And that wallpaper! Oh my.

Look at me in these curlers. And the plaid! (If you look closely, you can see a tiny bit of the blue shag carpet...)


But the pictures I especially like are these of me and my grandfather, who passed away a few years ago:

I remember frequently falling asleep with grandpa in his chair. On the back of this photo, my grandmother wrote, "Another boring day at Grandma's house!" But it was never boring at their house. Never. I had the best time. They lived just a few miles from us on a neighboring farm. I remember picking fresh strawberries and playing with the dogs and butchering chickens and going for long walks on the county road. It was awesome.

This photo is of me, my big brother, our dog, Buffy, and my grandfather. This was at our farm.
This is how I remember my grandpa - with that blue shirt. He wore those a lot. When I saw this picture, I started crying. I miss him so much. But I find that I'm remembering him more like this, when he was healthy and vibrant and full of life, then how he was at the end, so sickly and frail. I like it better that way.

I'm headed home this weekend and I hope to grab a lot more old photos and scan them in. They've reminded me of what a wonderful childhood I had and how I am so incredibly blessed to have my family. It hasn't always been easy - lots of ups and downs - but I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

16 comments:

  1. My great grandpa had a chair exactly like that! I love trips down memory lane :)

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Melissa-I could lose myself in old photos for hours and hours..and I can't wait to see more of your old photos, and hear more of your memories too:)

    So true about the 70's. After the very early 60's, in my opinion, things just went downhill;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Valerie. Lots of things went downhill from the 60s through the 70s, including, I would argue, morality. But that is another post for another day! LOL

      Delete
  3. Anonymous4:28 PM

    I love this post. Seeing your life through this lens is simply enchanting. I'm so glad you have these pictures to remember him by, as the man he is in heart and spirit. My heart aches for you but is also so happy for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, L.T. I've been realizing more and more that it's really hard to get older - you are blessed with wisdom (hopefully), but you start to lose people. Thank goodness we have memories!

      Delete
  4. Even with that 70s decorating, there's something just so comforting about those photographs, so "home."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny - that house has been through a LOT of decorating periods. My great-grandparents built it in the 1920s, I believe, and it's housed four generations of my family. It's definitely home!

      Delete
  5. This is SO great. Love these pics and hearing your stories about them. Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. In the mid seventies my parents bought a brand new house and I remember thinking how slick it was, how modern and cool! Then I look at pictures of it and just laugh - what was with all the orange and yellow those days???

    Seriously, you've got me wanting to get some more old pictures scanned too. I never knew my grand fathers, (they died before i was born), but I would love to revisit pictures of my grandmas.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You should, Margo! I would love to see them! And I don't know what it was about the orange and yellow, either...I guess every era has its popular colors. For the 80s, it was hot pink and neon!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just spent several evenings scanning pics from the 80's... Such a trove of memories and all now safely tucked away. As a child from the 70's, my goodness but those days were dismal for decoration! :))) But you are adorable, especially in your grandpa's arms. I too picked strawberries at my grandparents, precious memories...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks, Anna. I loved my grandpa so much. I can still remember his voice when he greeted me: "Heloooo, Lis!" (Lis is my family's nickname for me.).

      Delete
  9. Such lovely photos. I need to get organized and start scanning some old family photos too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debs, I just brought hundreds of photos home from my Dad's house. Let the fun begin!

      Delete

I love to hear from you!

Staying Focused

Friends, sometimes it is exhausting to try and stay focused on goals. Eat healthier. Lose weight. Exercise.  Find a literary agent. Edit the...