Give me a memory of your mother, aunt or grandmother.
I remember my grandma got Bell's Palsy. We were at my Aunt Carol's house and one side of grandma's face just drooped. Kind of like when you have dental work done and you can't feel your one cheek and jaw. But we kids, my cousins and I, were around 7-10ish at the time and we thought it was SO FUNNY!! So, we kept asking grandma to eat different things to watch it dribble down her chin because she couldn't feel it. Ice cream. Soda Pop. Whatever. We thought it was 'pee your pants' hysterical at the time. Looking back I'm almost a little ashamed of us. She seemed to be such a good sport about it. I don't remember her getting upset or angry at all. I think she probably just stopped playing along. That story is also my inspiration for the title of the memoir I thinkI ought to write about her one day. I've always planned on calling it "Grandma's Lips."
Give me a memory of the color red.
I was actually just out shopping with a friend tonight and re-told this story. I was at a JCPenney's once trying on tops to go to some event of some sort. And I found this really cute red cable-knit style sweater. It had a criss cross in the chest and a higher seam to go just under your bust and it was pretty fitted. Well, I put it on and stepped out of the dressing room and started laughing so hard!! I realized that my 'girls' looked exactly like eyes (i think it was an incredibly poor choice of bra) and then my belly button was TOTALLY visible right in the middle and then the way it fell across the bottom of my Santa Belly made me look like a walking smiley face. Take a minute and picture this .... CRACKED ME UP!!!!!
Give me a memory of sound.
I am enthralled with the hum of cicadas. I love that rise and fall of their buzz. I usually think "This is summer, this is MY indication that summer has arrived." It is almost as good as chirping crickets or croaking frogs. Actually a swamp full of croaking frogs would probably be my all time favorite noise ever, but the cicadas just hold a special place in my heart.
Give me a picture of a teacher you had in elementary school.
hmmmm, so many to choose from. In fifth grade I had Mrs. Rousseau. She had a solid wood podium at the front of our class. She had frizzy, short, gray hair. She was incredibly stern, but a good teacher. She told my mom at a conference that I was 'more mature' than the rest of the class, as I was sitting there holding my Cabbage Patch Premie doll. She also taught us 'health' and more importantly the sex ed portion of that class. As an opener she leaned across the podium, and pointed at everyone, and in an incredibly stern teacher voice, declared "If anyone laughs at the words penis or vagina, you will go directly to the principal's office." I was barely paying attention at the time and actually laughed at something a classmate said or did and was terrified that I would get sent to the office for it. She either didn't notice me laughing or knew it wasn't a result of paying attention in class.
Tell me about a meal you loved.
I went out to dinner with a friend a few months ago. To a Ground Round about a mile and a half from my house. I got this cheesey, chicken, tortelloni concoction and it was absolutely divine! I love cheese, I'm from Wisconsin, whaddya expect. But the cheese sauce on this perfectly cooked tortelloni with high quality chicken clearly having been marinating in that sauce was one of the most delicious things in recent memory. I was very sad to lose that meal while I went through my lactose intolerance phase. (which I cured by having my galbladder removed, in case you were wondering why it was a phase.)
Tell me about a time you remember rain.
This morning was a lovely way to wake up. Well-rested and awakened by the pitter patter of a thunderstorm rolling in and the occasional far off roll of thunder. But my favorite thing about rain is what it speaks to me. In college I was walking in the slightest of sprinkles and simply being aware of God and His Goodness towards me. I felt like he said to me that each raindrop that hit my skin was ike a kiss form him. As a person who thrives and requires a fair degree of physical contact, that spoke VOLUMES to me. It still does.
10 smells I remember.
Grandma's avon lotion
Ex-boyfriend's colognes
rain
teakwood 7 cardamom partylite candles
garlic
skin, when you're close to someone, like somoene you're dating and you get close enough to smell their skin, not cologne or soap.
enjoli, mom's perfume
fresh cut grass
lake water
wood smoke
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