Mind Videos

Some of my memories return to me as visual recalls of events or people . I like to call these ' mind videos '. They are little vignettes that automatically play back when the correct button is pressed . They never change . They are exactly as I first saw them even after 55+ years .

All of my memories of our section house neighbours are in this ' mind video ' form ...

Pics from Larchwood

Old and well worn by the hands of many , family photos bear the test of time as well as could be expected, when kept in a box .



Veteran Salutes



1952



Sis Helps Again

 As was usual for Mum , she did her best to 'prettify' her home even if it was in a CPR Section house . By the time our family had moved to Larchwood , the company had relaxed the rules for interior decoration . Now , a section family could paint the interior walls whatever colour desired...but the CPR would only provide free paint in their official colours . The exterior must have the look of CPR property ...no exceptions . Of course , since section men were the lowliest of employees , the 'working poor' class , most did not exercise this great freedom granted by the company . They couldn't afford it .

How to Make a Memory

 My older sister was three when the family moved to Larchwood . She was very observant and had a memory for the slightest detail , on which we all came to depend through the years . It was reliable and didn't alter over time . She could recount incidents down to the date and everything that happened around the events , including the unrelated that occured coincidentally . Her memories from that time period always amazed me .

 Her recall of the 'runaway carriage' episode

The Story Behind Consciousness

For me , Larchwood will never be forgotten . It was at the old section house , in the front yard to be specific , that as a six-month-old I first became conscious that I was a participant . I went beyond that part of my brain which cared mostly about sleep and food ,to a part which registered events and observations of the world . Of course they weren't complete , but the memories were there in storage .

 The memory of green and wind and motion that I wrote about in my last post (Apr 17) remained active for a long time...even to the point of dreaming it on occasion...reliving a moment that had a profound affect on me . Now , I think of it as the moment I went from 'id' to 'ego' .

Conscious in Larchwood

My First Conscious Thought

My world begins to move.
It bumps and heaves and jerks and falters.
Things , blurry things, float past me and beneath me as usual.
But , I begin to sense a new motion through my legs and seat.
My heart beats faster...I know because I can hear it inside my ears.

Where is Larchwood?

Latitude: 46.34.20 N

Longitude: 81.17.53 W

The old station and section houses south of town on the CPR mainline are long gone . But for a period of time there was an operating station with an agent and two section houses that provided homes for two CPR section men and their families . Departing Sudbury , the train travelled north to the