Memories again....

When I was five we moved to Hobart Heights, a tract of homes in the town of Otay on the Mexican border. I remember this because I started school there. Finney Elementary. I know this because my parents purchased an 8mm camera and began to take "home movies" and there are videos of my first day of school. There I am, ringlets, bobby socks and all grinning from ear to ear with no idea what awaited me. I mostly remember naps and recess at this stage...the important stuff. It's funny, but I can remember faces from my kindergarten class to this day. Don't ask me who I met yesterday...I can't remember.

There was a neighbor that decorated their front yard with these sparkly white rocks that fascinated me. My mother was told many times to make me leave their rocks alone. They were really cool! I had never seen anything like it before.

And there was a neighbor lady that had lost her hand in a tragic accident. For many years I thought it was because she had accidentally put her hand in the garbage disposal while it was running. Later my mother told me that was not true, but I have been very wary of garbage disposals all my life because of this inaccurate memory.

In Hobart Heights my favorite sister was born. I can say that, because she's the only one alive to read this. So it must have been 1961. We have home movies of her coming home from the hospital. There we are all gathered around and of course our oldest brother is turning heads to make sure everyone looks at the camera. I remember those times as carefree and happy times, of course, I was a kid and had no responsibilities to speak of. There are home movies of a costume party, but I have no recollection of the event.

The next year we moved across the road to the Hog Ranch....but that's another story.