Memories (or Home is Where the Heart...)

Memories are, I think, places in heart...

I collect stone hearts...

Naturally formed and found by my own hands.

I've been trying to remember all the places I've lived, and it's not easy.  We moved often when I was a small child, to places I can't even remember...

I was born in Fall River, Mass. but was not raised there,  in the recesses of my mind there are sepia colored memories of unknown relatives putting money in my hands (which my parents promptly removed) old brick buildings covered with ivy, and sweater mills...

I know we lived in Texas for a while, because my mother told me I was pinched on the belly by a scorpion while I was still in diapers... don't remember it through.  Mom said I screamed, she grabbed me and killed the thing with a broom...

I have vague memories of living in Manila, the Philippine's, memories of laundry flapping in the wind, and running away (I was eventually safely returned).

I remember Long Island, and blue hydrangeas...
and going to school in New York.

Wonderful memories of The Canal Zone, Panama, going to school in Balboa, wandering off the school grounds to sneak into the jungle, my alternative adventure was to climb the marble steps of the Administration Building - and exploring the depths of the building (no one ever really noticed me as I would pretend I belonged and knew where I was going),  We had sailboats and often would weekend off the islands of Taboga, and Tabogia.

Here are the three of us in "happy" days...

Then we moved to the extreme opposite climate, Albuquerque, New Mexico - deserts and mountains - a lot of touring national monuments.

From there we moved to Folsom, California for a little less than a year.

Then on to Florida, where I have really good memories of Lake Jessie, Florida and owning my own little wooden sailing pram, jerry-rigged so I was able to beat any challenger on the lake - rope burned wrists were my triumphant trophies.

Then moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
Living in a trailer park while the house was being built
Living in the house, having my own room
Eventually moving out of the house and living with my friends, Peggy and Paddy Mone
Moving back home for a while
Living with Pam and her parents 
Living with Ulda, across the street from Pam and her parents
Marrying Jim and living in thirteen places in thirteen years, the first place was a small motel apartment, which would have been okay, except for the mean hearted land lord who hated cats.
A tiny "air-conditioned" (the wind blew right through it) trailer
Then an assortment of apartments that we "managed" to numerous to even recall
Moving to Miami to help (and be helped) by Jim's parents....
Moving back to Fort Lauderdale and briefly "owning" our own home...
More apartments...
Eventually moving back in with Mom and starting over...
Met my second husband and moved to Monterey, California where, for a while, we lived a beautiful dream...
Then we moved to "The Mouth of the Valley", Carmel
Then Carmel-by-the-Sea
Then back to Monterey

Mementos of travels....

New life - starting over Antelope, California - just north of Sacramento
Then to my sister in Prattville, Alabama
Then traveled back and forth to Florida with ideas of maybe settling there,
but eventually back to just north of Sacramento... where I am now reside in Elverta.

Blue Bird, thinking of migrating...

Does she have Gypsy Feet too???