Ask Annie for Dec. 24, 2003 Dear Readers,
For some reason, this Christmas more than others has made me think of my childhood.
I found a felt mitten that says "1969" on the back and has a reindeer appliqued on the front with some old sequins and spangles, and all I have to do is look at that thing and I'm back in our old house on the beaver pond. I remember the silliest things, like that my mom didn't buy bandaids. There were too many of us, and we always sneaked into them and used them to tape flies to window panes, or something, so when she did buy them she hid them from us. You had to be dripping blood to get a bandaid. No squeezing the wound, either.
My parents took us all kinds of places. Once we all got to get in the back of the big hay truck with its wooden sides and cover up with blankets, and we headed off to the ocean. Not just us kids, either, but older cousins and an aunt an uncle or two. It was great fun. It was April, so we got to the ocean and went out on the beach and it started to snow, sideways. We found whatever shelter we could and climbed back in the hay truck, finally, to get out of the blizzard. I'm sure for the adults it was a wet, miserable trip, but I recall the coziness of rumbling along, warm and sleepy, with snoring siblings and cousins tucked in tight all around me. I knew that if my dad was there, I was safe.
With the way people behave now, we don't take for granted anymore the kind of solid, good parenting my folks gave us kids. Anyway, I don't. I love them for it.
Annie
Please write to: Annie, P.O. Box 1084, Eatonville,WA 98328
E-mail: letters_annie@hotmail.com
Past Ask Annies:
Dec. 24, 2003 Memories of Good Parents
Dec. 17, 2003 Christmas Gift for Wife?
Dec. 10, 2003 Thanks to Food Bank Helpers
Dec. 3, 2003 Child's Names on Belongings & Appreciating Family at Holidays
Nov. 26, 2003 Big Family Thanksgiving with Paper Plates
Nov. 12, 2003 Husband Driven Nuts To Do Crafts By Wife
Nov. 5, 2003 Dreading Husband's Retirement
Oct. 29, 2003 Move back home from boyfriend's house?
Oct. 22, 2003 Did I raise my daughter to do these things?
Oct. 15, 2003 Misunderstanding about School Workers' Kindness
Oct. 8, 2003 Prayer for Brown Sisters Killed and Change Schoolyear to Oct.1 to June 30
Oct. 1, 2003 Response About Non-tipping Lotto Winner
Sept. 24, 2003 Church-goers Inattentive
Sept. 17, 2003 Friend Sells My Stuff on Ebay
Sept. 10, 2003 Lottery Winner Didn't Tip Clerk
Sept. 3, 2003 Business Insults to Consumers
Aug. 27, 2003 Divison of Wedding Expense
Aug. 20, 2003 School Workers' Kindness & Men's Attractiveness
Aug. 13, 2003 Attractiveness Hints
Aug. 6, 2003 Annie's Husband's Accident at Work
July 30, 2003 Deer Automatic Sprinkler Best & Stores Don't Stock Washington Clothes
July 23, 2003 Scarecrows and Halloween Decorations Scare Off Prowlers Too
July 16, 2003 Redhead Asks Attractiveness Advice
July 2, 2002 Atomatic Deer Scarecrow Blasts Prowler