I bought yet another book from Keri Smith (www.kerismith.com) and in it she requested that you email her with the things you would play as a child that made hours pass like minutes. I wrote her immediately and here is my response:

My neighbor and I (same age) would think up characters and scenarios and play them out - all outside of course. You know those huge propane gas tanks people have behind their homes for heating fuel? Well, he'd sit on the backside of the tank and I on the front, astride the tank. He would be the cowboy out for justice against me, the thieving, savage "indian" and I'd have a pretend bow and arrow, and he'd have his pistols. We'd chase each other around the yard and on "horseback" until our Mom's got ANGRY for us to come inside and eat supper! If it was summertime and stayed light outside until 9pm, we'd BEG to go back outside for some more after we'd wolfed down our supper.

This memory comes from my childhood spent on 22 acres of wooded land in Coosa County, Verbena, Alabama. Born 1965 - for generational reference.



My BEST cousin and I used to play Barbie dolls until our stomachs ACHED from hunger. As soon as I'd arrive at her house in the morning, we'd head down to the basement room and empty out all the stuff. She had everything! Girls, guys, TONS of clothes, babies, cars, houses - the WORKS.

We would decide who we were, whether we were career-oriented or just the marrying kind, whether we came from money or poor people, and then we'd begin the story. We were always gorgeous, grown-up, roommates. We'd choose some actor or singer for our fiance. We'd plan the weddings - almost always a double-ceremony. We'd have rehearsal, wedding, reception, honeymoon, and early marriage through at least one child. Several emergency traumas would happen along the way and Nurse Julia (the black barbie name after that black nurse TV show) would tend to the wounds and send us on our way.

We'd fight over the Malibu Ken, the loser would get the pastey, dopey-looking flocked haired ORIGINAL Ken who was skinny and his legs didn't bend so he sat down funny!

Sometimes we'd give the dolls a rest and dress up as brides and do the wedding ourselves. The funniest ceremony I remember is that Melanie (my cousin) had a crush on the lead singer from the group Bread. Only she didn't know his name at ALL, so in the wedding ceremony, the "preacher" said, "Melanie, do you take Bread to be your lawful wedded husband?" Hahahahahahaha - that still cracks me up!

We'd play out these stories until time for bed, or until one of us got MAD and stalked off in a huff.

Thanks for asking this in your journal book stuff. I've enjoyed remembering.