Maybe it was just cuz I was a kid ... full of wonder and surprise ... or maybe Wisconsin was a magical place to grow up ... I may never know ... but I do know that I can always go there in my mind and be happy ...

We lived on a dead-end road in Delevan ... where there were woods to explore ... at the dead-end ... and a channel at the other end ... between what you would call the main streets in our neighborhood ... the channel opened up into Lake Delevan ... our summers were spent at that lake ... we would get up in the morning ... eat breakfast ... pack a lunch ... and off we would go ... I used to get these huge water blisters on my arms from spending so much time in the sun or the water ... not sure which ... lol ... and have lots of freckles on my shoulders from the sun ... to this day ... sometimes ... we would fish in the channel ... I remember catching a beautiful yellow fish once ... I think it was a Sun Perch ... but you fisherman ... might dispute that ... my brother and sister learned to waterski there ... course I was too little ...

The winters were just as fun ... cuz the lake and channel would freeze up ... and my brother and sister would put on their ice skates and I would put on my rubber boots ... cuz I didnt know how to skate ... ACK ... so ... they would pull me all around the lake and channel on a sled ... once ... I guess I was thirsty ... LOL ... there was this pipe sticking out from the ice ... and it had some drips of water coming off of it ... so I went to take a taste and my tongue stuck to it ... I certainly learned that lesson the hard way ... I dont remember it being very cold ... even tho there was sooooo much snow ... and ... there was this huge hill on the other side of the channel ... which probably isnt so huge anymore ... lol ... but it was huge to me then ... we would go sledding down that hill ... and ... I remember hoping we wouldnt go flying down the embankment and into the channel ... but that was part of the fun ...

There were picnics ... cookouts ... parades ... and lots of family get togethers ... our paternal grandparents ... lived just across the bridge ... on the other side of the channel ... I remember the three of us going over there every Sunday nite to watch the Wonderful World of Disney ... cuz they had a color TV ... on the way ... we would imitate Woody Woodpecker ... dont ask me why ... lol ... our Aunt Joy and Uncle Pete lived just down the road ... on the way to the lake ... which was like a two minute walk ... as I recall ... they had three kids ... cousins ... Timmy ... Tammy and Traci ... and our Uncle Duane and Aunt Jean didnt live that far away ... so we got to see our cousins ... Scottie and Julie quite often too ... our other aunts ... uncles and cousins ... lived in Illinois and Ohio ... so we didnt see them all the time ... but still pretty often ... Uncle Ray was always my favorite ...

Then ... we loaded up the truck ... and moved to ... Virgin ... i ... a ... lol ... it was quite a culture shock ... I remember we had to stay in a motel for a little while ... cuz our house wasnt quite ready ... and going into the motel restaurant for breakfast ... the waitress asked us if we wanted grits ... we didnt know what the hell a grit was ... and now ... 38 plus years later ... I still dont eat them ... and we had a hard time understanding anything anyone said ... lol ... a house was a hoos ... and they said ya'll instead of you all ... even cow sounded funny ... tho I cant quite remember how it was pronouced ... funny how a house is now a house ... maybe we rubbed off on them ... I have ... for the most part ... maintained most of my northwestern dialect ... but I have to admit it ... I do say ... I reckon ...

But even thru this ... or maybe cuz of it ... my brother ... sister and I stayed close ... at least for a while ... we played card games together ... War and I Doubt It ... played other games too ... Kick Ball was my favorite ... we had a club house ... I even got to play spin the bottle with my sister ... and ... I got to kiss GREG ... I had a major crush on him ... but ... I was too young for him ... after all he was already a teenager ... and I was just Karen's kid sister ... lol ... wonder what he looks like now ... LOL ...

Then ... we started going in different directions ... like I said earlier ... my brother started noticing girls and joined a rock and roll band ... he also played band in school ... he had drum sticks in his hands since he was 1 1/2 ... no lie ... my sister ... also started noticing boys ... and she sure didnt want her kid sister hanging around ... not that I blame her ... so I played with my Barbie dolls ... and ... found kids ... a little more my age ... to play with ...

Once Mom and Dad split up ... we all but lost touch with each other ... they lived their lives ... and I lived mine ... but ... we have finally come full circle ... and even tho there are still gaps in our relationships ... I think we are finally at a place in time where we can come together again ... I am glad for that ... cuz family has always meant a lot to me ... and I was really tired of missing them ...