A Blast From My Past

Due to the marvels of modern technology, especially in this case FACEBOOK, yesterday I was able to have a conversation with an old childhood friend, after more than 50 years of no contact.  She had left a message on the Facebook page of my family's pretzel manufacturing business, Tom Sturgis Pretzels, which got forwarded to me, and which ultimately allowed me to finally connect with her after all these years.

My family moved into a home in the same neighborhood where Kerry lived when I was four years old.  Kerry and I fast became best buddies, and spent all our play time together.

We enjoyed reminiscing yesterday about the silly things we did together.  We remembered visiting some of the older ladies in our neighborhood, Mrs. Barber and another kind elderly woman, Dollie.  To "visit" them meant we rang their doorbells, and then they were so glad to see us that they gave us candy.  Kerry and I visited those friendly neighbors often.

As we Facebook chatted, Kerry started posting some very old photos, easily over 50 years old now.  In the first one she and I are enjoying one of our frequent dress up sessions.  She tells me she still has her mother's fur collar that she is wearing in the picture.  I am the girl on the left.

We were quite the debutantes, don't you think?  Gloves and all.  I can only imagine what important stuff we carried in those purses.  Probably candy from the neighbors.

Kerry mentioned that she vaguely recalled making trips together to a nearby penny candy store, and asked me if I remember the same.  I do clearly remember going to a store with her and her older sister.  Kerry and I would have been about 5, and I believe her older sister was maybe two years older.  That store was easily 4 or 5 blocks away, including several fairly large streets to cross.  We both agreed that those were different times back then.  One would never feel safe allowing youngsters of those ages to go that far alone nowadays.

I remember purchasing those little wax soda bottles filled with koolaid, packs of gum "cigarettes" that blew "smoke" before you removed the paper wrapper, and little drawstring cloth bags containing gold nuggets of bubble gum.  A quarter went a long way if you figured things right.

Then she posted a picture from a birthday party for her sister that we attended.  We recalled how those were the days when you attended a birthday party wearing your dressy clothing.  In the picture, I am the second girl from the right (I believe I am studying a balloon), and she is in front of me to my right.

Funny how you remember little details - she remembers that the dresses she and her sister wore matched and were purple and white.  We all look so well behaved and fancy.  

All too suddenly, my best buddy Kerry and her family moved away.  I didn't know at that age why or to where, but I do remember my mother telling me it was very far away.  I recall trying to process in my little girl brain the fact that I may never ever see her again.  When we chatted yesterday I told her that her family's move was perhaps my first lesson in learning that everything is life is not always hunky dory.  

So what a nice surprise it truly was, getting to communicate with her again after all these years.

Sometimes technology is not a bad thing.