Friday, June 22, 2012

Day 1 - When were you born?

The short answer is March 4, 1978.  Most awesome day on the planet, ever!

I feel the "where" in this story is much more interesting than the "when." So, where was I born?  Wauchula, FL.  Phonetically, that's What-CHU-La.  Don't know where it is?  It's located right next to Zolfo Springs and Bowling Green, and just north of Arcadia.  Yep, right there, in that sprawling metropolitan of citrus groves.

The last census estimates have Wauchula housing just under 4,500 residents, in an area of just over 2.5 square miles.  The entire county (Hardee) has some 28,000 residents in 238 square miles.  Wauchula is a part of the Florida Everglades, and is located an easy drive from both Orlando and the Tampa Bay area, two of my favorite places in Florida.

Wauchula is home of the famous "Baby Swap" case of 1978 (thank God I wasn't born in the hospital!).  However, in my family, it is more famous for the direct hit from Hurricane Charley on August 13, 2004.  The city was declared a federal disaster area, and several of the houses destroyed belonged to either friends or family of mine.  When I went down to salvage what I could from my grandmother's house two weeks after the storm, there was still no power anywhere outside of the city square.

On September 5, 2004, the city took another direct hit from Hurricane Frances, followed in quick succession by Hurricane Jeanne on September 24, 2004.  It was the most devastating thing I've ever seen with my own eyes.

I have not lived in Wauchula since the 70's, but I still visit often, and will always consider it my home.

20-day Childhood Blog Challenge

I haven't been a very good blogger recently, so to get me back in the mood, I've found another blog challenge.  So, here we go.

Day 1 – When were you born?
Day 2 – Did you have a happy childhood?
Day 3 – Post a picture of yourself from your childhood.
Day 4 – How old were you when you learned to ride a bicycle?
Day 5 – Who was your favorite teacher?
Day 6 – What was your favorite subject?
Day 7 – What was your favorite game?
Day 8 – Do you remember anything about your personality when you were a child?
Day 9 – Were you good at making friends?
Day 10 – Were you a good student?
Day 11 – Who was your childhood best friend?
Day 12 – Did you play outside? What did you like to play? How long did you play outside per day? Could you play outside all year long?
Day 13 – Did you play on the streets? Was it dangerous to play in the streets? What kind of things did you do in the streets?
Day 14 – When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Day 15 – Can you remember specific things from your childhood clearly?
Day 16 – What was your favorite toy when you were a child?
Day 17 – What was your worst punishment as a child?
Day 18 – Where did you grow up? Did you move frequently? If so, why?
Day 19 – How are you similar to your parents? How are you different?
Day 20 – Did you have any nicknames? Tell us about them.