My Birthday and Michael Jackson

Credit
Seriously, who didn't love the Thriller Album?

When I was 7 we lived on Faculty Court, a university neighborhood reserved for assistant professors, sabbatical researchers and other educational gypsies.

This place had all the ingredients for neighborhood exploring and adventures.  Alfalfa fields surrounded us, a rusted tractor was left in the waist high grass and a long overgrown alley with all kinds of abandoned trash ran behind the houses.  We would disappear for hours.

Every house was sided with pastel shingles, asbestos, no doubt.  An overgrown lilac bush flanked the side of our pink house and underneath it's perfumed branches was our fort.  The perfect place for collecting rocks, making up stories and de-legging daddy long legs (peer pressure!)

We were gypsy kids.  Not really part of the established neighborhood a block over and not really settled into our temporary pastel homes either.  We didn't belong.  Not even to each other.   A family would live there 6 months, 3 months or a year before moving on.

We were an ever rotating small hoard of elementary school kids.  We'd pass the Pickle Barrel ogling over the unnaturally gigantic pickles before walking 3 miles home from school.  For some reason, that is my most vivid memory, the Pickle Barrel.

This nomadic neighborhood was the location of the best birthday party ever!

Yes, this is actually the purse.
Selling on Ebay to one lucky buyer.

September 5th,1980-something, my four, for the moment friends Lori, Mary, Stephanie (who spewed her lunch in the middle of 3rd grade) and Amber were invited to my birthday.

It was a dress-up tea party.  We wore lipstick, high heals and my moms' old homemade prom dresses (move over Disney!)

My brother was the butler.  He donned his dapper best in my Dad's old suit and tie and completed the look with a brown eyeliner mustache.

High on cake and ice cream I squealed as my 8-year old fingers tore the wrapping off a purple pleather purse with Michael Jackson printed on the front!!!!

Best 

birthday 

ever.

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On a side note...thank you sincerely to all those who have emailed.  I read every note and am in awe of your strength and kindness.  I'm in the weeds and am currently hacking my way out.  

Hope to catch up on emails this week!  

Sending my love to every single one of you,

Scabs