To Or To Not Forget🧸🌷

 

Our minds are a place where we store and collect. Where we deliberate and rationalize.

It is also a place where impressions materialize.

Reminders of events depicted within visionary, auditory or conceptual representation.

Our reflection of memories.

Indelibly painted imprints and images embedded in the brain.

Somethings are forgotten. Some things are remembered as clearly as day.

Sometimes what was totally forgotten can be triggered by something to be recalled again in an instant.

Some memories of things or events become cloudy or totally forgotten to never emerge from the fog of forgetfulness.

Memories that reflect to us are a great benefit bestowed to us upon nature. A blessing to our well-being.

Good, bad, and neutral memories serve to assist within our review, study, attest, and mirror of what we experience and consciously, unconsciously, or subconsciously absorb. –latoya lawrence

 

Nostalgia

 

The home decor style of the 60’s and 70’s were not just for hippies and gypsy fortune tellers.

Whether one called them door beads or beaded curtains- bead adornments that decorated the entrances of doorway rooms in the home and within establishments offered a cozy and enchanting ambience to settings that a lot of individuals could appreciate.

I remember as a young child during the late seventies and early eighties, walking through the clear-colored beads that hung from my home, clasping them open, loving the sounds they made while they hit up against one another.

People had many a variety of these beaded curtains.

Some of the people in my neighborhood (next door, across the street, down the block, and blocks away neighbors) had the attractive wooden kind.

Some had bright multicolored ones, and some had ones that were designed in diamond/oval shapes.

Door beads/beaded curtains are a creative way to add character and beauty into a place of residence or business.

The thought also brings to me a wonderful sense of nostalgia to what once was.

There are modern door beads and beaded curtains to decorate our homes with nowadays, but nothing will compare to the essence that held at a time when this style expressed the decade.

 

Suspenseful Afternoon And Evening

 

This past Sunday on January 22, 2023, I was looking through the category log of my television app.

I was in the mood to look at classic suspense/crime/mystery films for the day.

I came across a title called “Witness to Murder (a film I had never seen before) starring one of my favorite old-time actresses- Barbara Stanwyck.

I really liked this black and white movie.

In the opening scene, Barbara’s character wakes up from her sleep to see a man in an apartment window straight across from her bedroom window in the act of murdering a woman.

Without giving too much of the story away, Barbara phones up the police but when they arrive on the scene there is no evidence of any crime having been committed.

When the killer discovers that Barbara’s character is aware of what he did, he cunningly tries his best to make her appear to be crazy and harassing, in effort to throw everybody off to the truth at hand.

Barbara Stanwyck was such a talent in her time here on earth.

One of my other favorite suspense films of hers is one that I saw a long time ago called “Sorry, Wrong Number“.

Afterwards, I watched another film that I never saw starring Barbara Stanwyck titled “Crime of Passion”. Raymond Burr also starred in this entertaining flick.

 

 

 

 

Paper Me Pretty!

 

Ask the younger people of today what paper dolls are most would not have a clue!

Paper dolls were the fad of my generation and before.

I even used to cut out fashion model images from magazines to add to the imagination of play.

It is hard to find quality punch out paper dolls currently.

I never purchased paper dolls with the daunting task of having to cut them out alongside their outlines within the pages of the books they were designed upon.

A few years ago, I came across high quality, sturdy cardboard, adorable images, and playset of paper dolls.

I even purchased some for my two older adult friends who were pleased to surprisingly receive them from me.

The price for this treasure was extremely reasonable for its excellent quality.

 

 

• Rock the red carpet with your very own fashion show! Fashion Show Play Set features 5 paper dolls (actually made of card stock), 3 fold-out scenes—dressing room, fashion show runway, and photographer’s studio—and dozens of glamorous and trendy outfits and accessories any model would love to wear!

Dress up your paper doll ”model” as a bride, in a bathing suit, in a glamorous gown, and more. When the show is over, place dolls and their outfits in the enclosed storage envelope.- excerpt from the paper doll advertisement!

 

 

A Change Of Style: My Hair Grows So Fast!

 

I always had a nice grade head full of hair that grew long from my childhood unto my adulthood. I was never the type to wear any fake hair (I never had or needed to)  I believe in being totally natural.

The first time I ever cut my hair was at age twelve where I kept it short in the front and long in the back (a cute style back during the 1980’s) until it grew back to its original length.

I first permed my hair when I was eighteen and let it grow all the way down my back throughout my twenties.

A year and a half ago In June of 2021 I went to a barber shop and did the “big chop”. I had them shave all of my hair close to the scalp.

I had already stopped putting a straight perm into my hair two years before. I wanted all remainder of the perm entirely cut off. I had a lot of hair and the barber told me to take a picture of it.

My (Miss LaToya) pretty thick curly/wavy hair on June 6, 2021 being swept after I got the big chop!

I prefer my hair to be totally natural and had planned to keep my hair continuously kept short.

However, my hair grows fast and for five months now I have been wearing my natural locks in a ponytail (the style I used to regularly wear my hair in before I did the big chop) and I love it!

While I will never ever get a perm again I decided to just let my hair grow out as long as it wants to.

 

I Remember Way Back When

 

I remember when the television stations would go off the air after midnight.

There was no all-night, 24/7 broadcast to watch for most channels.

I remember when there was no 911 to call.

We used to have to dial 0 to have the operator transfer us over to the police.

I remember when it cost sixty-five cents to ride public transportation.

I remember when it was a two-dollar admittance into the movie theater to see a double feature.

I remember rotary and touch-tone phones.

I remember when we would stick metal hangers into broken television antennas to gain a clear reception on the old model tubes.

I remember so much of the good old days, too much to mention!

 

Riding The Wheels: Bicycling And Roller-Skates

 

It all started around the age of two or three years of age that I threw a fit inside the department store.

My mother said she had to take the last of her money to buy the Big Wheel low-ride that caught my eye as soon as I had spotted it on display.

My mother’s money did not go to waste.

I rode that Big Wheel up and down the block of our neighborhood and everywhere else when I was supervised by an adult.

I had a high-ride tricycle prior to the Big Wheel that I barely rode. I was not enthusiastic about the red three-wheeler as it later collected dust in the garage.

The color of my Big Wheel was red and yellow. I wore the plastic out of the rider I rode it so much. It had partially split in half.

I loved my Big Wheeler!

When I had gotten a little older my uncle bought me a blue colored bike with training wheels.

When it was time for the training wheels to come off my mother taught me how to ride holding my balance. I learned fast all in one day.

Afterwards, there were other children on the block of our neighborhood who asked my mother to teach them how to ride their bikes without training wheels since their parents had not shown them yet.

In between the periods of the Big Wheel and bike I also enjoyed riding the wheels of my roller’s skates and hot-pink colored skateboard.

Though the skateboard did not interest me nearly as much as the other apparatuses.

Before I hit my teenage years, my mother purchased me a 10-Speed bike.

The last time I rode a bike was in the year 1998.

Bike riding was always a fun, enjoyable activity for me. From childhood riding through the streets with my puppy chilling in the basket of the handle-bars, around corners, and up and down steep hills.

Riding in groups with other neighborhood children reveling in the hot mornings, afternoons and evenings of spring and summer.

I had some wonderful times with a bicycle.

Bicycling as an adult in the quiet of the night, under the calm leaves of trees. Refreshing air blowing amid a breeze while going to get something to eat or something otherwise are just pleasurable accounts to remember.

 

Gliding Down Memory Lane: Ice-Skating

 

The first time I ever went ice-skating I was twelve years of age.

A neighbor took me, her daughters and my god-brother to Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York.

I learned how to ice-skate that evening almost immediately.

The activity on ice was exciting and fun.

Since then, I have been down that area of Rockefeller Center plenty of times passing through but never have I been back to the ice-skating rink.

Far before that time I recall going to a roller-rink with my mother and associates from our neighborhood.

I was a little pro at Roller-Skates on the sidewalk and streets of Queens, New York but at the rink with the strobe-lights and disco music is seemed as if the floors were actually spinning so I stayed on the sidelines and watched my mom skate around the floor with the help of a gentleman who helped to hold her steady on her feet.

Fast forward ahead at the ice-skating rink where my god-brother at the time was gliding in between two friendly girls who helped to hold him on his feet after he had fallen onto the ice a couple of times.

We (my god-brother and I) laughed at the situation as we had a sense of humor that was out of this world.

My puppy got in on the action as she would run to pull me along as I held her leash while on my roller’s skates through the streets.

She also loved running beside me as I rode my bicycle up and down the block.

 

Scene Of The Play

 

I remember when I was in the fourth grade. I had a teacher named Mrs. Yaffey. She was Jewish.

I attended an elementary school in Bayside, New York at the time- P.S. 203.

I wrote a play back then as an assignment in which I chose specific classmates to act out in roles I had created within my story. I even cast a student for the narration in between scenes that I had written.

This preparation took place among us all in our classroom.

I never received a low or bad grade on book reports so knew I could write well at an early age.

Reading and writing were my best subjects.

After Mrs. Yaffey was impressed by one of my book reports- she to my surprise- gave me the lead role as Robinhood for our school play called “Potpourri”.

I was not one who wanted to be in the spotlight, so I gave the part to a girl named Erica Goldstein. She had a narrator role in which I exchanged with her.

Throughout the days up until we were to perform on stage in front of an auditorium full of people we rehearsed and had to get our apparel and costumes ready.

I had to wear a white shirt, a black belt, and black tights as the narrator. “Robinhood” had to wear her cape and each other character according to their required specific wardrobe.

During opening night my mother later expressed to me that she was disappointed that I had such few lines in a small role. I don’t think she liked that I gave up the lead part to someone else.

But things like that were not a big deal to me. I was not a child who liked being the center of attention.

My mother did not mean any harm, she was just a parent who was proud of her kid.

 

It Happened One Night Long Ago

 

I remember years ago, at a very young age, walking up the stairs after exiting a subway car on the E train in Queens, New York with my mother. 
 
I may have been six years old at the time. 
 
Before my mother and I went to go through the turnstile of the subway station to reach the further stairways that lead up into the street, a striking couple appeared. 
 
The female was nice in height, very slim and cutely shaped. 
 
She wore a clinging long-sleeved black shirt, black stockings, and a red and white short poker-dot skirt. 
 
Her male counterpart who she held hands with was also of a nice height and had a nice slim physique. 
 
He alike wore a clinging long-sleeved black shirt with black tights/stockings and red shorts. 
 
The couple both had the most adorable large vintage Mickey and Minnie Mouse face-masks over their entire heads.

They looked flawless, and professionally dressed.
 
The couple both took the time to notice me in my childhood and they both waved to me so sweetly as if I was a little kid who was delighted by the sight I saw on that Halloween night. 

My mother smiled as we watched the couple head to catch a train to enjoy their night out on the town. 
 
I will never forget that impression. I still reflect clearly to this day how pleasant the encounter was. 

 

I Am A Proud Child Of The 1970s

 

I am a proud child of the 70’s.

We had some fun and fabulous toys made of excellent quality back then.

I had a lot of items to play with, too many to name.

To mention a few that I loved and enjoyed was The Fisher Price Movie Viewer.

I only had the Snow White, Sesame Street (Cookie Monster in the kitchen), and Mickey Mouse (Lonesome Ghosts) cartridges.

This particular tool was great because we could view the animated films forward and backward, either fast or slow.

The Tree Tots by Kenner were one of my very favorites. I had the Treehouse, the Lighthouse, and the Amusement Park!

The little Tots and their dog were awesome!

 

 

I constantly sniffed my adorable Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue dolls as they were sweetly scented with fragrance.

I had the adorable Snail that would move on its own as it rode Strawberry Shortcake and her friend in the attached carriage.

Dancerella was a ballerina that stood on her toes and actually spun around in poses. I played with her a lot.

When I was growing up, we were not like the kids today who play with a new toy for a short time, get tired of it, then want a different new toy to play with.

No matter what additional toy was added to our collection, we played with the old and new ones all year around for years until we completely wore them out- I know I did.

I still had some of my old toys into my adulthood stored away before I moved from my childhood home.

We will never have toys and other objects such as the ones that we had back in the day when everything was so exciting.

I am sure the generation before me feels the same way about the era they were born and grew up in.

 

I Am In A Relationship That Will Last Forever

 

I grew up in a home where God was strongly acknowledged.

I was raised by a mother who always believed in God. She grew up attending church as a child and had a love for God.

My mother’s side of the family were strong believers in God. They maintained faith and included God within their lives.

It was not about religion, but having a relationship with God.

My mother introduced me to God at an early age. From the start, everything came naturally. I readily believed and knew God and his story was real, yet I did not fully understand everything as I was still very young.

I was very spiritual, so I already had a connection to God. Certain members of my family were innately spiritual with gifts of the spirit.

There was a time I was consistently angry at God. I was frustrated at circumstances that were not my doing but done unto me and my mother during childhood on up by jealous/envious undesirables and etc….

In addition to other particular unsavory situations in life, I doubted God’s character and felt I could not trust him even though I had seen him do incredible, wonderful things in my life. I never doubted what God could do, but I doubted his goodness and motives/intentions.

God never punished or stopped blessing me when I kept my distance from him. My positive lifestyle did not change, but my attitude toward God and who I wanted to follow did for a while.

Instead of showing anger toward me, God approached me with gentleness and understanding of my misunderstanding of him.

God invited me to come to know him in a deeper and more transparent way than before.

He wanted me to know the real him, not through those who profess him only to show something different, not by misinterpretation- but through my past experiences of faith and what he has done for me and my family before.

By what he has done for me in the present. By what his word says and how his word acts and directs within my life.

God is walking with me every step of the way on my journey here as he promised and will take his time continuing to guide and provide with his ultimate divinity.

 

A “Sweet” Recollection

 

 

I remember those days of the summer- riding our bikes through the neighborhood, playing hopscotch, double-Dutch, and every other fun activity that came to mind as children.

Running back and forth to the store to buy our junk-food goodies!

Them “Hostess” and “Drakes” Twinkies, cupcakes, ring-dings, funny-bones, chocolate devil-dogs and cookies.

Them “Nestle Crunch” and “Hershey candy bars, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Oh Henry, 100 Grand crispy milk chocolate with caramel, Snickers, Whoppers Malted milk balls.

When Mr. Softee came around sounding his music, we’d all run in the house to get money to buy ice-cream cones with or without sprinkles, black-cats, dog-face, fudge-sundaes, milkshakes, ice-cream sandwiches, Italian ices, Popsicles and slushies.

Those were the days!

Us children did not have a care in the world except for the big plans we had- to begin another adventure for the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

Riding The Waters

Daily Living, By Miss LaToya

The first time I remember riding on a boat I was very young, about seven or eight years of age.

It was on the Manhattan Circle-Liner I rode with a group of family members.

They had come up to visit from Virginia. They wanted to tour around the New York City waters to see the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building, and other attractions.

During childhood I also visited Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania where I rode numerous water-rides all day. The fun I had! I loved water-rides back then.

I have been on boats a few times as an adult. There is no excitement to it unless I feel myself moving on the vessel.

At the age of sixteen I was bored as can be down inside the Staten Island Ferry as I rode with friends while we hung out in Manhattan on Independence Day.

My friends at…

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For The Avid Reader

 

Last week, I sent a good, life-long friend money for her birthday.

In return, she told me the money came in handy as she was going to use the funds to purchase a new release by Stephen King titled “Fairytale”.

From what I read in the detail of the book it seems very interesting. The novel deals with dark fantasy, thriller, and suspense.

My mother read and loved Stephen King novels in the early 1980’s. And, of course, we both enjoyed his films.

I know what a joy it is to read. I love a book that I am unable to put down. I really hope my friend enjoys her novel.

I remember years ago when I used to be a member of “Black Expressions” book club. I had ordered suspense and thriller novels. The ones I chose out of the catalog were excellent!

I also remember the True Crime library series of books I used to purchase at Barnes and Noble bookstore.

I would literally be up all night glued to my books. It was an exciting time back then.

A Lady Of Her Own Style

 

I am not into all of that name-brand shit as a trend- I had all of those things growing up.

As long as I am clean, my clothes are of quality, and of the taste I prefer I am completely satisfied.

My mother kept me pristine as a child and kept me decked out as I was her little baby girl.

When I rode the school bus a few girls were jealous of the fancy gear my mother had sent me off in and they made it known by their envious talk.

I was just an innocent kid wearing clothes that my loving parent bought for me- but I learned early about the green-eyed monster.

I was always attracted to beauty. I had my own sense of style, an eye for what looked good.

I could pick out stylish home decor along with everything else that had sparked an interest within me. Whatever it was it would be elegant.

I had a knack for great judgment!

When it came to the summer, I liked to wear designer shorts/capris, skirts and jumper-skirts.

I became very conservatively appareled into adulthood. I was naturally comfortable and classy. I had my own fashionable style but nowhere near old-fashioned.

I was never a high-heeled, flashy dresses-wearing girl.

I liked my slacks, jeans, t-shirts or button-down shirts.

I was never too crazy about clothes during my teenage years and as I got older, yet I always dressed nicely.

I am not, nor was I ever, a materialistic person though I had wonderful material things throughout the years since my childhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Style: My Fancy And Cool Mother

 

My mother was a fashion queen. She had an exceptionally fabulous wardrobe.

My mother had an eye-catching sense of style that attracted attention ever since she was a young girl.

People admired my mother’s apparel, her flair.

Some were even jealous of the gorgeous figure she had and how her clothing fit her adoringly.

She dressed her ass off! From her jewelry, to her jackets, to her pocketbooks, to her blouses, to her jeans, to her heels, to her sneakers, to her dresses- my mother was in a style all by herself.

Fashion ran within the family.

My uncle had a large, spectacular wardrobe full of clothes too! He kept his body clean and dressed very sharply.

Other members of the family also had quality gear to their liking- and a particular few were into luxury and glamor as they had the money to splurge.

My great-grandmother had furs, her sister had lavished items, and her niece was high-class in a league of her own.

Nevertheless, my mother did not dress to impress anyone (none of us did). Nice clothes and things were just a part of her nature, good taste, and talent for design.

 

 

Once Upon A Time At The Mall

 

I and a friend were on the phone talking earlier in the week.

We got on the subject of shopping malls. How the one’s we used to visit often or occasionally years ago are no longer an entertaining attraction.

None of the malls are like they were they have really gone downhill.

Even the strip malls have lost the appeal they had.

These places at one time were decorated with the finest of features that stroked interest and activities. Popular stores, famous eateries, variety shops and more. Crowd-pleasers that kept consumers coming back for more.

Sure, people still return to the malls yet the magic is gone.

What was at a time exciting is now dull, boring or mediocre.

I remember the days when talk of the mall inspired enthusiasm to take the trip there.

Green Acres, Roosevelt Field, Queens Center- none of these New York malls have the spark that lit their fire back in the day.

My friend talked about a few spectacular malls in other countries.

After our discussion, I had not planned or thought about going to a mall and ended up visiting one the next day on the spur.

I went, I did what I had to do, I was in need of an item not available at another place I had traveled to.

My Neighborhood mall is not as big as the other malls I mentioned but it is a convenient place, and has a few major retail store outlets that draw faithful consumers.

 

Happy Times: Strong Family Ties

 

There are a lot of fond memories I have of life with various family members at particular times.

Yet the most favorite times was spent with my mother.

I remember when I was around five or six, and my mother and I were living in our own apartment in Long Island City, New York.

We had moved from my grandmother’s house in Queens Village.

One of my aunts had eventually moved not too far away from us into that area later on too.

 

My great grandmother lived in Manhattan. I forgot where my uncle was living at the time.

The rest of my extremely large family were all over the place from different boroughs to different states.

My mother and I shared some good times there in Queensbridge before we moved back to our family home when the neighborhood area started to get bad.

I loved the environment we were in. I loved the things we used to do together. I liked our apartment. I loved the school I went to and my little best friend whose name was Kim.

I had a wonderful early childhood of bonding, loving, learning, growing and having fun.

 

 

 

 

A Flick Before Bedtime: Classic Cinema

 

Yesterday when I got off work, I stopped off at a few places to pick up some items.

When I finally arrived home, I was tired and ready to go to sleep but last night was one of my movie nights.

I was interested enough to stay up for a while to catch “Voice of The Whistler”.

I watched “Power of The Whistler” last week.

Later in the week I will watch “The Whistler”.

There are eight of these films that were produced in the 1940’s based on a radio series.

I used to like hearing old time suspense/mystery theater dramas on the radio.

About two years ago, I awoke around five in the morning as I came across one of the “Whistler” movies as it was ending.

I could tell from what I had saw that the movie was a good one, however, I don’t remember which “Whistler” movie it was that aired at the time.

Anyhow, the two I have already seen were good. I look forward to viewing all of the ones that I have not seen so far.

 

I Saw An Ex-Coworker Today: “Sears, We Loved You!”

 

I spent another good day in Long Island.

I ran into a lady today who I use to work with years ago at Sears Roebuck.

She still remembered me. And she still looks the same. I told her how good she looked, and that I was glad to see her- and to see her in good health.

I never knew her age when we worked together but the woman (I won’t reveal her name out of respect) told me that she is seventy years of age now.

I honestly told her again, “You look good!”

Then I bent down and whispered to her, “You know us with brown skin”.

“Yup”, she said. “Don’t nothing happen. We stay the same. We don’t get wrinkles, no nothing”. Those were her exact words the way she spoke them.

We moved on to talk about how much we really enjoyed working at Sears years ago.

We discussed how good the managers were, how nice the environment was, how great our job there was.

The both of us could not believe how the time had passed. Where did all the time go?

I worked at Sears Roebuck for four years, from January 2008 to March 2012.

We both wished Sears had never closed down and we discussed that too which had to do with matters that concerned headquarters and so on.

The woman and I talked more until my bus arrived. 🚌

It was a pleasure to reunite and reminisce even if it was only for a moment. ❤

On my way back home earlier today, I brought back some jerk chicken and potato salad for a family member of mine. She said the chicken was so hot she could not finish eating it all.

Too much spice was in the preparation. I guess some people like it that way.

I am one that doesn’t like extremely spicy food either.

I told her to just throw the chicken away and I will pick her up something else next time.

I like to bring food and stuff back home to my family. We always shared like that.

Hooray For Back In The Day!

When I was growing up as a child, we had clean fun.

Some of us were allowed to stay outside on our block until or after 1am.

We didn’t have to worry about getting killed, kidnapped, or caught up into any kind of trouble.

We were creative and knew how to keep ourselves occupied with a variety of activities.

We rode our bikes, jumped rope (Double-Dutch) played tag, hide and seek. We played video games, we played with our toys, watched movies, and everything our imaginations and resources inspired us to do.

Those were the good old days!

I would hate growing up as a child now within this day and age. The children these days will never know the quality of certain things and items as many great establishments came to an end and products are now poorly manufactured.

Back in the day, the music was better, cinema was better, the style and material of clothing was better and etc….

The world has changed for the worse in some aspects and for the better in certain other aspects.