I grew up here.
It’s not an exact replica.
But if any of my siblings or either of my parents saw it,
They would know it.
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My parents had eight of us.
This isn’t even close to an accurate depiction of us.
But if any of us saw this…
We know it’s us.
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Mom would say “don’t take my picture damnit”.
Every. Single. Time. a camera was produced.
And though I can’t draw it in 3-D,
We all know this is what mom looks like.
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Dad had a peculiar way of listening to music.
And any of my siblings can tell you that right there dad would lay.
Regardless of what else was going on in the house.
Maybe it was Johnny Cash or The Kingston Trio.
But this scene is part of our files.
And every 4th of July he gave us our own fireworks.
And no better dinner was had,
Then the pancake dinners by mom.
And the top of the stairs with the glass door.
It amazes me still that I never remember one single pane of glass being broken.
Amazing,
Considering how much thumping we did on one another.
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And even though the details aren’t specific and clear.
And the visions are not perfectly reflected here.
When there are things in common that are treasured and loved.
We can recognize them in one another’s memories.
Love these pictures! I think the thing that I remember is my dad under the car, fixing things. You could just see one leg straight and one leg bent. My mom would dance for us while my sister and I ate. It was a lot of fun.
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Ending your comment with “it was a lot of fun” was a wonderful commentary on your childhood. 🙂 Funny how a little image can bring so much back for us. Even if it isn’t ‘our’ image.
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I love the way your dad listened to music. Down even with the speakers, enjoying the sounds on his own level. Sweet, Colleen. Your mom’s hand up to the camera is pretty cool, too. She knew what she didn’t want.
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🙂 You have no idea how many pictures we have of mom with hand up, or her head is a blur as she whips it around. And on occasion dad would wear his head phones to listen….but we could still hear it!!! We just stepped over him as we went about our chores etc….
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What an enjoyable post! Love the drawings.
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🙂 Thank you April!
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What an interesting life living in a pen house with a pen life! 😉
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🙂 It was Huck, it was! 😉
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Although you say mom when it’s mum, I know it’s my mum you’re talking about.
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🙂 Mom/Mum…..too many pictures of blurs and hands to know what to do with. I love the idea that our memories can be cued by images that may not have been our own. 🙂
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Nice memories.
Irene
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Thank you Irene. 🙂
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A perfect marriage of art and words – and feelings – Chatter Master. You’ve done it again.
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Thank you Koji. 🙂
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Perhaps I am wrong but I read sadness in your reflection of life Colleen. This is amazing, your pictures, your recollections of how your life was.
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Thank you Jen. Amazing. You are not wrong. Small smile for what was. And what cannot be. I’m not surprised you picked up on it.
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Sometimes being intuitive helps.. You’re welcome x
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These are great. Thank you for letting us take this memory tour with you.
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Thank you for coming along. 🙂
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Great pictures. They made me picture my own past in my mind. The kitchen, the fighting , the bedrooms and the couch and tv. Lovely.
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Thank you Tric. I’m glad you had a little tour of your own! 🙂
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LOVE the memoir post. This reminds me a bit of what the “The Middlest Sister” does in paper cartoons. Have you ever seen her blog? You might enjoy her stuff. I’d love to see more of this kind of thing. Really fun post, Colleen!
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
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I LOVE THE MIDDLEST SISTER!!!!!!!! She is incredible!!!!!!!! I can’t imagine the work that she puts in to those! And thank you Kathy! 🙂
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I can close my eyes,Colleen, and see where we lived growing up, walk the streets, enter the house, enter every room, In fact a few years ago I went back to my Home Town, but it’s not the same without the people who brought the place to life. Your pictures above are lovely, basic but drawn with an eye to the past, to love and to life.. Memories are a gift and a treasure chest. to delve into. I loved delving with you.. xPenx
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Thank you xPenx. I know what you mean about going back. I took my daughter there once. The house was so small. When I was growing up it was enormous! It held ten of us! And the street we played in seemed so narrow for all of the running and bike riding we did in it…. Thanks for the delving and sharing. 🙂
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I remember dad wearing black boots for dressing up and he’d always have one pants leg tucked in and one out.
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Ha! I never even saw that and can picture it!
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I like ALL your shadow people and stories but this one I especially l.o.v.e. 😀
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Thank you Tess! These are all actually part of a book I made for my siblings and mom for CHristmas. There’s some others I might share. I used the pictures but in a different context than in the book. They are so familiar to me…these images. 🙂
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Well, I enjoy them. Look forward to more anytime.
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😀
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😀 😀
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Nice reflective post! Loved the drawings too!
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Thank you Priceless Joy! 🙂
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I love this! I can’t imagine growing up with 7 siblings. It was always just me and my sister, and that was crazy enough.
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Oh the crazy is increased by the numbers (in my opinion!). And thank you! 🙂
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My favorite shadow people post! Smiled through the whole thing. What great memories!
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Thank you Paulette! 🙂 They are pretty good memories. 🙂
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I agree with Mustang.Koji, “A perfect marriage of art and words – and feelings – Chatter Master. You’ve done it again.” And I say, “You’re always welcome in my mind.”
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Oh No Ulterior Motive, thank you! How kind of you! 🙂
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Love this post and you drawings, its delightful! A glass door at the top of the stairs….Who could forget that?
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Hi Heart! The door was usually open. And I forgot to mention the old glass doorknob. I used to think it was a diamond. 🙂
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o, I love that!! too cute.
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Lovely memories, thank you for sharing. 🙂
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Thank you for reading! 🙂
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So beautiful! 🙂
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Thank you Rarasaur!!!! 🙂
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Colleen, Without doubt I enjoy your view of the world from which you began, the world of 8, the world of story book houses, and mom’s sayin Damn it. I know or suspect I know of similar pictures with meaning that myself and my 4 sibling could agree on, but somehow I think it would lack the clarity of yours. Thank you for the vision you present. Take care, Bill
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🙂 I surprised myself with the shadow folks Bill. Maybe it’s in their simplicity that they are so clear with their messages. And I bet you could come up with images that your siblings would immediately connect with and recognize.
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