Hometown Flashes

A friend pointed out that I haven't updated in a long time. I am only on the computer in bits and pieces anymore. I have to share with John and Sarah and neither is good at sharing.... but they are cute, so I keep them around.

Moving back home has been interesting in many ways. One of the aspects that interests me is seeing how people I grew up with or knew as a very young adult have grown up. My good friend, J, was here for a visit last weekend and we all went out to eat. I could see her scanning the room, looking for familiar faces. I do that, too. When I was working at the market a lot of people that I grew up with came through the lines. Sometimes I'd recognize them immediately, but many I'd think I know I've seen that face before, but....

Sadly, I'm a little vain, because when I see someone who looks older than I do, I think, YES! Can't believe I'm admitting to that on here...

This morning, I came around the corner and a guy that I hooked up with a time or two was sitting in a pickup, waiting to turn. I recognized him immediately. Weird flash from the past. I think I was about 19 or 20 when I knew him. He put my car stereo in for me and somehow it was really wrong.

My favorite flash is this one - I'm on the high school bus and a cute, freckled face boy gets on board, catches my eye and gives me a big smile. That handsome husband of mine - he's always had a beautiful smile and he's definitely my favorite flash from the past.

I Really Kind Of Like It Here

It was a dark and stormy night... and it still is. The tree out front is whipping around and the rain is hitting the side of the house. I hope Sis the hound is in her dog house.

One of the many perks involved with moving back to your hometown is that you run into a lot of "old friends." Some are friends-friends, some are acquaintance-friends, and others are just familiar faces you used to know.

Today, I ran into a friend from the 6th grade. He and I attended Bogus School, a one-room schoolhouse back in...well it was a long, long time ago. While we were students there, he "went" with my sister, Robin, then later, at the end of the year, he "went" with me for about a week, so this was a boy that I kissed when I was 11. John is good friends with his son and I recently spent the day with the son when he helped John get in a load of wood. His son is a really nice guy, works hard, very friendly.

Anyway, this guy, Richard is his name, looks very good, hardly aged at all. I knew it was him from halfway across the front of the store, which is not the case with many old friends. I will look at them for the longest time and then think, oh yeah, that's so and so. Richard has a new baby, only 3 months old, and he's a Grandpa. I have to say this - congratulations to Richard and his lady, but oh man I hope I do not have any more kids at this age.

I walked him over to his car, way across the shopping center, over to where his dad was just coming out of Carl's Jr. Now his dad, I hadn't seen his dad since back in the 6th grade days when he had all kinds of long, curly, dark hair. I remember we used to spend the night with Richard's sister, Sara, and listen to their dad's records. Richard's mom would make us ebelskeivers (sp?) for breakfast... that reminds me, I still haven't used my pan. Richard and Sara taught Robin and me how to build forts and pee outside. It was at there house that we first spent time around animals like chickens and turkeys. And I have this clear picture in my mind of what Richard's fingernails looked like as a kid. Yes, I know that's an odd memory to carry, but I've carried it all these years. I mentioned it to John and I'm pretty sure I got one of those My Girlfriend Is A Weirdo looks.

I love living back here. I really enjoy running into familiar faces, feeling ties to a place again. I lived in Chico all that time and never really felt like I belonged there, never felt any ties to the location, although I did meet some wonderful people while I was there, like Max's teachers. My boyfriends, my best friends, they were all people whom I grew up with up here. Every day something happens that makes me feel more sure that I did the right thing moving back.