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04/14/2006 Entry: "Amy's Badgroove MI-5"
1. Do you remember having a favorite cartoon or television show as a child? Which was your first favorite that you recall?
My first favorite that I recall would be either Scooby Doo or Johnny Quest. Scooby was, of course, pre-Scrappy. After Scrappy, I wouldn't even watch it. Thanks to my sister, I now own the Johnny Quest box set on DVD--all the original episodes! Obviously, my sister loves me.
2. Who is the first teacher you remember? What do you remember about this teacher?
I vaguely remember Mrs. Falla, my Kindergarten teacher. I have a pretty good memory of my first grade teacher, Mrs. Slater. She was tough--some might say mean. I vote for tough. We got along ok. I never had a teacher I couldn't deal with. I seemed to like all the teachers the other kids couldn't stand: Dr. Faxon (one of my favorites), Mrs. Slater, Mrs. Schwartz. Anyway, a story... Mrs. Slater is now married to my drum buddy Chick Bailey! And she's still "no nonsense."
3. Give us your earliest memory of a family vacation.
I guess that would have to be the time we camped at Cathedral Pines. (Is this the right one, Mom and/or Lisa? I thought it was in New Hampshire.) We took my hermit crab along with us, and at one point we thought he'd died. We decided to bury him there in the lot. I don't remember if it was Mom or Dad, but I seem to remember it Dad. He was digging a hole with a spoon in one hand, and holding the crab sorta upside down in the other. Well, hermit crabs don't like to be upside down too much, and the crab decided this might be a good time to stick his head out. Mom screamed, the crab was dropped, and I was ecstatic he was still alive.
4. Can you share a favorite childhood memory regarding a specific toy you liked?
Matchbox and Hotwheels were always favorites when I was young. Many of those cars are being played with by my boys. One of them holds a special place on my bookshelf. In fact, I had a dozen or so little metal fire trucks that I pulled from the ones I gave the boys, and I have a little fire engine collection. Old #5, though, being an Ahrens Fox, is my favorite.
5. What is your earliest recollection of music?
Well, it would probably be school related. Mom played piano, but it was something she did all the time, so nothing really sticks out. So things that I remember from grade school music with Mrs. Chamberlain would be "Have You Seen the Ghost of John," "Aiken Drum" (who "played upon his ladle"), and Saen Sans "Danse Macarbre." Interesting how one of these has "drum" in the title, and the other two are about ghosts and spooky things. Hmm... Did those have any influence on me, maybe? :-)
Replies: 5 people have rocked the mic!
Oh--I forgot to mention the times we went camping. Cathedral Pines was up in Eustis, not far from the Canadian border. Do you remember going just over the border so we could say that we had been to Canada? We stopped in at some little Mom & Pop convenience store. We also went camping at China Lake and Pemaquid. I think Cathedral Pines was first. And I know that I was probably junior high or high school age when we went to Pemaquid, because Melanie and I used to walk around the campground trying to find cute boys. We found some, but we never dared to talk to them or anything. I was too much of a "good girl".
Posted by Lisa @ 04/15/2006 07:40 AM EST
Ok I was with you until you got to Mrs. Shwartz. My sister loved her but I did not. I had a very hard time learning from her. My mother had several parent teacher conferences with her (my mother is also a teacher) and she basically lost respect for her as a teacher after that. My sister loved her so she had thought she was a great teacher. My mother concluded that she was a good teacher with certain types of kids and not with others. I was one of the unlucky ones.
Posted by Jim @ 04/15/2006 12:42 PM EST
You probably would have liked my mother. She was considered a tough teacher in her day. Many of her former students see her on the street and thank her for being tough on them. Usually they ask "how did you put up with me?".
Posted by Jim @ 04/15/2006 12:43 PM EST
Favorite TV?
Agnes Gibbs Cooking show. TV had made it to Spruce Head and there were only two channels. All the kids in town used to run home to our house to watch her cook. TV was still a novelty.
First Teacher?
Mrs. Lufkin in kindergarten. I remember most her playing the piano as we sang Skip To My Lou, My Darling, and danced.
Vacation?
We all went to Lincolnville to stay for a weekend in Ashley's tiny camper. He, Dad, and Unk and your father, slept in the back of the truck and Ma and I had the cot in the camper.
Toy?
A doll named Tammy. Your mother would remember her. She had one almost like her. We played with them all the time. It would be a toss up between her and a cardboard Corner Store from the Wishbook.
Music?
See Teacher above.
Posted by Aunt Ginny @ 04/15/2006 04:53 PM EST
I, too, remember Ms. Chamberlain's "Ghost of John" and "Danse Macarbre". I sing Ghost of John to my daughter from time to time.
Posted by PeteC @ 04/18/2006 03:24 PM EST