1) I was born in Walla Walla, Washington. Walla Walla means "water, water" in some Native American language even though it is pretty arid there, so maybe that's why our wet Pacific Northwest winters don't bother me like they do so many other people. Either that or it's a genetic influence; my mom was born and raised in very wet Ketchikan, Alaska.
2) My dad was born and raised on a "century farm" (in one family for over 100 years) in western Kansas; we lived there for awhile during my toddler years and I still visit from time to time. I have fond memories of the old barn and adore the grand old farmhouse my great-grandparents built. If I had unlimited funds, I'd buy the house from my uncle (who no longer lives in it), totally restore it, and live there. I'd miss the beauty of the NW, though.
3) As a kid I was a very slow eater; I can remember sitting at the table long after everyone else had finished. (My mom says I would sometimes protest that I couldn't eat my food because the "colors didn't go together.") In high school I learned the opposite habit, and have been a fast eater (probably too fast) ever since.
4) My first commercial endeavor was a curb-side art gallery in Loma Linda, CA when I was in kindergarten or first grade. I set up a TV tray and a chair and peddled my paintings; Mom says that she and the landlord of our duplex were both customers.
5) I don't remember not being able to swim or liking the water. I especially loved to dive, and did so fearlessly until I did dove off the high dive at a pool in Lincoln, NE when I was a high schooler and hit the bottom where it sloped up to the shallow end. I cracked my two front teeth, and scraped the bridge of my nose, my chin, and both shoulders in the impact. It's a wonder I wasn't knocked out and left at the mercy of the lifeguards to pull me up to safety! I haven't dived off a high board since.
6) I don't remember not being horse crazy. I drew horses, read about horses, collected (toy) horses, pretended to BE a horse, and spent time with horses every chance I got. Then we moved to my step-dad's family farm in Texas, and my horse dreams started coming true. They've been coming true ever since.
7) My seventh and eighth grade years I attended a one-room, one-teacher school in Hereford, TX.
8) In school I loved sports and was highly competitive. In grade school I hated playing with the girls, because most of them were wimpy and whiny. The boys were tougher and faster and much more my speed, and soccer was the name of the game. In high school my athletic horizons were broadened to volleyball, badminton, floor hockey, basketball, gymnastics and track and field. I set several track records at our small parochial school. I also broke the lower bar on the uneven bar set with my thighs when I didn't extend properly for a "giant;" that little accident caused the most spectacular bruises I have ever had - or seen - in my life. I learned to play racquetball in college, and started running longer distances, but only got up to a half-marathon road race, never my goal of a full marathon.
9) My boyfriend (now DH) did not like the way I looked when I was running those distances. "Too lean;" NOT what I wanted to hear, because at that time my self-image was probably at its highest.
10) I have never had long hair.
11) My dark blue eyes are often mistaken for brown; they have a golden ring around the pupil.
12) I have always had crooked fingers and toes, particularly my pinkies and "little piggies."
13) My maternal grandfather was a commercial fisherman, as are my uncle and a cousin. I get sea-sick . . . and car-sick . . . and air-sick . . . and most definitely spinning-carnival-ride-sick . . . . I've gotten good at keeping emissions under control, however.
14) I've had pet dogs, cats, fish, a hamster, birds, horses, cows, guinea pigs, goats, and sheep. I wanted a pet gerbil and a pet turtle when I was a kid, but the former was banned in California, and my mom wouldn't let me have the latter because of the risk of salmonella.
15) As early as I can remember, I have prided myself on being able to make (to me) realistic animal sounds. It embarrasses my DH when I whinny.
16) As a high school student, I worked for the biology teacher; in the school cafeteria; and driving tractor for the neighbor. During college I worked in a health food store as a bagger, clerk, stockboy, and baker's assistant; as the art director for a campus magazine; for a small-animal veterinarian; and as a receptionist and aerobics teacher at a gym. This was not for spending money; this was to help pay for my tuition.
17) I can wiggle my ears. I passed this talent on to my son.
18) I listen to the same instrumental CD every night when I go to bed.
19) To varying degrees of proficiency (none of them very high), I learned to play the piano, clarinet and accordion. I still have the accordian and a piano.
20) I love the look and feel of smooth wood, polished stone, and leather goods, but I don't wear earth-tone clothes.
21) I have never fainted, nor been knocked unconscious. I do have a cousin who was in a coma for nine months. No, she did not come out of it "okay."
22) I have never been in an altered state of consciousness brought about by anything inhaled, injected or ingested (unless you count nitrous oxide at the dentist's office).
23) My mom and grandma both made custard when I was a child; it is one of my favorite "comfort foods" but I don't think I've ever made it. (Now that we have chickens, I should!) On a related note, the one food I could overdose on (and die happy) is creme brulee, although I rarely indulge.
24) I don't butter my bread (good bread doesn't need it, and it saves more calories for dessert. :-)
25) The one modern appliance I could easily live without is the clothes dryer. The one modern convenience I would miss the most is indoor plumbing.
That's it for now from . . .
6 comments:
These lists are fun huh? Thanks for sharing!
ok, let me get this straight.
You whinny too, AND can wiggle your ears?
You played with boys and the girls were whiney? You always liked horses, and peddled your art.
That's it, I finally found my long lost twin.
SNORT!
I can't believe you can wiggle your ears AND whinny like a horse.
I can do cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, goats, and growl convincingly.
BTW, dear husband hates it when I bleat in the store to get his attention.
Great post!
But butter is the frosting on bread, the dessert. What a great list - I'm glad you did it. We do have a lot in common.
I'm taking a lot of teasing about the accordian. I wish I still had it. The bellows were baby blue, the body white marble and my name ran down the face in rhinestones. How could my parents have sold it?! Even if I was married and living in a different state~
Awesome list! Glad you decided to play along. Fuzzy Husband can wiggle his ears, which I hope gets passed along in the gene pool. I don't whinny, but I can do a blood-chilling (if you are scared of wolves) howl.
#23-custard! I used to make it for my kids when they were little, oh it brings back memories. Thanks for that. So, after having lived in different areas around the country as a child, do you have any sort of regional accent?
Karen, having spent my preschool and grade school years in CA, I think I have pretty clear, unaccented speech (but I tend to talk too fast). However, having lived in TX with real Texan family around, I can slip into a drawl when the occasion fits!
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