Every man’s memory is his private literature. ~Aldous Huxley
The right photo sure can stir up sweet memories, memories meant for sharing. We would love to share ours with you. We invite you to join Imperfect Women for Throwback Thursdays. On special Thursdays throughout the year, we will be posting some of our pictures and memories from years past. We hope they will stir some of your own and that you will share them with us too. ~ IW
Deb Looks Back – 1965
The year was 1965 and “GoGo Boots” were all the rage. My family was large, religious and money was tight. My older sister and I wanted a pair of GoGo boots so bad but we knew they were out of the question. Not only could my parents not afford them but with a name like GoGo boots (named after GoGo dancers) there was no way.
You can imagine our surprise when my mother announced to my sister and I it was time to go boot shopping. It was early Sept and the school year was ready to start. My mother had saved all summer long. I was a preteen at the time and after that whenever my mother had to say no about something I just couldn’t live without, I remembered the boots she made happen.
Jennie Looks Back – 1977
My First Dog
This is me with our first dog Poochie (full name: Poochiana). She was a Chihuahua mix who attached herself to my family one day (the circumstances are lost in my memory) when I was about six and was, by some miracle, allowed to stay. Poochie was a patient soul who staunchly withstood my sister’s and my attempts to “play” with her, which usually consisted of holding her like a baby or dressing her up in a makeshift babushka and pretending she was an old Russian woman. She loved belly rubs and ear skritches, and hated the 4th of July, when neighborhood fireworks made so much noise that Poochie would hide under the bed all night, body shaking and eyes bulging in terror.
Poochie lasted almost 10 years with us. She had a tumor in her stomach that was removed but by then the cancer had spread, and we eventually had to put her to sleep. She was a Good Dog, and I like to imagine her in doggie heaven getting belly rubs and ear skritches and never having to endure having kerchiefs put on her head or listening to fireworks again.
Jen Looks Back – 1989
Anytime I hear this song it reminds me of the going away party my Mom threw for me when we moved from California to Arizona in 1989. We blasted this song as loud as the radio would let us and we sang it at the top of our lungs over, and over, and over… I’m sure the neighbors were happy to see us go after that!
I’m sure we ate a ton of junk food and stayed up late. But the one thing that sticks out to me about that night was all of us girls singing that song together. I lost touch with most of them after we moved. Thanks to Facebook I’ve reconnected with most of those girls and that means the world to me. We are spread out over the US but we can still reminisce online and talk about the crazy things we did as kids
Pam Looks Back – 1963
My Dad built this 4 wheeler back in the 60s for my family before ATVs were even a thought. We called it the “Hot Rod.” It had a bench seat, a large motor from something off the farm, a clutch and two stick shifts. This is the “vehicle” that I actually learned to drive a stick shift on. It wasn’t very fast but it did clip at a good pace. We had a huge yard with many pine trees and we would have cute names for the different paths we would take throughout the property. One particular pathway that went through a group of pines that were close together and formed a very dark tunnel was called the “Tunnel of Love.” If I remember right, we named it that because my older brother would take his girlfriend through it and take a real long time making his way through.
The other thing I remember about the Hot Rod is that gas and oil would spit out of the engine like crazy and fly onto your face and hair as you flew around the yard. We didn’t care. It was all a part of the experience. The Hot Rod was with our family for many years. That is my brother Joe to the left driving it in the early 60s. On the right is my brother Joe riding with my brother Mick behind the wheel sometime in the late Hippie 70s.
Want to participate? If you’d like us to publish your memories too, send a favorite picture from the past and share the memories it stirs for you. Let us know what year it is from, chances are some of us were around then too!
OMG Pam I love it! Your Dad invented the ATV! 🙂
Deb what a sweet memory you have of your Mom, I bet you were rockin’ the go go boots!
Jen now I am going to hummming that song all day long! I love it!
Jennie – What a sweet memory. I think he is in doggie heaven too and I bet he is hanging out with my childhood dog Curly! ;
Thanks for the memories, ladies. Not just yours, but the ones I think of when I read about yours: getting Uggs for my own girls -who would LOVE go-go boots too, the go-kart we bought for my son when he was 9, and my first dog, Luna, the best dog ever (until Winnie came along.) Now excuse me while I sing Red, Red Wine to myself 100 more times.
OMG, Pam, I love your hot rod! What fun that sounds like.
Thanks for the memories gals! Saddle shoes were my dreams of the old days, and I remember walking beans and saving my $ for the right pair. They couldn’t look new, so I scuffed the toes on the sidewalk the first day of school, and let me just say, my Mom was not impressed. 🙂 The older girls in school wore those go go boots, that plastic looked so hot! LOL.
Buying my first radio that no one else could ever change the dial on was just awesome, it had batteries or a you could plug it in. The simple things we had to have back then, is nothing like today’s world.
Learning to drive a station wagon, it was huge, and walking to the dairy bar (small town ice cream place) after softball games was a highlight a couple of times a week. I think Pam’s hot rod would have been easier to park. 🙂
Snickers, I love all of your memories. Please send something in with a picture for one of our ones down the road. We are thinking of doing a few that are “theme” related.
Maybe, prom, summer vacations, Mother’s and Father’s Day or just general ones.
Jen,
I had to hear that song on you tube to see if I could remember it and now I can’t get it out of my head. There are a lot of things I don’t like about Facebook but reconnecting has been a blessing for many.
Jennie, I love your little pooch. My first pet was a cat we named Taffy. She got poked and played with a lot by my family too but she loved it.
Deb, that is a great memory. Go Go Boots. I never had a pair but I sure could sing “These Boots Were Made For Walking.” I think might sister might have had a pair that she would let me borrow. Glad you got your pair.
What a great idea!!!! I will have to look through some old pictures of mine and submit one. Just reading this post brings back some personal memories for me, like my first puppy.