I've Got The Music In Me | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: I've Got The Music In Me | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jim Harrison
04/08/20
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

Music has always been apart of my family from as far back as I can remember. My dad, nicknamed " Duke,"
loved playing and singing using his harmonica or crafting a melody or song on one of his guitars.

Mom loved cooking and baking, as my siblings and I approached our home, you could smell the aroma of something special in or just coming out of the oven. It was as if she timed our homecoming. Our friends also timed their estimated time of arrival. Mom was a very gifted woman; she also sang like an angel, or how I imagined an Angelic Being would sound. I could tell that this is what she was born to be, a Mother.

She was a fulltime wife and mother, who also catered house parties in the fifties and early to the mid-sixties from time to time. My older brother and sister right behind me and I were born in the forties before our other siblings—my brother in 1947, Me in 1948, and our kid sister at that time in 1949. Mom always wanted a big family, and she loved mothering children. My parents were indeed in love, and my youth was happy.

There was almost always music going on unless we were watching television after dinner. Also, one of Mom and Dad's friends seemed to like clockwork stop by to visit for a couple of hours. Oh, they would also bring their offspring along with them. What was terrible about this is that we seemed to never have anything in common with these children. Have you ever had the task to entertain a kid who picked his nose all the time, and who just wasn't cool? It's no fun, so we would play hide-n-seek often to lose said parties. Sometimes in the spring and or summer, we would go outside and put on our rollerskates (the kind that attached to our footwear) and rapidly skate away with him or them attempting to catch up.

My brother and I were almost always together, mainly because I was good at following him; did he attempt to lose me, yes there were times when he didn't want his younger brother tagging along. But all in all, he was an outstanding big brother. Our family honestly enjoyed each other. I sincerely enjoyed our family night, we could do almost anything, and we were creative as well as competitive—songs, plays or skits in which we made up short comedy sketches. Our material came from life as each of us saw it. Our parents wanted us to experience a full life.

Dad loved to drive so he would get us into the car, using this phrase " Saddle Up. " and my brother and I would race to the rumble seat. Oh, just in case you're not familiar with, rumble seat, it's defined in this manner: an uncovered folding seat in the rear of an automobile. If you still can't grasp this concept, think of accommodations in the trunk that seats two. Mainly guys loved sitting back there as well as lovers at the drive-in movies. We rode in these sits even when it was just dad and my brother. Man, I loved the early sixties, as it was an exciting time for me as a young teenager.

I was a real music buff; I loved Rock-n-Roll and Nat King Cole. Music was a significant part of my life growing up, and I collected phonograph records from the fifties and sixties. I memorized the lyrics quickly and was always able to sing along without missing a beat. Even to this day, I can hear the first few bars of an old song, and the words and melody come flooding back to me.

I mentioned earlier that I was very fond of the sound and tone of Nat King Cole, a crooner. A Crooner is typically a male one, who sings sentimental songs in a soft, low voice. Nat King Cole's voice could put you into a trance; I'm sure you understand.

Now, back to dad's familiar command, Saddle up pretty much we all knew the seating arrangement accept for the rumble seat it was first come first serve. In essence, every one of us knew that dad was going to stop at the Dairy Cream (Ice Cream and Italian Ice) during our Sunday afternoon drive. Dad always had music playing loud enough for all of us to sing-along. I enjoyed growing up in Stamford and New Canaan Ct.

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.