Growing Up Lulu!

As I stated I was the youngest of 7….there was Hazel, Mabel, Junior, Barbara, Nancy, Shirlie and me. We lived in Fairfax, Virginia and I was born in Alexandria, Virginia. Out of the 7 children I was the only born in a hospital. The others were either born at home or a place in Linden, Virginia known as the Johnson House.

My first memory would be at the age of 4.I only have this became I got hurt. We had a collie and he jumped on me and knocked me down on a wood chip. I have a big scar on my knee so; I’m assuming a lot of stitches. It’s strange everyone remembers the dog, but no one remembers his name.  Poor doggie!!  I think that house was bad luck for us because Shirlie got hurt there also. I don’t recall the accident, but a piece of car fell on her as Daddy and Junior were loading scraps. She has a huge scar on her thigh…it took more than stitches to patch her up. Ewww!

Sometime in 1958 we moved to Manassas Park. Back then that was a part of Manassas, Va. Now it’s a city of its own.  I don’t have a lot of memories here, but the ones I do seem to be about the other kids. Let’s just say three were teenagers! I do remember being the pesty little kid the others would complain to Mom and Dad about. I loved watching out the window when Nancy came home from a date. Her boyfriend Curtis who later became my brother-in-law would kiss at the front door. Nancy would get so mad because I kept flipping the light switch off and on.  Hehehehe  Isn’t that what little sisters do? LOL

From there we moved to Yorkshire Lane in Yorkshire, Virginia. This is where I have my best memories. It was a little lane that you knew everyone from the beginning to the end. I started school here at the age of 6 1/2 because my birthday was in December. I loved school except on days when something fun was happening at home. One time Mom and Dad were expecting friends from New York to visit. I loved these friends…once we visited them and they lived on a milking farm. That was a cool place and I wanted to live there! The day these friends were coming was a school day and I didn’t want to go. Mom kept telling me they’d be there when I came home. Being a stubborn Lulu I couldn’t see that reasoning. We lived a half of block and my Mom walked Shirlie and I every day. This particular morning Mom was determined I was going and I was determined I wasn’t. After I was placed in the classroom and Mom had left I guess my plotting to get home began. Miss Robinson was writing on the chalkboard and I saw the opportunity to flee. That’s just what Lulu did! LOL   I knew Mom was walking back to house on the road so I couldn’t go that way. Oh, no problem I would just take the shortcut through the woods. When Mom came through the front door there I was sitting on a footstool in front of the TV watching cartoons. I had to rest because I had ran fast and hard to beat Mom home. As you can imagine this didn’t go over well. After she got over the shock of me being there off I went back to school. Once back at school I had to promise not to do it again. Yeah right, had they forgotten this was Lulu!  Again, I waited for Miss Robinson to turn her back and I was off and running. Only this time I knew Mom had had time to get home. I saw her at the clothes line so; I carefully went in the front door. Thank goodness it was a time you didn’t lock all the doors!  I knew this time I was going to be in trouble! When Mom came in the back door and saw me she started yelling and I took off running again. She chased me around the house and at some point I was trapped because Mom came in the back door and Barbara came in the front. In those days kids got punished with a switch. I won’t lie I had my share of whippings from the old Weeping Willow tree in the back yard. I swear that tree was put there just for me! LOL I did get to stay home, but not without stinging little red legs. Ouch!!

That’s just the beginning…stay tuned!