Category Archives: 2nd Grade

Smoked Meat and Baby Shampoo

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Jimmy

We took a whole Devonshire Street School picture that spring of ’82. The school was closing due to low enrollment and the first grade class lined up. We had Mrs. Butterbaugh the first semester with her pictures of ‘ph’ (phone) … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, fatherhood, Life, memoir, Nostalgia | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Mune 2012 Roadtrip, Leg 2, The Redwood Forest

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Jimmy

Pete Rose and Shirley Felman were the only things that awed me when I was nine. He was a baseball superstar and she sat three seats away in Mr. Schaefer’s class. My dreams alternated between being one and kissing the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Baseball, Elementary School, fatherhood, memoir, Nostalgia, School, Topeka Dr | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Big Bear Snow, Holly Lake Humidity

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jimmy

Early one Saturday morning in early January ’83, after a week of Los Angeles rain, we packed the van with tube socks and pieces of cardboard.  For two hours, we played “I spy.”  We used colors instead of letters because Jake … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Baseball, fatherhood, Life, memoir | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

CHiPs and Truck Noises

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Jimmy

I quit panicking when dad lit the barbecue around six-thirty on Sunday afternoons in the early 80s; Chicken or ribs or steak.  My current event or book report was still due the next morning, but the charcoal smell meant it was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, fatherhood | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Sunroofs, T-Tops, and Law; Visiting Dad at Work

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Jimmy

The 80s brought knee-high socks with colored stripes, video arcades with Pac-Man and Centipede, and T-Tops for hot cars like Corvettes and Datsuns.  In 1982, I wore the socks, Jeff went to the arcade, and dad quit his job as … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Life, memoir, Nostalgia, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

On Earthquakes, Fires, Robbers, and Tornadoes

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Jimmy

I grew up in earthquake country.  On the first day of Kindergarten in Mrs. Rogers’ Devonshire Elementary room, we practiced the ‘Drop’ drill where all the kids got down on the floor and held on to the backs of their … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Baseball, Elementary School, Life, memoir | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Other People’s Birthdays and a Minnesota/Iowa Roadtrip

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Jimmy

The end of May to mid-July were bitter times for me growing up.  All three of my siblings celebrated their birthdays during that time and I had to wait until October.  They all got presents and all I got was an … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Baseball, He-Man, memoir, Nostalgia, Topeka Dr | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

On Growing Up as the World’s Worst Easter Basket/Egg Hunter: Ages 4, 2, 1, and 36

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Jimmy

By the time I was four, my two year-old sister, Jean, was better at finding Easter baskets than I was. We’d wake up early and I’d knock her over as we ran down the hall.  We searched for our baskets.  I frantically … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Life, memoir, Nostalgia, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 18 Comments