A Jumble of Memories

Moved a lot when I was young. Never really lived in one place long enough to make any close friends either in school or out of school. I remember getting really excited when the Sears catalog arrived (I don't remember how often it came in the mail, just that it did). Of course when I was little, I remember studying the toy section like a biblical historian studying the Dead Sea scrolls. It was several years later that I remembered looking through the women's lingerie section as well... And getting excited... Well, as excited as someone my age could get excited. I don't remember ever seeing a Playboy magazine when I was growing up, at least until much later. I remember a solid, patriarchal family... Very "nuclear" in its structure and interactions. But I also remember that my mother was very self sufficient and strong. I remember some real knock-down-drag-out arguments between my father and mother, but at the end of the day, I had absolutely no doubt that my parents loved each other beyond belief and would crawl through fire, broken glass, and razor blades for each other. My mother was much more "cosmopolitan" while my father was much more "country." I never doubted that they loved my older brother and me very much and that they always pushed us to be self sufficient, self-aware, and emotionally strong. I remember being in many fights with my brother. But I also remember him picking me up and carrying me home when I got hit by a car one time... As I got older I came to realize how much I loved and respected him, even if he was often a pain in the ass so many times! I think he was one of the most intellectually gifted and naturally curious people I've ever known.