Two of my nieces have birthdays in February, as well as one of my late nephews. I’ve said before that they were more like little sisters and brothers to me, so their birthday month seems a good time to share some memories of their childhood days.
My niece, Lita, is only five years younger than me, so we were very close as children. We played Barbies and beauty shop, rode our bikes in the driveway and played on the swing set. For my birthday one year, someone gave me a tall plastic bottle which contained lilac-scented body wash, and that became our ‘genie’ bottle ala I Dream Of Jeannie.
I remember so well the house where Lita and her parents were living when this picture was taken. Mom and I would frequently spend the night with them.
My late nephew, Steven, (Lita’s brother) was also born in February. He was seven years younger than me, and I remember very well the day he was brought home from the hospital. I don’t have many pictures of Steven. In this one, he’s with my niece, Donna and her sister, Barb. This was taken by the James River at one of our yearly family reunions. That’s the James River Idle Fleet (Reserve Fleet) in the background.
Speaking of my niece, Barb, her birthday is also in February. I was twelve when she was born, and I disliked school so much, I clearly remember thinking: “When Barb starts school, I’ll be graduating!”. Looking back, I wonder why that thought was comforting to me; guess it was light at the end of the tunnel.
I also remember well the house where this was taken. It was an old farmhouse out in the country, and I spent many happy hours there playing with Barb and her sister and brothers. Thanksgivings and Christmases were spent here, and there was lots of outdoor play during the warm weather months. I can almost hear that screen door slamming, before we were warned once again not to do that.
We didn’t take many pictures back then, since folks didn’t have cell phones with a camera app. That makes the photos we do have even more special.
~These Days Of Mine~
these days of mine 