Nostalgia prevails today....

I am not sure why but today I am filled with nostalgia....

Thinking of childhood, thinking of fun summers,

thinking of how blessed I was that although I was born

to older parents and we didn't do much as vacations go,

we did do "stay"cations before it was popular.

Today while surfing Facebook I start looking at

cousins pages and I come across this sweet and happy

face. Always smiling, always laughing.

Even on the rare occasions I have seem her crying,

she was still smiling. So let me bring up a few memories.

Dina lived in Houma, we were both the babies of big

families, she the baby of my cousin, Jerry who

I never knew was my cousin until I was grown,

because we called her "Aunt Nan Jerry"

Every summer Dina spent one week at her grandmother,

my aunt LeeLee and then I would spend a week at

her house in Houma. Big deal for me as I rarely 

strayed far from my immediate family.

I think back on all the days we spent in our

back yard swimming hole. Dina, a year younger than

me, always sported fancy bathing suits and I thought

it was a big deal because she got them because she

was on a swim team! back in the 60's organized

sports for kids just was not popular on the bayou and

I thought she was a big Shit! excuse my french...lol

We shared many secrets I am sure but I can't remember 

any this day. Then when I went to her home....

let me just say their family unit was one different from

mine and I admired it. For instance, when her siblings

and she was young, they did not have a tv in their family room.

It really was a family room. Which meant on weekend mornings

we climbed into Aunt Nan Jerry and Uncle Darwins bed

for morning cartoons. So cool all of us laying in bed

watching tv. They also usually had a family project going on.

the one I remember in particular was the hooked rug

the family was working on, I learned how to hook rugs

there. Also at that time, it was safe to walk to the stores

close to their home, we walked there to spend the few

dollars my parents would have given me

"In case" I needed it. 

Of course, I needed that gel that came with a little straw

that you could blow your own balloons...

and I needed that magnetic wand that would add

magnet strands to a mans face....

I loved visiting there and I loved

the nights Dina spent at her grandmothers

which meant I was able to also sleep at my aunt OraLee

who still lived in the family home that was once a hotel.

What a great childhood we were blessed with.

And there is my nostalgic remembrance of the day.