Chip and Dale Designs

                               Ears, oh my ears

    Isn’t it funny how certain things transport us back in time immediately? For example, I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. One of the things they did was flush my ears. I automatically started to panic when I heard what they were going to do. When I was a kid, I had many ear infections, and they hurt. So, I ended up at the doctor's office for frequent flushes. My doctor back then seemed to be 150 years old, and no bedside manner that I can recall. It was all business. When I closed my eyes in the office yesterday I could smell his office and also picture the glass jars he had filled with various torture instruments. I had to talk myself down during the whole process yesterday- grow up, you big freak, this doesn’t even hurt, etc. It did help that the little gal who was flushing them was wonderful and we joked and chatted while she was roto rooting my ears.

How I remember the doctor's office and his instruments:

 

 How my brother remembers the doctor's office:

 

    It isn’t always experiences that take me back- it can also be a conversation with someone. I was talking to one of my brothers a few weeks ago, and a few things popped into my head that I had not thought about in a long time. We started reminiscing and even more things came up. We laughed until we cried- what a great way to end a phone call! One of things that I recalled like it was yesterday was the wild dogs/mini bike episode. I must have been about 6 or 7. He had a mini bike- which I never really got to ride. So, one day he asked me to go with him to my sisters’ apartment. (Hanging out with him was awesome- he was 7 years older than I and it made me feel so special when he wanted to hang out with me J ). Now, she lived about 7 or 8 miles from us if we were driving, but if we took the railroad tracks that ran behind our house it was probably only 3 or 4 miles and we ended up in her front yard. Convenient! So, off we went. Now, I do not remember the ride to her place, or the visit at all. It was the ride home that got interesting.

 How I remember my brothers mini-bike:

 

How my brother remembers what it looked like:

 

   Now, this mini bike did not go very fast. Plus, it had 2 riders, and even though back then I was the size of a toothpick it still added weight to the bike. We came around a bend in the tracks and all of a sudden 30 (ok, maybe 6) wild dogs started to chase us! Of course, they were closer to me than to him as I was on the back. I was screaming at him to go faster, and he was screaming that he was going as fast as he could. I am sure there were plenty of F* bombs thrown in when he yelled that but I blocked them out. The dogs finally gave up their pursuit. I am sure they figured if they ripped me off of the bike they would have to put up with a skinny little girl screaming bloody murder and I wasn’t much worth it since there was no meat to be had. We proceeded home. And to the best of my knowledge that ended my rides on the tracks. It did not, however, end my brothers’ love of his mini bike. It did, however, cause him hearing loss in his right ear. Just kidding- but I bet his ears rang for a few days.

How I remember the wild dog pack:

How my brother remembers the wild dog pack:

 

  Several months later, he promised me that when he got home from mini bike riding that he would come push me on my swings. I heard him come in to the house, and I ran out back and waited. And waited. And yelled to him- where are you?? This went on for days. (Ok. Maybe just an hour or so). Finally, my parents checked on him. He had taken a huge fall on his mini bike and had snuck upstairs past my parents so they wouldn’t know. Well, the dork ended up in the hospital for several days. I remember when he came home I actually gave up watching Mr. Rogers and the Brady Bunch so he could watch Gilligan’s Island-I was such a good little sister. Not really – I was a brat and the baby which is a lethal combination. This was a big sacrifice for me- Joe Namath was on the Brady Bunch once and what if it was that episode and I missed it? I was going to marry Broadway Joe someday- we would have matching fur coats when we wed- and I would have an endless supply of pantyhose. I could not miss seeing my future husband on tv! Yes, I was a pervert even back then. But I digress-that trip to the hospital ended the mini bike era at our house. So sad-

How I remember my brother after his mini-bike accident:

How my brother remembers his mini-bike accident:

 

   Smell is another powerful transporter of time. My mother could grow anything. Too bad she still isn’t around- she could set me up growing pot out here in Colorado- our batches would be awesome and I would be rich! Anyway, she grew the most beautiful gardenias. I have always loved that smell. About 10 years ago I was walking through a nursery and wanted a plant for mother’s day. Lo and behold- there were gardenia plants! I leaned over, took one whiff and BAM- started bawling in the middle of the damn place! I took the plant home as there was snot all over it and proceeded to kill it within the week. Now when I need a gardenia smell fix I just go candle shopping. I can’t kill anything there. Well, I could, but they won’t let me carry a gun anymore.

How I remember Mom's garden:

How my brother remembers Mom's gardenia garden:

 

      Here is hoping that by writing some of these things down my own kids will have some sort of idea why I am the way I am. Poor kids-they don’t have a chance!

    Have a good week everyone