LLiving la vida loca. I know that is a cop out! Would be perfect for an L post though. I don't even come close to living a crazy life. However I have been accused of being crazy, unstable, whacko and plain just not right.
That is different than living the crazy life. More like a crazy living life so that one is non applicable. The big N/A.
So now what?
Have I ever told you the story of my home town? No?
I was born in 1974. More precisely I was making my way down the birth canal as Richard Nixon announced his resignation. The country stood by watching the government dishevel itself as I slipped in the back door unnoticed. A tiny package delivered unto a world that has never seen the like since.
My father was the local garbage man, my mother was just beginning the battle with her demons. My brother a sprite 2 years old already.
I knew no shame, no remorse and no sadness. I was a happy baby. Still am for the most part. (but we all have our black spots don't we?)
Green appliance and shag carpet were the hot trends. 8 mile was still just a road and thriving at that. The energy crisis was in full swing and daylight savings time was bumped a full 4 months to save energy. The Alaska oil pipeline was commencing and the Vietnam conflict was in the pre-stages of a memory and Ford was announcing amnesty for draft dodgers.
The great film The Exorcist makes it's debut and the hot sounds of the day were the likes of ABBA, David Bowie, Van Morrison and The Velvet Underground.
Gas prices were 55 cents a gallon and the average price for a house was $34,900.
I grew up in a small town. It started life back in 1828 when a settler arrived and started damming up the local creeks and flooded out what is now a 440 acre lake. This powered his sawmill and wheat grinder.
The town grew as a popular vacation spot in the 1900s and finally received its first post office delivering mail to around 300 cottages around the lake. My grandfather began his career delivering fruits and vegetables to the local vacationers in the 40s and 50s and soon began his own trash removal service. My father took over the business and that was our life until the 1990s when it was sold due to the monopolizing giants like Waste Management and BFI and their corporate drowning of the little guys.
I have since moved away from that town as almost the entire family has but the town will always have a place in my heart. From Marco's Pizza and cruising on the lake with friends to family BBQs and riding on the back of a garbage truck. You are a special place to me.........
LAKE ORION
That is different than living the crazy life. More like a crazy living life so that one is non applicable. The big N/A.
So now what?
Have I ever told you the story of my home town? No?
I was born in 1974. More precisely I was making my way down the birth canal as Richard Nixon announced his resignation. The country stood by watching the government dishevel itself as I slipped in the back door unnoticed. A tiny package delivered unto a world that has never seen the like since.
My father was the local garbage man, my mother was just beginning the battle with her demons. My brother a sprite 2 years old already.
I knew no shame, no remorse and no sadness. I was a happy baby. Still am for the most part. (but we all have our black spots don't we?)
Green appliance and shag carpet were the hot trends. 8 mile was still just a road and thriving at that. The energy crisis was in full swing and daylight savings time was bumped a full 4 months to save energy. The Alaska oil pipeline was commencing and the Vietnam conflict was in the pre-stages of a memory and Ford was announcing amnesty for draft dodgers.
The great film The Exorcist makes it's debut and the hot sounds of the day were the likes of ABBA, David Bowie, Van Morrison and The Velvet Underground.
Gas prices were 55 cents a gallon and the average price for a house was $34,900.
I grew up in a small town. It started life back in 1828 when a settler arrived and started damming up the local creeks and flooded out what is now a 440 acre lake. This powered his sawmill and wheat grinder.
The town grew as a popular vacation spot in the 1900s and finally received its first post office delivering mail to around 300 cottages around the lake. My grandfather began his career delivering fruits and vegetables to the local vacationers in the 40s and 50s and soon began his own trash removal service. My father took over the business and that was our life until the 1990s when it was sold due to the monopolizing giants like Waste Management and BFI and their corporate drowning of the little guys.
I have since moved away from that town as almost the entire family has but the town will always have a place in my heart. From Marco's Pizza and cruising on the lake with friends to family BBQs and riding on the back of a garbage truck. You are a special place to me.........
LAKE ORION
I've never been there but it sounds lovely. But Michigan is a gorgeous state and I've been there.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, suprised me you remember all those things about the town we all loved.
ReplyDeleteLots of wonderful memories! Our house also had shag carpeting, and my mom finally let me replace it last month before she put it on the market. We only moved in about nine years before you were born. Julie
ReplyDelete