When I was a little girl we lived in Pawnee City Nebraska. For most of that time we lived across the street from the public library. This was the view from the front of the house. I can honestly say that the house across the street from the library holds the most wonderful memories for me of my youth. We moved when I was 6 but I can still draw you a map of the house, inside and out. I can tell you where the furniture sat and what the wallpaper looked like. I can still taste the metal brackets on the railing going up the stairs. It tasted like pennies. Why the hell would I lick the bracket? Who knows, I was a strange child.
The front yard was huge when I was a kid. When I look at it now, I don't see how I ever thought that. I wore the wheels of my big wheel riding to the end of the sidewalk in from of out next door neighbors, Mrs Barr's house and back to the edge of the alley that ran between our house and the Post Office. I wasn't allowed to cross the alley alone, for fear of suffering my Mother's wrath. There was a bakery/ candy shop on the other side of the post office. I used to sneak money our of my piggy bank ( Uncle Randy showed me that little trick) and I would sneak to the bakery, get a fresh doughnut and sneak back before I got caught. The lady at the bakery finally asked my Mom if she knew I was doing that. That kind of put a damper that. I also used my big wheel as a torture device. I chased the butcher off the sidewalk because he used to tease me when we were in the grocery store. He finally got smart and walked on the other side of the street.
On the side of the house was a tiny, very tiny walnut tree. It was such a young tree that it barely gave off any shade at all. I would take a little baby blanket and sit in that itty bitty shade. As the sun moved and the shade creeped off of me, I would move my blanket and reposition myself. I usually had a dolly or a stuffed animal, but usually Tisha was there and I would have to get her to move off the blanket so I could catch the shade for us. The librarian told my Mother that she used to love watching us play on front and side lawn. She had a perfect view of us out the front door when she sat at the main desk. I can imagine that it was comical. I remember walking around the yard, in a fog of make believe, day dreaming and singing silly made up songs when I got tired of singing..."Yes, Jesus loves me, .....for the bible tells me sooooo!" I loved that song! I wish I had a penny for ever minute I spent on the swing set in the back yard. I'd be rich! I pumped back and forth and back and forth....and sang my made up songs. I also spent hours running under a sprinkler and picking flowers aka weeds.
I used to color all the time. I loved coloring books and I had a huge tub full of crayons that we kept in a old gallon ice cream bucket. One morning I had been laying on the big front porch coloring. I ran off to play in the back yard and for got about the crayons which as the sun moved through the sky ended up sunlight and melted. My Mom had to empty the container out on newspaper and separate them so they would harden and not be in one giant lump.
This was also the place that I had my famous stand down with a big squirrel. I was doing a balance beam show on the curb that ran up the drive way to the garage. I was looking down so I wasn't really paying attention to anything but my foot placement. There were squirrels that use to raid the walnuts by the garage. Well, that day one was also running along the curb in my direction. Neither of us saw each other until we were within 3 feet of each other. We both froze in fear, them turned at the same time and ran for our lives. They are evil little creatures you know.
Then there was the year that Uncle Randy came to live with us and he got my room....it was MINE. I loved playing in the closet in my room and he used to kick me out and I would inform him that it was my room first so I was sure I could play in the closet if I wanted to. Then there was the time that I was playing with Dixie cups that I cut little "V"'s in to make tepees for my imaginary Indian village. I opened the door to the bathroom to get more cups and Randy was in the bath tub...and preceded to yell at me to get out. I was short, I didn't see anything and besides, what was the big deal? People were always in the bathroom when I was taking a bath. My Sister also locked her self in that bathroom...lol, when she was maybe 2 years old. That was a mess trying to calm her down and get her to unlock the door. Dad also fell asleep in that upstairs bathtub while he was in the thud and it ofcourse over flowed all over the place. My Mom had to sweep water out the back door of the house....it was pretty bad.
I dropped my rock bracelet down the heat vent in the living room. I cried forever over that. Lorie and Chad made me laugh when I had a mouth full of peach juice and it sprayed all over the new wall paper in the dining room. Mom was pissed. Once,my bird was out of its cage and we had to go somewhere...so when we got home we were going to put him back in his cage but that is when we discovered that he must have flown upstairs and into the big bedroom...which was missing a screen on the little side window...and AWAY HE WENT. Then there was the time that lightening followed the power line into the house and blew out the light on the deep freeze.
Who could forget the time I embarrassed my mom. Remember those old Avon commercials. Well, they had a slogan that had a door bell ring, DING DONG...and then the words, "Avon calling." Well, our Avon lady was walking onto the porch and I saw her through the screen door and I yelled...as only I could, "MOM, THE DING-DONG LADY IS HERE!" Everyone had a good laugh over it later.
Seriously, that house was a mecca of fun and frolic. I loved it there...even if Randy stole my room. I forgave him for it before he passed away.
