Feelin’ Groovy

y dad was in the Army, and in 1968-’70, when I was in junior high school, we lived in military housing at Futenma on Okinawa. I remember walking to the nearby theater on post to see the Beatles’

Yellow Submarine. Another time, I saw the Herman’s Hermits film Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter. After both, my head was so filled with music that I lightheartedly walked home singing the lyrics. As with many teens, then and now, music had a big impact on me.

Listening to the Armed Forces Radio Service, I heard music that was popular in the States. The Beatles, the Monkees, the Bee Gees, the Doors, Cream, Steppenwolf, and Blood, Sweat & Tears were just a few of the bands that were big at the time.

I recorded songs on my reel-to-reel tape deck as they played on air. I poised my fingers on the play and record buttons, trying to time the recordings perfectly to start as soon as the DJ started the song. My bedroom walls were decorated with pinups carefully pulled from teen magazines. A large teddy bear wearing sunglasses and colored strands of beads sat atop my bed. It was a really cool room.

Mom surprised me by sewing a pair of wild flower-print bell-bottoms. The fabric was strewn with large and small bright yellow, bold orange, white and turquoise daisies.

They were the ultimate, coolest bell-bottoms ever. She even made curtains for my bedroom out of the same fabric.

Unfortunately, I got to wear those pants only once or twice before someone snatched them off our clothesline. I was heartbroken. I kept my eyes open but never saw anyone walking around in those pants. I’ll always have happy memories of the years I spent with my music and my bold flower bell-bottoms and curtains.

Thanks, Mom.