Maine History Told by Mainers

My Life in Maine

Submitted March 19, 2008 by Arnold Burchill

I wanted to share my life with all those who don't know what it's like living in maine as a kid. I have 3 of them now and I tell them stories like this all the time. It's your lifes experience that shapes you as a person. I remember year after year I would go through the winter months playing football in the middle of the road I lived on. There was 8 or 9 of us that lived for the snow to fly. One of us was always a football star (dreaming) . They were hero's to us. Our parents would all watch from the windows of our house. We had no time limit just pure fun. Every sunday night we would go home and have Ice cream with our other family members and watch TV together. For me I waited for the six million dollar man. Spring would come and I'd wait for the snow to melt and watch it drain off down the side of the road in a stream like manner. Summer would come and we would start playing baseball in the middle of the field. The dads always mowed it. It was like we lived to play parents and the kids. We would pick teams and play and we were happy just playing. My dad and my friends dad would be happy just to relive old memeories of their playing days, for us ripping one by them made us feel like we had a chance to making to the big leagues. During the hot summer nights I remember walking to a local corner store to get a bottle of soda and walk by all the houses saying hi. Every once in a while a parents would ask if i would pick up a pack of lucky strips for him. He'd give me a 10.00 bill everytime. The store clerk new they weren't for me and trusted I give them to Ray. Of cource I would. That was trust in a small way. We would sleep out in tents and talk all night and fall a sleep. 4th of july was a special day. Playing ball, having music playing from the speakers from peoples houses we would play horse shoe's, baseball, badminton, all those games. The day would start at 6am and go all night. I don't ever remember a rainy 4th.The cook outs was so good, Nana and papa from both sides of the family would come over. We were poor now that I look back. But I never new it, having the friends I had and the people that supported us. I could go on with more, I just wanted to share this small part of living in maine.