Your MaMa's worse nightmare...

Here she is... your MaMa's worst nightmare...
That little red haired neighbor girl.

I was 2 when Daddy got out of the service. We moved back to Grand Island and lived at 2521 W Koenig Street for 2 or 3 years... That summer, playing with the hose was a favorite pastime of mine. Anyone who came outside, within reach of the hose would probably get wet.

The little neighbor boy, Jimmy, was a favorite target of mine.


Mother says, "you were fast as a puppy... we had a night lock on the door which we kept locked or you'd be outside... you were such a little joy."

There are 2 stories involving Jimmy... thankfully only that first one has pictures to support it.

The second story would take place the following winter...
One afternoon my Mother answered a knock on the back door. Jimmy's Mother was standing there holding Jimmy's snowsuit, the inside of the hood all covered with blood. All she said was, "I'm afraid I can't allow Jodi to play with Jimmy any longer. She's too aggressive!" It seems I had hit him over the head with my little rake...
I wonder... what he had done to me first?? Did anyone even ask?

Look at this sweet face... do you believe she could be so ornery??


I've heard those stories all my life... yet could hardly believe I would be so mean. I was writing about them here last week when I got a card from my cousin Sandy which she had made for me from an old photograph... a photo I had never seen before. Although I maybe should have cried... I about died laughing... for there was another picture proving that I was not the nicest little girl in the neighborhood.

That's me at the center bottom looking left. While the other children are more or less posing for the picture, I'm hitting the little girl next to me with my balloon, or stick. Obviously, we are all at someone's birthday party because we all have balloons on sticks (was this before helium??)
(Beverly & Jackie are cousins... I don't know the rest of the kids.)

(clicking on any picture will make it larger for you)