FLORIDA MEMORIES FROM A FLORIDA NATIVE BY TOM ROUTZONG - Tom’s Toys
When I was a little kid most of my toys were items that I created. I don’t think I ever had one that required batteries.
My Matchbox Cars were the true matchbox ones. I would take empty match boxes and use them as my cars and trucks. I would scrape dirt to make roads and use pieces of scrap wood as buildings and drive my cars up and down the dirt roads.
When I was a little kid most of my toys were items that I created. I don’t think I ever had one that required batteries.
My Matchbox Cars were the true matchbox ones. I would take empty match boxes and use them as my cars and trucks. I would scrape dirt to make roads and use pieces of scrap wood as buildings and drive my cars up and down the dirt roads.
I would lay out in our yard and look up at the clouds and decide what the shapes reminded me of. I still do this to this day just not laying on the ground.
I remember finding an old rusty 50 gallon drum and learning how to walk on it. Of course Lake Drive and Range Road were dirt so I couldn’t go very fast.
Half of our 30 acres was divided by a large ditch so my father took an old light pole and put it across the water. He could walk it just like it was a full size bridge but I was never able to do it very fast. Many times I would sit down on it and scoot across.
We always had several dogs and cats that were allowed to come and go in the house. I played with them all the time. We lost many dogs due to rattlesnakes killing them. We also had a parakeet that we taught to speak and he was allowed to be out of his cage a lot. He loved sitting on my shoulder when I was inside.
I got my first horse when I was about ten years old. Blaze was a gentle horse and I would ride him bareback most of the time. We had a large area that we called the hammock since it was filled with trees and wet areas. I remember riding Blaze around the hammock and getting my face covered with huge spider webs and many times the banana spider would still be in his web crawling around my face.
I remember finding an old rusty 50 gallon drum and learning how to walk on it. Of course Lake Drive and Range Road were dirt so I couldn’t go very fast.
Half of our 30 acres was divided by a large ditch so my father took an old light pole and put it across the water. He could walk it just like it was a full size bridge but I was never able to do it very fast. Many times I would sit down on it and scoot across.
We always had several dogs and cats that were allowed to come and go in the house. I played with them all the time. We lost many dogs due to rattlesnakes killing them. We also had a parakeet that we taught to speak and he was allowed to be out of his cage a lot. He loved sitting on my shoulder when I was inside.
I got my first horse when I was about ten years old. Blaze was a gentle horse and I would ride him bareback most of the time. We had a large area that we called the hammock since it was filled with trees and wet areas. I remember riding Blaze around the hammock and getting my face covered with huge spider webs and many times the banana spider would still be in his web crawling around my face.
One of my many crazy days was when I got the idea to dye our standard size white poodle green. After my mother left, I got her green food coloring and took him into the bathroom and put him into the tub. I mixed the coloring and starting covering him with it. If you have ever bathed a dog you know what they do when they get wet - shake, shake shake. The entire bathroom was now green. When my mother came home and saw the mess she was ready to kill me. This dog loved chasing the horse around the pasture and it became a game for the two of them. Well now to see this large green dog running after a horse was quite a sight. The pasture was along the main road and cars would slam on their brakes and watch this green dog.
On rainy days when I had to stay inside I would lay on the floor looking and dreaming at the Sears catalog. With no TV to watch, the inside days were my least favorite times.
On rainy days when I had to stay inside I would lay on the floor looking and dreaming at the Sears catalog. With no TV to watch, the inside days were my least favorite times.
Whenever I had friends over we would play marbles out in the yard. I always had a coffee can full of them.
In west Cocoa where we lived, there was no garbage pick-up so we had a burning barrel and the other garbage we dumped in the hammock where palm trees had been dug up. The best part was that I got to drive the tractor and carry the garbage to the hammock. This tractor was one that daddy had built from an old Model T. I loved being the garbage man.
In west Cocoa where we lived, there was no garbage pick-up so we had a burning barrel and the other garbage we dumped in the hammock where palm trees had been dug up. The best part was that I got to drive the tractor and carry the garbage to the hammock. This tractor was one that daddy had built from an old Model T. I loved being the garbage man.
Almost every Sunday morning our family friend Bing Miller would come to visit. It became a game anytime he saw me. He would grab me by the shoulders and pull my head down and give me a knuckle rub burn. I hated it but loved the attention he gave me. I always looked forward to him coming on Sunday morning. Maybe this is why I am bald today. Bing rubbed all my hair off.
FLORIDA MEMORIES FROM A FLORIDA NATIVE BY TOM ROUTZONG
Tom Routzong shares memories of old Florida
Copyright 2019 Tom Routzong
Contact Tom at:
Sunny Harbor Publishing
321-252-9874
[email protected]
FLORIDA MEMORIES FROM A FLORIDA NATIVE BY TOM ROUTZONG
Tom Routzong shares memories of old Florida
Copyright 2019 Tom Routzong
Contact Tom at:
Sunny Harbor Publishing
321-252-9874
[email protected]
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