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Family and Friends is my everyday journal. Captain's Log is where I pontificate on religion and politics.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

My Earlest Memory


This week is: My earlies memory

Picture of my brother and me in front of the Record Music Store in Pueblo, Co circa 1959.

My earliest memories were growing up in Pueblo, Co. My maternal grandparents owned a business. It was called The Record Music Store. We lived in a small two bedroom house, but it had a basement. My father worked at the store, as we called it, with my uncle. The store sold records, at that time it was lp's and 45's. There were booths where the customer could pick a record and go inside to listen to it in private. Grandpa took those out when he expanded the store and started selling band instruments and then color TVs.
I can remember when I was 4 watching my older brother leave for school and I was home with just Mom. She was always busy cleaning and cooking and sewing so I was on my own and bored stiff until Bruce got home.
We went to a Baptist church, and we were to be still and quiet when the preacher got up. My mother had the wickedest pinch if we squirmed too much or tried to talk. There was a man who sat behind us and was blind, he had a seeing eye dog that would lie down under our pew. Mom let Bruce and I draw on paper during the sermon and once I dropped my pencil and the dog chewed it up. I wasn't happy.
On Sunday nights after church we would drive to the store to watch Bonanza. It was the first tv show broadcast in color. The store was the only place in Pueblo to buy color TVs and when Saturday morning cartoons became color Grandpa gave my aunt and uncle one and we got one. We let the neighborhood know we had it and on Saturday mornings our living room would have five or ten friends come watch them, until of course they bought one. Grandpa knew pleasing children was a good sales tactic.
The store faced a busy street and had an alley behind it. Another street went along the side which had parking. When we parked on that street, I can't remember the names, Mom always called it "the junction," as it was the busiest intersection in town. Anyway, when we parked and went in the back door from the alley, there was candy store named Sambo's. Getting out of the car you could smell the cinnamon apples. Walking by the storefront you could see the caramel and cinnamon apples and popcorn. We always begged to get one, but it was rare they bought us one. The smell of cinnamon always brings that candy store to mind.
Dad got a job working for IBM selling typewriters and Dictaphone machines. I remember him coming home with one of the machines and we'd talk into it and how funny it was to hear our own voice which sounded weird. You could whistle into it and then blow on the mic and it sounded like a missile landing and exploding.
When I was five I was chasing a ball into the street, the car didn't hit me I ran into it. I hopped back to the grass and fell down. Cracked my right leg and had to walk in a cast for six weeks. Took a few days not to limp as I was used to the right leg being longer with the rubber tip on the bottom.
 That's enough for now. It's been interesting going down memory lane.

16 comments:

Dixie Jackson said...

Is the store still there? I'm tickled pink that vinyl is making a come back!

Marianne Arkins said...

I worked in Pueblo for a lot of years about 20 years back … I was trying to picture where you were talking about. Lots of memories! It's fun to think back, isn't it?

Judy said...

Thanks for stopping by earlier and such fun memories you had. I can just see some of those experiences in a kid's book! Sounds like you had an awesome childhood!

Lydia said...

What fun memories!

Have you had any problems with that leg as an adult? I had a suspected fracture of my toe last winter. It took ages for it feel 100% better. But now it's doing well.

Thanks for stopping by my post earlier.

Aymee said...

Those are great memories! I'd have loved having someone in the family own a record store growing up. :)

Michael Mock said...

It's funny which details stick with us and which fade away. That's a very interesting slice of your childhood; thanks for sharing it with us.

My post is here.

P M Prescott said...

Sorry Dixie it's long gone. Discount stores killed it. Thanks for coming by.

P M Prescott said...

Marianne, The store went under in the late sixties. Discount stores undercut the prices. The town library was on the other main street. Sambo's went under too, my aunt told me, but he made a bundle by suing Sambo's restaurants. Thanks for coming by.

P M Prescott said...

Thanks Judy for your comments. I was working on the moon landing and missed it. Glad you have fond memories of it.

P M Prescott said...

Lydia, not one bit. I ran track in high school and college and never a problem. Broke my hand three years ago and it still gives me trouble. Old bones don't heal very fast.

P M Prescott said...

Aymee, my aunt took over the store after my grandparents retired. Free records and my clarinet were about all I got out of it after that. I still have a bundh of the 45's. Wore the lps out and tossed them when I went to college.

P M Prescott said...

Michael I've always had a sharp memory, drove everyone around me crazy and I repeatedly corrected them when they tried to tell something where I was there. Why I love history so much. Enjoyed your memory too.

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

I love those old record stores. I miss them, too. We have one like that in our town and I visit it often. I'm glad you could remember all that. Thanks for sharing those memories ;-)

P M Prescott said...

Thanks Megan, glad you still have one there. Thanks for coming by.

Tanith Davenport said...

Ooh, cinnamon apples. Sounds lovely.

P M Prescott said...

They were,! Thanks For coming by, Tanith