“There are places I remember…” It’s Beatles’ Day, it seems.
I’m sitting here with the oddest thought; what would you think your brain looks like? I got an immediate answer–my brain’s lasagna. Many layers, different ingredients, and it tastes better if you let it stand around a day or two. According to my mother-in-law, lasagna isn’t a success unless it can be cut in pieces like bricks. A lasagna that slides apart messily when cut–and you experience Italian shame. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about. So what does this have anything to do with my brain? This brain, my brain, is happiest when there is good timing, correct amounts of ingredients, and lots of patience.
When I write about what I remember I’m visually oriented. I can see these things in my mind. That’s what makes it easy for me. Not all writing is easy for me but writing about what’s already happened is the most fun.
I’ve written so, so much about growing up in Pittsburgh–the details of Squirrel Hill and Oakland–that I’m almost afraid to start this. But I think there’s still enough “stuff” left that I haven’t written about. In a really good lasagna–and my mother-in-law would agree–there are so many different ingredients present that you never would think it would taste so good.
What comes to mind is Forbes Field. What a sweet, lovely place. And the first word that comes to mind? Accessible. Everything seemed easy there. Many bus routes existed that would take you from home to Forbes Field, then back again, so no nightmare parking. My grandfather, who was not a workaholic, would frequently take afternoons off from his law practice downtown and take the bus to watch the Pirates at Forbes Field.
It was crowded there but not outstandingly so. Little children weren’t fearful of being overwhelmed. Our father took my sister and me to a baseball game once and I can still remember the smell of that place–roasted peanuts, hot dogs, and popcorn.
I know for sure that I’m not alone in thinking tenderly about our Pirates baseball home; and since I can’t shut up about the World Series of 1960, Forbes Field was the place where Maz hit his home run, making that game “the greatest baseball game ever.” This is true because a friend gave me a book with that title!
lgmwriting 