All of the posts are Franny's memories throughout her life, some with photos and some without. The ones without may have a photo of a fairy or flowers or nature...whatever feels right at the time. The months are approximate but the years should be accurate.
I grew up going to the First Baptist Church in Lucerne Valley. We all went every Sunday except for my dad; I don't ever remember him setting foot in that church. The church had a passenger van that the youth instructor, Mr. Stanfield would drive to pick people up. He was one of the nicest men I have ever known. His wife on the other hand was horribly mean.Dale & Franny
Around this time I remember when dad had mom locked in the bathroom and she was screaming and it sounded like he was beating her to death and Billy and I were pounding on the door telling him to leave her alone. I remember just screaming for him to stop. She ended up with a black eye and gobs of her hair pulled out.
This is a photo of Rita, me and mom at the donut shop after she hurt her eye. I had convinced my mom to make Rita stay home and let me go and spend the night with some friends. Rita got so angry that she went next door and broke a coke bottle and because of the heat it exploded in her face cutting her eye. My mom and the neighbor took her to the emergency room where the doctor on call at the time used a jet spray to wash the glass out and proceeded to wash her whole cornea out as well, ruining her eye forever. I have always felt responsible for it because if only I had let her come with me to the sleep over it wouldn't have happened. I remember when she was in the hospital I sent my cabbage patch kid with my parents to stay with her while she was there. Small consolation. 😔
I remember the feature photo being taken because I kept shushing the other kids so they wouldn't wake Dale up. I also remember getting the pants that I am wearing for Christmas.
I vaguely remember the next photo because Billy and I didn't really want to take a photo but dad made us. I remember the first time I got a proper hair cut like the one I have here...it felt so nice, I kept swishing it back and forth on my shoulders.
I really don't remember the next photo but I was always taking care of Dale. 😍
We camped at boulder beach during summer vacation and I remember I took care of Dale for most of the time. Gabriel found a dildo in the trees near our camp site. 😳 My mom freaked out when she saw him holding it and she threw it into the trees. I thought it was hilarious at the time. 😂 I also remember that I got really sunburned as usual. We had this white van then and I remember when we were back in Lucerne Valley, my parents were at the market and we were waiting out in the van and Billy was peeling my sunburned skin from my back in big strips. It sounds disgusting but it did make it feel better. 🙃
The next photo is of mom's morning glories. I remember her being so proud of her "green thumb".
My sixth grade teacher's name was Mrs. Hail. I remember everyone didn't like her because she was real strict. The most prominent memory from this year was when I had a huge cold sore and this kid Diego making fun of me saying something about being so sorry that he had to give me a fat lip.
In 6th grade we had these competitions for P.E. and I remember I was able to hold a chin up the longest out of everyone, even the boys.
I do remember two girls that were best friends all through elementary school: Natasha and Darcy Burroughs. I don't remember Natasha's last name. They were part of the popular crowd. Another girl that was real popular was April Verhaegen. She was real pretty and I remember she was always nice to me...like she felt sorry for me or something. I remember she invited me to her birthday party and I actually went! She lived in a really nice house with a beautiful in-ground pool in the back yard. Her younger sister was real snobby but April was real nice. Her parents were both nice too. I think we all stayed the night and everything. I remember feeling so happy just being there with all the popular kids and in that nice house...
My best friend for most of my childhood was a girl named Brandy Dana; she was a few years younger than me but was more outgoing and did everything before me. Like for example: she got breasts first, started her period first, and had sex first. Shoot, I never had a boyfriend! Anyway, she was always over and her cousin, Shelly Jones. We all hung out. She lived next door next to her grandparent’s house. I remember when we were little we would climb up her grandparents mulberry tree up as high as we could go and eat the small berries.
I remember when my dad came home late at night to tell us that mom had a boy when my little brother, Dale was born. I was so disappointed because I wanted her to have a girl...but I loved him and always took care of him like he was my own.
I sorta remember these photos being taken. I wanted to hold Dale and my parents didn't want me to because he was still so small but ended up giving in.
Dad used to cut our hair so short for two reasons: 1: Rita brought lice home from school a lot. 2: We didn't brush our hair like we should and would get really thick knots or snarls that dad just couldn't get out. 🤷♀️ I remember the clip on earrings that I am wearing.
I think it was around this time period that my dad had filled a big canister like barrel that was maybe 50 gallons with water and we would get in it and just be able to dunk ourselves but we loved it. He would put it right where we are standing in these photos.
The platform that we are standing on is the end of the walkway that my dad built out of pallets. At the other end was an out door kitchen that he put in right next to the indoor kitchen window. I remember him stacking tool boxes up next to the stove and sink for me to stand on to help mom cook and wash dishes.
I remember my mom was not much of an enforcer with us kids. Billy and I would stay outside running around playing until dad came home then I would run into either the out door or indoor kitchen and start helping mom while Billy was getting yelled at or punished by dad. Mom would say "See, I told you that you'd be sorry when your dad got home." That was her way of making us listen, Saying things like "I'm gonna tell your father." or "Just wait till your father gets home." Sometimes we would listen out of fear but usually we would hide the "whipping belt" it was an old leather belt that did not have the buckle. We were idiots though because hiding it did not save us at all. Dad would either grab a ping pong paddle or send us out to get a stick and we had better not come back with a flimsy one. Of course he would use his hand in a pinch as well. The last spanking I remember was when I stole fifty cents from the console of the van and then lied about it. He grabbed my arm and I ran around him in circles as he spanked me. Ha Ha!
I used to have a reoccurring dream of my dad beating my brother Billy almost to death and me running to the neighbors to call the police. Dad was much harder on Billy because he was the oldest and we were expected to watch the younger kids and be a good example I suppose. I remember one time when him and Billy were wrestling and dad ended up dragging him around the living room floor with a belt around his neck. I started crying begging him to stop because his face was turning purple and mom was screaming at him to let him go. Dad was laughing saying "I'm just playing with him."
I think it was around this time period but I remember Billy and I had gotten it in our heads to build a camp fire and I made a small one just outside his bedroom window but he wanted to make a bigger one and set half the damn desert on fire. Three different fire departments responded and the story was put in the paper with a photo of my little tiny camp fire. I don't remember being punished but am pretty positive that we were.
Another memory from around this time was when my mom and dad were fighting and he threw a hard plastic cup at her and it made her head bleed and then he threw a fork at her and it stuck in her leg. That was one of the times she left for a while. I remember hearing Billy at his bedroom window begging to go with her but she would never take any of us kids.
I remember the huge sunflower that is behind us. My mom was so dang proud of that thing! She also had beautiful blue morning glories and grew some vegetables. It's funny how our taste buds change over the years...when I was a kid I hated radishes and onions but now I like them. My mom grew radishes, cucumbers and lettuce I think.
One of my most favorite memories from my childhood is when we visited my dad's friend who we called "Har Har" and it was a rainy day but not pouring rain, just drizzling and we were playing and running through the rain. I distinctly remember the fresh smell of the rain... I don't really know how to explain why this is my favorite memory...I guess because of the summer rain, the fresh smell, the freedom...
We have had many earthquakes throughout my life here in California but there are only a few that I actually remember. This was one of them; 6.1 magnitude, centered in Desert Hot Springs, CA. I remember I was walking on the walkway out side that dad had made from wood pallets. I could feel the wood start moving under my feet and I looked down and could hear the rumbling. I ran into the house yelling "Earthquake!" That's all I remember. I used to get so excited when there was an earthquake.
Billy, Rita and me at the Sutter St house.
I remember these photos were after we had gone to Boulder Beach that summer.
I don't remember my teacher's name in 5th grade. I do remember my classroom and that I liked her. I also remember stealing this girl's diary and using it most of the rest of my childhood. (I really need to find that ding dang thing!)
I remember my brother Billy playing on the tether ball with his friends; they would hang onto the ball one at a time and the others would push them around the pole and when it was Billy's turn he flew off and broke his arm and had the ambulance called. The ambulance was always being called for Billy because of his hives he gets. They can get real bad to where he can't breathe...
I remember one time at home when he was flying a kite or something and backed up right into a Joshua tree and the thorn went into his the back of his head. My dad had to get pliers to get it out.
I don't know how old we were, but we were playing outside at home and my dad had all kinds of junked out vehicles and stuff all around the property. There was this van that was cut in half that we would climb up on and jump down off the back into the dirt. The ground behind the van had been dug out so it was a farther jump and the sand was softer. Well, this particular day was a Sunday I know because I still had my Sunday school clothes on and my parents were at the store. I was wearing a dress with thick leotards underneath and these dress shoes that were pointed at the toe. When I went to jump down like normal my shoe got caught in the roofs lip and I fell face first into the dirt. I just missed a big stick right next to my eye and it felt like my arm was broken but I didn't tell my parents when they came home because I knew we would get into trouble for playing on the van in the first place.
I don't know how old we were but I do remember one time Billy was picking on me and I picked up a piece of wood and threw it at him and it had been broken with pieces sticking out and a piece about 10 inches long went through the palm of my hand and dad had to get the pliers to get it out. I don't remember going to the doctors but the scar on my hand looks like I had stitches. But it's possible it just healed that way, dad didn't take us to the doctor's that often unless absolutely necessary.
This was a very scary memory this same year. We went to Silver wood Lake to swim and camp and I remember my dad bought my little brother, Clint who was about two years old a toy boat to play with in the water. My brother Billy and I were put in charge of watching the kids in the water while my mom and dad went out to the jeep to get high. I remember having fun and forgetting about Clint, I started looking around for him and saw his little toy boat floating in the water and I got really scared. Then I saw a group of people on the beach and went over to see what was going on and right there lying on the ground in the middle was Clint. He looked grey and some man was giving him CPR. I felt such terror! The first thought I had when I saw my dad running up was "Oh My Gosh! I am in so much trouble!" And I ran. I don't remember getting a whipping but I remember him yelling at us and telling us we will never come back again. Which, we indeed did not go back for years. Clint was okay and we obviously left right away.
It's too bad that someone tore this photo up but I still wanted to include it because dad is in it.
Mom, Dad, Gabe & Clint
This is my class picture when I was in the 3rd grade. I am the one in the middle with the mouse on my shirt.
I remember that Mrs. Allen was a very strict teacher.
I believe it was this year when a girl that I thought was my friend attacked me on the playground. Her name was Kelly Ketchum (I think it was Kelly) and we were playing chicken fight on the monkey bars. In case you don't know what that is: one person gets on one side of the bars and the other person on the opposite side and they meet in the middle and use their legs to make the other fall by wrapping their legs around the other person and pull them down. Well, I kept winning and after a few times she pulled me down with her hands and jumped on top of me and started actually choking me! The girl was obviously a psychopath! I didn't hang out with her again. 😕
I do remember this photo. It was when Grandpa Less came to visit and he took us all to burger king and got Rita and I the dresses we are wearing. It was a real nice day. Family hardly ever came to visit.
I have a slight memory of this photo… I remember mom helping me put the handkerchief on.
I am not positive on the year but I do remember that it was not long after the Cabbage Patch Kids came out that the school had a Christmas Party for the poor kids and gave presents away. Most of the presents consisted of clothes; which I was so happy to receive brand new clothes! (We generally shopped at the thrift stores and never got brand new clothes) I even got a brand new jacket that had a hood that zipped on and off.....gosh I remember I loved that jacket! But one present was a toy; all the girls got a Cabbage Patch Kid! I was so excited! Mine had long brown hair and green eyes like me. I named her Elizabeth. My sister, Rita got one with short light sandy hair and she was so mad because she liked mine better. Her doll didn't last long; she ended up smashing it's head on the concrete floor. I still have my doll put away.
I only remember a few times when it really snowed in Lucerne Valley. I remember it was night time and my dad had a real bright light outside the house and I remember the glow from the light coming from the other side of the house and the snow falling all thick. It was so deep: up to my knees at least. Of course I was only about 9 years old so I was small lol The most significant thing about the memory is how the snow looked coming down with that light in the background and of course how deep it was.
I remember the swings used to be my favorite thing on the playground. I used to pretend that I was flying...I do remember playing dodge ball and jump rope occasionally. I also remember another girl named Angel (I don't remember her last name). She was my best friend for a short time before she moved away. She was trying to teach me to flip around on the bars backwards and she pushed me back and I fell right onto a rock and cut my head open. They called my parents to take me home for the rest of the day.
I remember when my parents brought my younger brother, Clint home from the hospital after he was born, they didn't have a bed for him so they put him in a dresser drawer. I remember I used to always carry him around.
I think it was this same year that I had the chicken pox and couldn't go to the Christmas party at school and was so upset that I was missing it.
I also think it was around this time that we got our first color TV. I remember it very well because when dad turned it on the show called Remington Steele was on starring Pierce Brosnan wearing a royal blue bathrobe and I just remember being so amazed at how bright and beautiful the color was. 😁
I do remember dad taking this photo in the yard at the house we grew up in on Sutter St. I remember the sun being in our eyes and dad kept trying to get Rita to smile. We were all getting annoyed because she refused and Gabe kept trying to go play, so dad finally just took the photo.
First grade... I believe this memory is from first grade. It was the day for show and tell and I brought in my Mickey Mouse doll but my friend wanted to switch with me, I don't remember what she brought but I agreed. We were supposed to tell the class about what we brought and I was very, very shy and didn't know what to say about her toy so I just ended up making a funny face making all the kids laugh until the teacher told me to just sit down.
This is my kindergarten picture. The only thing I remember in Kindergarten is nap time and that it was the first classroom as you got off the bus. It was the biggest classroom with lots of windows all across the front.
These next memories are from when we lived in a single wide trailer on the north side of the dry lake bed on highway 18, up in the mountains across the dry lakes in Lucerne Valley.
I was around 4 years old and my parents left my brother, who is 10 months older than me, and I in charge of my little sister, Rita who was around one years old. My brother and I went to play in my parent’s room which we knew was not allowed. We decided that it would be great fun to jump on the bed and run in circles around the bed. Then we had the brilliant idea of climbing up into the cupboards near the roof and falling back onto the bed. But in order to do this we has remove the things inside; sheets and towels and such. And what did we do with all of that stuff? Well, we threw it down onto the bed and floor. Oh we had such a blast, that is... until my parents got home and found that my sister had gotten into my mother's purple nail polish and painted not only herself but the walls, the carpet and an old foot stool. Then when they saw their room, boy were we in trouble. My dad took my brother into their now messy room and told me to stand by the door. After he closed the door I could hear him whipping my brother and my brother crying. I started crying and begging my mom; "Please, mom! Don't let him spank me! I promise I'll never mess up your room again and I'll watch Rita next time! Please, mom!" But she just shook her head and cleaned up the mess. Thankfully, I don't remember the spanking. Ha Ha!
Another memory I have around this time period was going with my mom up the mountain to check the water lines for holes. Our water was gravity fed down the mountain. I remember being so excited because she always took Billy instead of me. As we were climbing over some big boulder's I looked down and saw what I thought was a big lizard. I went to grab it when my mom screamed and threw me aside and started stabbing the poor thing with a shovel she had with her. I was so scared and confused. Once she had killed it, she grabbed me and started yelling at me about trying to pick up a snake. I was crying and so upset. She never took me with her again. 😥
There were some green houses that were partially torn down on the property and I remember Billy and I used to play on them like monkey bars, swinging from one beam to another. (They must have been pretty close together) We used to have a lot of fun doing that.
I also remember my dad hunting rabbits and snakes for us to eat. I don't remember how they tasted just that the snake was real tough and hard to eat. I remember my dad used to give me the cottontails and I would use them as powder puffs. Ha Ha!
Another memory during this time was when I got such a bad sunburn and my mom put Vick’s vapor rub all over it. I remember thinking that my legs looked like I had shiny red leotards on.
Another memory was when my brother Billy set my bed on fire and burned a hole right through the middle. We both got in trouble for that, even though I begged him not to do it.
This next memory is one of my darkest memories. It's when my parents went to town and left my father's friend, Charlie Griley with us. He put Billy in his room for a nap and told me to take a nap on the couch in the living room. I remember him lying down on the couch too and making me lay on top of him. I remember both of us were naked and he kept making me lay my face on his chest because Billy kept looking out of his room and seeing me sitting up. I remember being very scared and crying but thankfully I don't remember the feeling of him inside me. I never told anyone about it because I felt ashamed and he said that I would get into trouble because he was my dad's friend. Then later when I was older and he came for a visit I heard my dad telling him he had to leave because he couldn't have him around his kids because of going to jail for child molestation and Charlie saying "Oh, come on, I went through therapy man, I'm not like that anymore. I was sick but now I'm better" So my dad let him stay. I stayed away from him but he cornered me in the kitchen at one point and told me that I was his special girl for never saying anything and tried to pull me into his arms but I pushed him away and told him I would tell now if he didn't leave me alone. He laughed and said that if I hadn't said anything yet I wouldn't now but when I started crying he left me alone. I was about 17 when I finally told my best friend Matthew about it after hearing that the bastard had died. I have never talked about it with my family; I felt like it had been so many years - why hurt anyone else.
I also remember catching the bus with Billy to go to kindergarten, we had to catch the high school kid’s bus because it was the only bus that came out so far. I remember being so scared walking down the bus aisle with all the big kids looking at me. When we started high school, we had to ride the bus all the way to Apple Valley because there was no high school in Lucerne Valley. I also remember walking with Billy across the dry lakes after school, it was real windy and he lost his homework and got into trouble.
We had two dogs and a big black cat at this time. Both dogs were all white, one was older than the other one. The older dog was called Snowball and the puppy was Puppy Love. The cat's name was Johnny Cat. My mom used to call him her miniature panther because he was so big. He had seven toes and big yellow eyes. I remember when Snow Ball and Johnny Cat both got bitten by a rattle snake. Snow Ball's poor nose swelled so big I didn't even recognize him. Johnny Cat's ear just shriveled up for the rest of his life.
Another memory around this time period was when my parents got into a huge fight and my mom was leaving. I remember standing at the door of the trailer crying for her to take me with her but she wouldn't. I don't remember how long she was gone. I think only a few days or maybe a week.
This is another dark memory, we were coming back from town or somewhere and poor Snow Ball was hanging by the throat and little Puppy Love was lying under the trailer in a pool of his own blood; he had been shot in the head. The weekenders (people who came to the dry lake beds to off road and drink) were getting worse every weekend. Dad decided that it was totally unsafe to be living up there anymore and moved us closer into town. He had helped build a small house on 20 acres on Sutter St. for his friend Jose San Augustine and after Jose had died his son agreed to rent the house to us. My dad had a boom truck and when he was moving it to the new place, Johnny Cat jumped on the back and rode there the entire way. That cat was a survivor!
Mom's boyfriend tore this photo up and then my mom taped it back together. It is of my mom, dad, Billy, me, and Rita. I believe we were living on Coad Rd in Victorville, in a small house my parents called the "pump house". One actual memory from this time period is of my brother Billy and I playing outside and finding a huge turtle. (it was huge to a 4 year old) I was so happy and excited! It was so heavy I could hardly pick it up....Another memory around this time period was of my little sister, Rita crying and spitting up on my mom as a small baby. I felt really bad for Rita because she was crying, I wanted to hold her and make her smile. Mom was really annoyed and kept telling me to go play.
I also remember there were two other houses near the "pump house". One was a small two story house that was beyond the small house nearest us. My father's friend, Tom Dever and his mother lived in the two story house. They were the ones who owned the land and the three houses. Anyway, I remember one day going with my dad to the two story house. I was scared of the house; it was a very old house. We entered by going up the side steps into the small kitchen. It was dark and dingy in there. My dad told me to sit at the small table and wait for him. I watched him go into the even darker house and wanted to explore but was too frightened so I sat there listening to all the creeks and noises.
I look about 3 years old in this photo, and I am holding my second favorite doll at the time: my beanie baby. I loved her so much, but I don't even think I named her LOL I just remember her as beanie baby. Billy beheaded her when I was around 5 years old. 😥 He had torn my favorite doll up so much that my mom had to stitch him back together all the time...he's got lots of scars...he was a small Mickey Mouse doll.
*I really don't know why there is a filter with a Sombrero on my head... I will have to find the original photo and update it.
I remember being at a beach with my brother Billy (My mom has told me it was Imperial Beach). I remember Billy and me playing in the water and my parents not being anywhere (My mom has told me that they were getting high in the Jeep). I remember a wave catching me and pulling me under and I remember tumbling (sky, dark, sky, dark) until Billy pulled me out and we managed to get back to shore. (My mom doesn't remember me almost drowning of course but she does remember me crying). My mom had told me it was when she was pregnant with Rita, so this is the right year...
We were at Boulder Beach, NV. with mom and dad's friends. I don't remember this family or this particular trip. Mom had told me that she was pregnant with Rita at this time.
One of my absolute favorite pictures of my mom. I think she looks so pretty here. She is holding Rita. She has told me that we were at a park in Las Vegas, Nevada and were still homeless at the time. Rita and I were both 2 months premature at birth and poor little Rita was born with her intestines on the outside and other issues... My mom told me that they flew her down to Loma Linda Hospital to pump her intestines back into her body and there were many complications causing her little heart to stop a few times, but she was tough and survived.
