1978
Notes written by mom in my baby book.
“Age 4 in 1978 your favorite toys are little Fisher Price people and houses. You also like Lone Ranger. You love Wayne and sis but you always fight with sis. I think it is because you and her share the same toys. She is 8 (50 lbs) and when is 10. You can now draw. You draw surprisingly well and can color in the lines. Sis teaches you a lot of things and how to draw. You weigh 30 lbs.”
I remember when mom worked that I would stay with granny Muriel. Papaw was hardly there because he was working part time as a traveling wholesale salesman. I remember once I went with him. He sold supplies such as bb’s, fishing supplies, sunglasses, toys, air fresheners and other things like this to the country stores around the cave run lake. He was well known as a good honest man. I remember seeing and admiring him that day as he talked to the store people and sold them things. He was not pushy. He usually won them over because he could talk for hours. He knew a little something about everything. I remember he loved vienna and crackers. That was what he would take with him to eat.
Back to staying with granny. I remember we would make up the beds in the morning then I would go and watch Captain Kangaroo. I would play with my toys and listen to her singing and dancing while she would cook. She was so much fun to be with. She would always take time to get me in the famous granny Muriel leg lock. I could never get out of that hold.
I remember when she would eat she would mix up all of her food together and eat it. I asked her why she did that one day. She said that it was a Caudill mess. Her maiden name was Caudill. She said, “what does it matter, it will all be mixed together in your stomach?” That is a typical thing that granny would say. I think she told me that her granny used to do that and that is why she did it.
I remember that I used to plunder in her drawers and closet. I came across one day some old toys: Mr. Pulse, Johnny West, GI Joe, an electric airplane and several others. They were Wayne’s old toys. Granny would make me put them up but I would always sneak and get into them. I was know for sneaking and plundering. One day I was looking at her China cabinet. Man, there were so many awe-some looking things in there that needed me to touch and play with. I looked around, opened the door and began climbing the selves. Yes, you guessed it. When I got to the top self they gave away. Every self fell as well as me. I broke almost everything in the cabinet. I did not mean to and I felt so badly about that. My butt did as well after she and dad got a hold of me.
I remember that I used to have a beanie doll that I had to have before I could go to sleep. I loved that doll. I named her beans. I had forgotten about her until granny gave it to me after Allie was born. I told her that I would give it to her someday when she is old enough to take care of it.
One day granny and I went fishing. We did this often. We did not go to the pond that day we went to the deep hole. The deep hole was by our house. It was where a covert was put under the road and caused the water to be about 5 foot deep. We used to love to swim there. However, at this time I was not a swimmer, I was only age 4. We got there and granny realized that she had forgotten the night crawlers we had caught. That was always fun to catch night crawlers under rocks. She said that she would be right back and to sit still. I sat still on the rock for about all of 30 seconds. What, did you think I would sit there the whole time? No, I just had to get a closer look at the deep water. Well, I did, literally. I slipped in; all I remember was looking up and trying to hold onto the rock and screaming. In the struggle I floated to my back and away from the rock. Dad was mowing and could not hear me. I was starting to sink. I don’t remember after that. Needless to say I used my first of my nine lives. I was spared that day.
We used to listen to our 8-track player. Our favorites were Flash Gordan, Star wars soundtrack, Muppets, Carpenters, mom liked Barry Manalow and Kenny Rogers.
I think it was this summer we went to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. We also went to the beach there. I can’t remember a lot about it but I do remember seeing the colonies. They had cannons, people who were dressed up like pilgrims. We got to go on one of the big ships like the Mayflower. We all got to be put in the stockade and had our pictures taken.
That Christmas I was traumatized. The new Lone Ranger and Taunto dolls were the toys to have. I wrote Santa and told him, “I want the Lone Ranger doll”. I woke up on Christmas morning. I was excited with anticipation. I had waited for so long. I ran into the living room and stopped dead in my tracks as if I had seen a snake. In my section of Christmas toys, I did not see the Lone Ranger! But what I did see was Dan. Yeah Dan, the trusty side kick of the Lone Ranger. What is that? No one wanted, Dan! Who is Dan anyway? You never even see him on the shows. Dan? Answer me this question. Why is the Lone Ranger called the Lone Ranger if he has two sidekicks, Taunto and Dan? Whatever. Receiving Dan from Santa that year started me thinking about the whole Santa thing. This started a search to know the truth about if he was real or not. No one gets Dan for Christmas.
It is funny now, but it took my many hours of counseling sessions to be able to put it behind me. No I am just kidding. I enjoyed the toy. In fact they told me later that Santa had ran out of them and that they even tried to help him out by running all over Lexington to find a Lone Ranger doll.
I got such a great laugh and enjoyment out of the Arnold Swartznagger movie “Turbo Man” from two years ago. I could just see mom and dad going through the same thing he did trying to get a Lone Ranger doll because they did not get one early enough. About a month after Christmas I came home from school and mom gave me both the Lone Ranger and Taunto dolls. Now all I can think about now is that my day is coming. Every year there is a new toy out there that ever child wants and every parent can’t find. Oh man, I dread it!
Star-wars was big that year. Wayne, sis and I got some of them. Down stairs mom made us a play station. No not the kind that children have today. This was a ping pond table. She cut the tops off 2 litter plastic pop bottles and turned them upside down for houses. She took colored hospital tape and made roads. Man, it doesn’t get any better than that. We could not have liked it any more if it was bought in a store. I am convinced after having small children that they love these kinds of things better than store bought ones. Because I know I loved the fact that mom took the time to spent with us and make it for us.
The top songs in 1978 were:
Le Freak -- Chic
Shadow Dancing -- Andy Gibb
Stayin' Alive -- Bee Gees
Night Fever -- Bee Gees
I Go Crazy -- Paul Davis
Kiss You All Over -- Exile
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water -- Andy Gibb
Boogie Oogie Oogie -- A Taste Of Honey
Hot Child In The City -- Nick Gilder
Baby Come Back -- Player
