moonriver posted on Dec 01, 2006
| views: 239
inspired by kruuyai, who recalls her fondest childhood memories.
i recall my own: the neighborhood where i spent my early childhood was a fairly new and sparse residential zone on hilly terrain, dotted by clumps of old-growth pine trees. a small river ran through it, strewn with grotesque rock formations overgrown with ferns. a section of low falls and rapids gave way to a bamboo gallery forest that lined a flat swampy section of the river. my parents' house was along a drive that ran parallel with the river bank, and which ended about 100 meters away into a park with a small zoo, bike lane and boating facilities.
springtime brought torrential rains and thunderstorms. rainstorms were invariably followed by nightlong concerts of what i imagined to be thousands, no, millions of frogs croaking in rhythm while the moon played hide-and-seek with the rainclouds. as i snuggled into my favorite pillow under my cozy blanket, the sounds of the night produced in me a heady mix of dread and awe. sometimes when the thunderstorms were particularly violent, my mother or father would come hug me or pick me up and reassure me.
mornings after the rains were the best. my sister and i would go up the river embankment, play among rain puddles, hear and watch the roar of the swollen, angry river, and try to catch dragonflies and chase butterflies all the way to where the boats were docked, or until we lost them in the darkly mysterious gallery of bamboo clumps.
i was probably 4 or 5 years old that time. looking back now, some of my most cherished memories, from childhood to adulthood, were of events and vignettes along rivers.
Comments
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secretlife said on Dec 01, 2006....
when i was a little girl, my father bought a business. he dealt in tropical and salt water fish as well as outdoor ponds. the property where his store was located was smack in the middle of a swamp. his property was 15 acres. And when i was a girl, i would wonder out along the river on the north side....thru the overgrown grasses and imagine jungles far far away. always there would be creatures......snakes, turtles, frogs....and sooooo many bugs!
where i live now, there is a swamp. this is the path i walk on each day. as i walk i am brought back to those days of my childhood. i see a turtle on the side of the road, and i remember the ones i picked up and played with as a child in a different swamp. a dragonfly buzzes past me and i recall sitting on a rock by the river eating my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.....
so much of what we are is deeply rooted in our pasts.
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BlogObsessed said on Dec 01, 2006....
What wonderful memories to have. Sounds truly magical. Thanks for allowing me in to that piece of your world. -
tbs230 said on Dec 01, 2006....
I'm reading your blogs too moon.
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The.Dragon.Authorizor said on Dec 01, 2006....
wow, that is great how you have such vivid memories of your early childhood!
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gingersoul said on Dec 01, 2006....
Moon, i have been transported in your place by your words..... i have a very early memory of few particular sounds..one very strong memory is about the sound of the summer nigths when hundreds of crickets would hid in the trees of some people's houses backyards where my family would go visiting....i only remember their loud sound, our awe of kids trying to see the little creature through the branches and the leaves... we would have dinner under some patio, ate watermelons and play around getting into the dark areas of the night where the house lights could reach and the we woudl run back in the light again. That darkness was so intriguing and scary...and above all i would fall asleep with my head on the table with that sound in my ear.... Secret is right...we are what our childhood shaped us...so true... -
HidingPlace88 said on Dec 01, 2006....
My favorite childhood memories come from when i was at my late great-grandmothers we rarely ever got to go up there because of the distance but it was always a trip worth taking. It was out in the country so at night we could hear all sorts of creatures calling to the stars. And in the morning we heard the roosters and bob-whites trying to rouse us from our sleep. We went fishing at a nearby pond and almost always ate outside at the picnic table under the pecan trees beside the house. It was great. I always loved sharing memories with others it tells you alot about the person and what is important to them. -
winterslight said on Dec 02, 2006....
sounds like you had a great place to grow up. bet you had lots of fun. thank you for shareing that. -
missb said on Dec 02, 2006....
That's such a lovely memory, moon. Thanks for sharing that with us :) Cheers! -
kruuyai said on Dec 02, 2006....
Your title reminded me of another childhood memory. Every summer, in the town I lived in, just one day out of the year, a swarm of dragonflies would come through and blacken the sky. I was both fascinated and terrified by these amazing creatures (terrified because of the rumors I'd heard that they would come and sew up your ears). So, I'd run in the house and get my winter coat and go outside and watch the dragonflies flying about with my coat safely zipped up and the hood over my head. This would last for about a half hour, and they would disappear as quickly as they had appeared. -
moonriver said on Dec 03, 2006....
secretlife -- your words, "so much of what we are is deeply rooted in our pasts," are so true.
sl, gs, hp88, kruu -- reading your own comments, i realize that our childhood sense of awe at nature's immensity is often crystallized into a zen-like memory of the simplest, day-to-day object or event -- your mother's smile under the rain, the croak of frogs or chirp of crickets, the roar of an angry river, watching a roadside turtle or a swarm of dragonflies, chasing a butterfly, eating a watermelon, a picnic beside a quiet pond.
blogo, winterslight, tbs, dragon, missb -- i'm sure you too have your zen memories of childhood. -
PAPERBACKWRITER said on May 27, 2009....
bookmarking for now, sangko!
<3 ditse
Comment on "chasing dragonflies along thousand-frog river"
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