And now for a list that will mean completely nothing to do.....

....but it means the world to me.

And now, a partial list of words or phrases that bring back memories from early on even until today.....but in no particular order.

--Mommy, I'm finished!!!
--Thursday morning at Food Fair
--playing in the telephone booth while Mama checks out at Food Fair
--one hamburger, one small bag of fries, one small coke...one dollar at Hardees.
--the small hill in the back yard which was the only place there were pebbles the size of pop rocks. Great spot to play, conserved them pebbles.
--Wild strawberries ready for picking late May.
--The garden. Pop's domain. Behind the wooden basketball goal.
--standing in front of the TV happy, for some reason, that NC State had just upset UCLA.
--Johnny and the Marbles.
--This anthology starred Johnny Kasale, the pastor of the town church.
--...his brother Dave, the egg deliverer...
--...George Carson, the big fat silver marble with a small smooth portion...
--...Johnny Neat, the new guy in town
--...Arteen and Washington, the brothers who played piano and organ at the church.

Various and sundry other marble people. This was back in the day when you used your IMAGINATION to play for hours. All it took was a quilt, Matchbox-sized and larger cars, and, well, marbles. Pretty simple stuff, and lots of fun.

Kasale was the brainchild of the founder of Johnny and the Marbles, my brother. Carson was my sister's main character. And, when they decided I was old enough to play and not cause a ruckus, I brought in Johnny Neat.

You should have seen the marble evacuation when there was a chance of a REAL flood in our basement, where we played.

--jealous that my first week of first grade, my teacher called someone else our "window opener" knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt I could do the same thing.

--the afternoon Mama subbed for Ms. Thompson for the last 30 minutes of school, and how I straightened the desks in the room to make sure it looked good for her.

--my friends who were twins (I sat between them at lunch), and how sad it was when they moved away.

--reciting Lizzie Borden in the 2nd grade
--THE oak tree on the playground
--the day I faked a stomach ache to get out of recess (scared of a bee, I believe).
--Dating Game at 2pm, Newlywed Game at 230
--I played my own game show, "The Money Game", during Split Second when it aired at 1230....

--MAJOR crush on Toni Tennille when her and her captain had a variety show.
--watching Flip Wilson
--watching Helen Reddy
--while my brother listened to the Waltons one night (TV Channel 6 is also at 87.7 FM), I remember being wrapped up in my bedspread feeling more comfortable in a bed going to sleep than I ever had before or since.
--waking up to dry poo-poo on my forehead when I was, like, five, then trying to explain to Mama that it was because of the humdity or barometer I heard about on the weather that night.
--Baltimore Orioles baseball on WFLS in Fredericksburg.
--naming my cat Al Bumbry, the Orioles' centerfielder.
--seeing my brother name his Bernie Parent, after the goalie of the Philadelphia Flyers.
--One word: Filmstrips.
--Duke, the first dog I remember.
--Getting Teko from a "house pound" on Route 33 near where they are building huge homes now near the river.
--Teko was/is my all time favorite dog.
--Saturday afternoon equaled, 5pm Wrestling, 6pm Hot Dogs and B&M Baked Beans.
--Trying to avoid the Donny and Marie show at all costs.
--The Mandrell Sisters, too.
--When Channel 8's signal went from a tower in Petersburg to one in Richmond, and now we could watch Happy Days in a clear picture.
--Their slogan was, "Welcome to Sharper, Brighter, Clearer TV8."
--Shock Theatre.
--The CBS Late Movie, when they really showed movies, not Kojak reruns.
--Cold when you woke up? Dress while sitting as close to the heating vent on the hallway floor as you could!
--Oakland Raider pajamas.


....Part Two coming......