Lists: an excercise in recollection

I was inspired by the recent Summer Pierre nostalgia posts on her excellent and charming blog to make a list. The list (as authored by Ms. Pierre) is called "10 things I loved to do before the age of 10". I originally posted it in her comments section, along with some others with their own ten things:

1. Treeforts. The oak tree where ours perched was named "Annie". It had a rope ladder made out of broomsticks and carpeting salvaged from dumpsters. The musty sweet smell of oak trees still sends me back in time.

2. Mainstream radio. I was a child of hippies and was always wondering why all the bands my family listened to were all broken up and the singers were dead. Then came rides in my neighbor's car where I heard top 40 radio for the first time and was entranced by the racy songs, "Papa don't preach" and one called "Black Velvet" are two I remember. I was a prude as a kid.

3.Mexican Barbies. I wasn't allowed to have real Barbies, and therefore, they were like forbidden fruit. I managed to beg a Barbie ripoff from my mom at the flea market. I think her name was "Rosa". Her hair stuck straight up in the air.

4. Elfquest. I became obsessed with a 70's comic book about hot buxom elves and their struggle for a homeland. I got the first book as a gift from family friends, but my mom took it away and hid it and told me that it was lost. She thought it had too much sex in it. (she was right!)
This connects to....
5. Wanting to be an elf. Why wasn't I born an elf in a land where there was magic and unicorns?? Why why why!? (I would cry and wander around in the forest).

6. Sitting in trees reading Nancy Drew. I would get up early in the morning and go sit in a tree and read before breakfast. I would roll up my pant legs and never wear shoes so to be more elfin. The shoeless thing was rather painful, as we lived in the mountains.

7. Keeping a secret notebook like Harriet the Spy.

8. Paul Simon-"Graceland", Talking Heads-"Little Creatures", The Police-"Synchronicity". My three favorite albums.

9. My mom and dad sang to me when I was falling asleep. My dad sang Beach Boys and The Incredible String Band. My mom sang traditional lullabies.

10. The summers never ended.