This Way To My Blog

This Way To My Blog

Monday, September 20, 2010

Second House On Sidebar

I grew up in the second house on my sidebar. I lived there from third grade until I got married in 1956. We were just glad we had electricity and didn't think anything of not having air conditioning and not even a fan. Guess we were lucky the windows worked and were opened wide in summer. We had no carpet and I don't remember knowing anyone who did. No bathroom except the little house out back. We did have running water inside but had to heat the water on the cook stove to take a bath in the galvanized tub and to wash dishes. We had a big cistern to catch rain water to cook beans and wash our hair. The house was six rooms and it didn't seem small at the time. Our house was just a block from downtown of the small town we grew up in. The postoffice was a social gathering place every morning while the mail was being "put up" that is put into the individual boxes. Across the street from the Methodist church where we spent a lot of time going to functions at church or just playing rock school on the steps. We had a lot of fun when Mama waxed the floors pulling each other around on a big rags or sliding in old socks to shine the linoleum. We had plenty of good plain food and our roof didn't leak so what more could we have ask for? A cell phone maybe? Not even a party line. A TV? That came later but we filled our days playing Annie Over, Hide and Seek, Mother May I and so many more. I don't remember ever being bored or saying I was bored there were so many choices. One day a few years ago we passed our old house and I happened to have a camera with me so I stopped to snap this picture. I'm so glad I did because the next time I passed the house was gone.

15 comments:

jack69 said...

We're glad you snapped the picture also. It brought on another of your great entries. YOumade one statement that I wish every kid today could understand.
QUOTE:
I don't remember ever being bored or saying I was bored there were so many choices. Unquote

Amazing with allthe STUFF (games etc) kids will say, "I am Bored!" How truly juvenile!

Good entry as usual from 'Paulinescontrytales'

BlueRidge Boomer said...

Bored...???? We didn't have time to be bored.....too many things to do!!!

Great post..!!

Enjoy

Toon said...

You're so lucky you got a picture of it! So many of our histories have been wiped out.

Barbara In Caneyhead said...

I bet it was a fine house back then. Really makes me yearn for such carefree and pleasant times. We did have a hot water heater and a couple of box fan. But we had hardwood floors or old linoleum ones in every room. I remember slipping, sliding and running (!) in socks on those floors.

Leilani Schuck Weatherington said...

Your post brought back so many memories of when I was a kid -- we spent so much time outside playing games -- kick the can, hide and seek, and old fashion army where we pretended to kill each other. Great fun. Nobody had money for a lot of junk food (25-cents on Saturday for candy at the local store). We figured out our own games instead of having them preprogrammed for us on an LED screen. None of the kids in the neighborhood were overweight either.

Donna. W said...

Sounds a lot like my childhood. It was great.

Anonymous said...

I lived in my "first" house for 45 years. I love living at the beach now, but I miss that house so terribly.

Great entry-great reminder of past joys.
~Mary

Lucy said...

Paula, your upbringing sounds much like mine. Our house only had 4 rooms. At the time I thought it was fine that we had so many people in one house. No electricity, outdoor out houses. You brought back some memories.

~mel said...

I agree with so many of the comments left for you on this post. I love the technology and all that has come along, my television, my computer, INDOOR PLUMBING (that was a biggie! I was 12 when we got that); but we as parents and grandparents need to instill in our children "what it's all about".
What kind of wax was that they used back then? I remember sliding in my socks to bring a shine to the floor... what fun memories those days were. Now I have no wax laminate flooring ~ boring... but easier.

Sheila Y said...

What about red rover and 123 red light? Did you play those too? Great entry! Take care, Sheila

shirl72 said...

The word "bored" was not in our vocabulary when
we were young. What wonderful good days.
Played so hard during the day we fell in bed
at night tired not wanting our mother to wash
our feet. I do remember.

Jimmy's Journal said...

We had inside plumbing, but no air-conditioning, television or telephone. When I wasn't outside playing, I'd listen to Hank Williams on the radio.

We always had things to do and someone to play with. Things have changed but fond old memories live on.

Good post!
Jimmy

Marty said...

Sounds like a world of happy memories in that house. I'm sorry to hear it's gone now ... but at least you have the photo!
Best,
Marty

Martha said...

I'm so glad you got the picture Paula! What happy childhood memories. I recall similar things although growing up in the 60s we did have an indoor bathroom and a black and white TV - still nothing like these days!

Gerry said...

Sounds like you lived a lot like we did in our little town in southern Utah. We finally got a cistern, too, which made taking a bath a whole lot easier with water still heated with the wood and coal kitchen stove. I remember when the water was heating in the tank it would always roar like a lion. That meant it was heating good. Ha. Electricity ended that quaint feature. Our old house is practically falling down, too. Memories!