Mini-memoir Monday: Critters

Do you have critters in your yard or neighborhood? Or did you when you were young? I'm not talking about cats and dogs. I'm talking about squirrels, raccoons, badgers, chipmunks, or even deer. What kinds of critters did you have? Did you exist in harmony or was it more like the movie, Groundhog's Day, where you were perpetually trying to get rid of them?

We have squirrels that we co-exist with. My husband calls them rats with tails. But I think they are cute. I like to watch them, but I just want them to visit, not move in. When we started having problems with them tearing shingles off the roof and eating all of the plums off our trees, I looked for a way to discourage them. I learned that the best way to discourage them is to have a dog with a loud bark, which I have. So, whenever I think Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel and their associated friends and family, might be getting a little too comfortable, I let my dog chase them up into the trees for a few days. So far, it's worked. But it doesn't stop them from visiting.

So, for today's mini-memoir entry, write about the critters in your yard. Past or present, these memories may lead to others. Whatever it sparks for you, write it down. And as ever, Write Now - because it's later than you think.

Mini-memoir Monday: Bloomers

No, I'm not talking about something you wear. But it's the perfect time to think about flowers. Here in the pacific northwest, the tulips and daffodils are long wilted. Iris' are at the end of their blooming. But summer flowers are beginning to take their place.

Assignment: What do flowers mean to you? What memories do they evoke? What if you see a yellow rose, a pink petunia or even a yellow dandelion (hey, kids think they're flowers!)? Is there a flower that never fails to push a memory to the surface?

I have a few of my own. What are yours? While you're at it, ask your loved one about theirs. There's no time like the present to ask about the past! Do it today.

As always, Write Now - because it's later than you think. ~Karen

Mini-memoir Monday: Recess!

We all have to remember recess, right? Recess is one thing that has survived generations. But I bet what we did during recess has changed some - maybe.

As for me, I remember watching the clock, waiting for the minute hand to be just so. Then the long, low ring of the bell. We played on the monkey bars, flipping round and round or just hanging there. I had constant calluses on my hands. We played kickball and I was actually pretty darned good at it! It was the only sport that I excelled at. Too bad there wasn't a National Kickball League. Sometimes we played hopscotch or marbles.

In later elementary years, my best friend, Kim and I noticed a neglected part of the playground. It was in a back corner, far away from the school. No grass grew there, but there was a cement ledge to sit on. We decided to spend a lot of our time there. We played and pretended and talked childish talk. Eventually, other friends joined us.

Writing memories down is an interesting thing. As I write this, more and more memories come to the surface. That's the power of writing, isn't it?

What are your recess memories? Do tell. And ask an elder about theirs. Do it today. There's no time like the present to ask about the past! ~Karen

Mini-memoir Monday

What was your favorite school cafeteria food when you were young? I've talked to a bunch of people about this on Facebook. Amazing how a single food can take you right back to the olden days. For me it was;

Cheese Zombies
Zippy Dogs
Hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes

It was also at the cafeteria table that I learned that I love apple crisp, but only like apple pie. Sorry, Mom.

PS The photo is Edison elementary school where I was in grades 1-6. I'm so glad I took a picture of it before the bulldozed it for a newer version!

Mini-memoir Monday: Grandma in the Kitchen

Ready for a new mini-memoir assignment? Well, ready or not, here it comes. My Grandma Hall made the best spaghetti ever. I can just picture her in her kitchen, apron tied around her waist, steam rolling from the stove. Her spaghetti sauce was simple - no exotic veggies or expensive Italian spices. My grandmother looked like she belonged in the kitchen (unlike me) and I don't mean in a women's lib kind of way. She just fit. She was at ease there.

So, here's your assignment; Tell me about your grandma in the kitchen.

Mini-Memoir Monday: Chilly

"I haven't thought about that in years?"

"I'd completely forgotten about that?"

Those are phrases that often escape our lips when a something stirs a memory. It happens all the time, but often, we don't give it another thought. We don't let it blossom. And it can start with a single word or a single item that you see in the grocery store or on the television.

One word is all you often need to evoke a memory. This week, let's focus on all things frozen. Choose a word below and write about the memory that first comes to your mind;

* Popsicle
* Ice Cube
* T.V. Dinner or frozen dinner
* Snowstorm
* Icicle
* Snow Day
* Frozen
* Stuck in the Snow
* Frigid
* Below Zero
* Snowplow
* Shoveling Snow
* Antarctica
* Alaska

We could go on and on, couldn't we. But you get the idea. Did one of those pull a memory out of the cobwebs for you? Several did for me. Do share? I always love hearing your stories. But if you don't share it with me, share it with SOMEONE. Your story matters!

And Write Now - Because it IS Later than you Think! ~Karen

Mini-Memoir Monday: Spring Sprung

What memories does this time of year bring to mind? My mom loves flowers. She can't pass a flower without stopping to admire it and sometimes even talk to it as if it understands her. Do you react to flowers that way? Does someone you love?

What about specific flowers? What comes to mind when you hear the word; rose, daffodil, or tulip? What color do you see when you hear those words? What shape forms? What smells? Where does it take you? Is a recent memory or one far in the past? Reverse this - if you immediately were taken to your childhood, instead think of a more recent memory. If you immediately thought of the vase of flowers on your kitchen table, stretch your memory a bit and think of the flowers of your past.

Now write that memory down. Open your laptop or your notebook. At the very least, open your mouth. Somebody needs to hear that story. Tell it. Share it here or with your family.

Above all, Write Now - Because it's Later than you Think! ~Karen

Mini-Memoir Monday: Music in Your Head

photo: bandstand at Pioneer Park, Walla Walla.

Music is amazing at bringing memories back. Whether it's a tune from your teen years or from a few weeks ago at church, music has a way of forming pictures in your head. I think we've all had the experience of hearing a song that we'd completely forgotten about, and having it jog a memory. We remember the lyrics, or most of them anyway, to a song that we haven't sung in 30-years. But what's more amazing is that songs will often take us to a place we'd forgotten about or a memory long-forgotten. Mental pictures are formed around songs.

For example, perhaps it's a song from the movie Grease. When you let the song penetrate, you can see your friends at the drive-in, watching the movie, goofing around and trying to get the attention of the popular kid from math class - the one who didn't know you existed. You remember belting it out with your best friend, at her birthday party. You remember pretending to be Olivia Newton John in front of your full length mirror and singing into your curling iron. And the memories, like notes of a song, continue.

Today your mini-memoir challenge is to write about music.

Challenge:
Turn on a radio station with the oldies or even one of the T.V. channels that have stations solely devoted to the 60's, 70's, 80's and beyond. Go about your business; cleaning, cooking, whatever. I guarantee a song will come on that will surprise you. You'll find yourself singing along. Now that you have that song stuck in your head (you're welcome, by the way), dig a little deeper.

* What feeling do you have when you hear it? Not all songs bring happy memories; that's OK. Feel whatever it is. Sometimes our most painful memories are our strongest.
* Are there people tied to that song?
*Did someone special sing that song? When did you first hear it? Where were you?
* What does the song make you want to do? Lie in a meadow of wildflowers? Jump off a tall building? Scream? Cry? Laugh?

Write your memories down. Just let them flow. This exercise will likely lead to a memory about a specific person or group of people. Write about that. Let your writing wander. There's nothing wrong with that!

Write Now - It's Later than you Think.

Mini Memoir Monday: The Photo That Got Away

photo: Sri Lankan house spider. Birthdays, Christmas, the first day of school, vacations at the beach; most of us have photos of these special events. For times like these, we pack our camera in the diaper bag, purse, suitcase or act like a tourist and hang it around our neck. But what about those times that we didn't have a camera. We are creatures of habit and sometimes that is not a good thing. It's the ordinary times that we tend not to take photos of. Here are a few examples from my own life;

*Watching Lawrence Welk with my grandparents
*Baton twirling lessons
*The times my grandma tried to teach me to paint
*Walking my kids to school
*Trips to see my sister in Seattle
*The kids riding their bikes in front of our house
*Great adventures in our neighborhood with my best friend

The wonderful thing about memories is that they just sit there, waiting to be tickled so they can share their story. So even if you didn't take photographs of every single moment in your life (and who does?), you can create a picture with your words. In fact, I would venture to say that the picture you paint with words will be even more vivid than a photo taken in the best light.

Assignment: Over the next day or so, jot down things you wish you had photos of. Think of your childhood all the way up to present day. When you've got a list of ten or so, pick one to write about. Give your mini-memoir a beginning, middle, and end. Who was there? What were they doing? How did it feel? Describe the setting as you would to someone who hasn't been there. Use all of your senses to create the feel of the photo in your imagination, then write it on the page.

Care to share? I'd love to hear about it!

Until next time... Write Now - Because it's Later than you Think

Mini-Memoir Monday:Everything AND the Kitchen Sink

As we get further and further from our childhood, we tend to think that we can't really remember much about it. That is so, not true! I think we've all had the experience of smelling something or seeing something at a yard sale or antique store and suddenly a memory floods us.

Assignment #1: Think about a kitchen sink in your childhood - then look around you at the kitchen around it. It could be in the first house you remember as a child, or the one you kissed your first boyfriend in as a teenager. It may be from the home you grew up in or it may be a relatives house, or a best friend's house. What is the first kitchen that entered your mind? Was it your grandmothers; the one with the garden right outside the back door? Was it your cousins - where they always a pitcher of grape Koolaid in the avocado-colored green fridge.

Begin at the kitchen sink; what color is it? Is it smooth or cracked in places? What do the faucets look like? What's in the sink? Now, expand your vision. What does the rest of the kitchen look like? What did it feel like? Where did you sit? Who is standing at the stove? Who is standing in the doorway? Are there windows? What do you see outside? Is there a centerpiece on the table? What does the floor feel like. Are the counters clean and smooth? What sits on the counter? Who cleans this kitchen? Who never cleans it? What smells congregate in this kitchen? Besides cooking and eating, what else is done in this kitchen? Now add yourself to that kitchen. What do you feel there? Does it evoke a memory?

Now, just start writing. Begin with the strongest memory you have. It may be a physical aspect of the kitchen, or it may be something that happened in that kitchen. It may be something that took place on a regular basis or it may be something very specific. There is no wrong way to write your memories. Just write them down.

Congratulations! You've just written your first mini-memoir. I'd be thrilled to have you post it here! Whatever you do with it, don't keep it to yourself. Read it to somebody. Reminisce with someone. Put a date on it and promise me you'll never throw it away, no matter how silly you may think it sounds later. And remember - all assignments can be done in interview fashion with your loved ones. Adapt and make it your own.

See you next Monday with another Mini-Memoir Monday. But in the meantime, I can't wait to hear about the kitchen of your childhood!