Friday, June 27, 2008

Memories

Guess it is about time I posted again. I was talking on the phone today about a memory I had and decided to share it with you. I remember when I was very young and we lived in Chicago.
My Dad worked on Saturdays and it was a good time for him to get me out of my Mothers hair. He would take me with him and would drop me off at a Park called "Marquette Park" and their was a small lake there . I had this nice Fishing Rod and Reel that my Grandmother bought for me from Sears. I would go out the night before and dig my own night crawlers and would load my fishing gear up in the car. He would drop me off at the park on his way to work. He started at 9 A M so I guess it must have been about 8:30 A M.
I would find what I thought was a good spot to fish and would bait my hook and catch fish and of course I kept everything I caught. There was a few older men there fishing off and on and once in a while they would ask me if I wanted a fish they caught so of course I said yes...with visions of a big fish fry.
I knew my Dad would be there to pick me up at a little after 6 P M when he got off work so I would wait for him on the sidewalk next to where he would pick me up. I can still remember standing there with this long stringer of fish (some of course were kind of small) and this Police car pulled up and the Cop asked me if I had caught all them fish...I replied "Yes Sir" and then he asked me what time did I get there and I replied about 8:30 A M. I was kind of scared because I thought maybe I had to many fish...but then of course I was only 12 years old. He just looked at me and smiled and said "have a nice Fish Fry...you earned them !!! Then of course when my Dad picked me up he sometimes stopped on the way home for a few brewskies and I would go to a creek near the bar and look for more things to catch...frogs..toads or whatever I could catch.
When we got home I would go right down in the basement and fill the stationary tubs that my Mother used to do Laundry with some nice cold water and put my fish and other creatures in there to try and keep them alive. I guess I was my Dads "Son" until my Brother was born when I was 17. I remember many fishing trips and have many memories of fishing with my Dad almost up until I got married and moved out.
I did let my older sister (who was kind of boy crazy) go with me once to the park to fish...she wouldn't even touch a worm and just stood there looking for boys and throwing rocks and stones in the water to scare the fish. I finally got a little aggravated and took the one floating fish I saw and took his eyeball out (kind of gross huh?) and I flicked it with my thumb just like when you play a game of marbles...and it stuck to her face ...right above her lip. I never had to worry about my parents making me have her tag along again :)
Just a funny memory that I thought I would share...it still makes me smile when I think about it...and my Sister NEVER went fishing again...NEVER :)

8 comments:

Juri said...

Goodness, your post brings back all sorts of memories about childhood, things my sister and I did together (or to each other). You certainly can write great, I loved the story!!!

Juri

Cora from Hidden Riches said...

Nancy, you are too much!!!! I'm sitting here laughing, and I needed that this morning! It is just like something sisters would do, isn't it???? I never could go fishing because I just couldn't touch the worms or the fish!!!!!
Thanks for the story! And thanks so much for your prayers and your comments on my blog yesterday. It really meant a lot to me!

Cora

nancy huggins said...

There will be more memories to be told...I have reached that plateau (mispelled I'm sure) in my life. I am always telling someone about some of my memories and decided maybe I should share them :)
Stay tuned ....
Nancy

Anonymous said...

That was an interesting memory, Nancy....I like to fish too but have never caught much..my dad was a fisherman and would go out on the day boats to ocean fish when he could, especially when we lived in San Diego...he caught albacore , yellowtail tuna..then would take it to the cannery and bring home canned/smoked fish...wish I could have went with him.

papel1 said...

Love your stories. I watched my Dad fish many times, and could clean the trout afterwards. Never bothered me. Then you mentioned Chicago which brought back memories. My Dad would take sabbaticals and one year he went to the Univ. Of Chicago. I was 7 and could not believe the icy sidewalks during the winter and how cold it was. We actually lived in Chicago Heights and I had to go to school in Staeger (spelling) and the school was so crowded that our class was on the stage. And my mom was horrified that the teacher gave us a spoonful of wheatgerm to all the classmates ON the Same Spoon! That stopped.
Judy

Nellie said...

You should write more of these!

nancy huggins said...

O K..If my neck stops hurting long enough I will write another one tonight.

Farmhouse Blessings said...

Nancy that is such a funny memory! Although your sister probably doesn't think so.

Sounds like we grew up in the same area. Mom & Dad started out in city with us and moved the SW suburbs when I was little. My bil's father was a Marquette Park police officer and we're been there many times. I love reading your stories. Hope you'll write more!

Smiles,
Lea