Yesterday I talked about keeping a journal of my childhood memories, and later memories, so that I don't forget them and so that I can mine them for details to use in my writing. I thought today I might just give a sample of a few of my entries.
120. Making little holes in persimmons and putting firecrackers through before we lit them and threw them. This would let us throw the firecrackers further, and if the persimmon was ripe it would explode goo all over where it blew up.
186. Pretending weeds were enemy warriors, and sword fighting them with the top part of a broken fishing rod. Or sometimes I used a piece of chrome that had been lost off the side of one of our cars.
207. daddy putting the big metal barrels beneath the eaves of the old house to catch rainwater, and how we would sometimes soak in one in the hot summer, and how salamanders often washed down from the roofs into them. I once hid in one and my parents were desperately trying to find me. I didn’t realize how truly upset they were. I thought it was fun and games. They never thought to look there, until I crawled out.
214. Catching a big water moccasin on my fishing rod once and what a fight it was. This was at the New Pond. Somehow I hooked him through the side underwater and at first I though I had a monster fish. Then he surfaced and I remember him writhing across the water as he fought to get away. Terry and John were with me. Since he was a poisonous one I had to kill him to get him off the hook.
The numbers above correspond to when the entry was made in the journal but are not necessarily age related. I just started writing things down as they occurred to me, and I continue that to this day. In fact, I'm going back to add some more today. I find it enjoyable.
I think a memory journal is great. I tried doing it once, but it's something I never seem to keep up. The blog has been the one thing which is consistent in memory writing. Maybe I'll make a memory paragraph at the bottom of each entry.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was in my forties going through a period where I was ridiculously nostalgic and spent far too much time mooning about the past. I had to rip myself into the present.
Nice idea. Your entries remind me a little of my childhood. Except for the persimmons. My buddies and I upped the ante, making at the time, though we didn't know what they were called, Molotov Cocktails. Pretty stupid, huh. We were lucky, though. No injuries.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of doing that -- the water moccasin fight must have been a doozy! Those bad boys are mean as hell!
ReplyDeleteYour memories, just certain words in them triggered memories of my own. not necessarily good memories just events that I'd laid to rest and forgot about.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I will make a list of memories just a list of everything including the list of list everything.
That should take some time.
peace
mark
Stewart, I'm starting to get more nostalgic now, for the first time in my life. Hope I can keep it under control.
ReplyDeleteRandy, I found out my son made homemade bombs out of fireworks. It's a wonder kids ever grow up.
Michelle, it was better fight than any fish I've ever caught.
Walking man, I keep bad memories in my journal as well as good ones.
Thanks for posting your examples. When I read your first entry on keeping a memory journal, I thought it sounded like a good idea but wondered whether one needed to write pages on each incident for the journal to be useful. I see from your entries that what you have in your journal is basically a card catalog to the library of your memories.
ReplyDeleteI'll get a blank journal tomorrow and try it for myself.
Hey, I remember my brother and I trying those Molotov coctails in the cow pasture!
ReplyDeleteAn excellent idea about journals, Charles.
Shauna, a card catalog is an excellent way to put it.
ReplyDeleteBernita, so you were a troublemaker? Why am I not surprised.
Wow, love the memories...what an excellent idea. Make your son begin one...he'll thank you for it down the road.
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