Countrychildhood Challenge - The Old Homeplace

Anna (@anna-mi) has come up with an awesome new challenge!
Click HERE to view her original post.
These are the rules:

• add a post with your photo from childhood (youth)
• use the hashtag #countrychildhood
• nominate 3 of your friends to participate
• write these rules or a link to my post with the rules

Participation is open to anyone who wants to join us!
To read all the recent posts, click here: #countrychildhood

I nominate: @limabeing @sultnpapper @bluefinstudios

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I do not have photos of myself as a child to share, but I can share photos of things from my childhood. My parents lived in a rented apartment when they first married, then moved to another. My father saved his money to buy a small parcel of land, the materials to build a house, and the tools he needed to do it.

My grandfather was always good at woodworking, and my father learned from watching him. My father did most of the work building the house, himself, but received some assistance from his twin-brother (Brady), another brother (Amos), and my grandfather. The framework of the house was wood, and the outside fascade was brickwork. My uncle Amos was good at electrical wiring, so he was the one who did that part.

We lived in that house until I was eight years old, so I do have a few memories of it, and of our life there. These photos were made earlier this year, when we journeyed back to our ancestral area for a Memorial Service when my father passed away.

There was a huge oak tree in the front yard, which is now gone. The paved walkway from the front steps to the driveway is moved — when I was a child, the walkway came out through the front yard and adjoined the driveway closer to the street, and was lined with Grape Hyacinth plants, which always had pretty little flowers. I remember hunting for Easter Eggs in the yard as a child, and spending many a pleasant hour sitting in the screened porch area on warm, summer evenings.

The front door opened into the "Living Room," which was seldom used by the family. In the US, this room is often kept in pristine condition for visitors, and where the Christmas tree is displayed during December. Adjacent to it is the "Den," which is the casual "sitting room" or parlor, where the immediate family gathered in the evenings. We had a kitchen with a combined dining area. Then, of course, there are the bedrooms and bathroom. Since I was such a small child when we lived here, I am not sure that the walls and closets are depicted in their exact location. In fact, the wall between the den and the dining area doesn't seem right to me, but I can't remember enough to know what is wrong.

I remember having a swingset in the back yard, and I dearly loved to swing! I could spend hours on that thing, going back and forth, thinking, daydreaming, and pretending to fly! LOL! Also in the back yard was a very small "Tool House" which my father constructed from wood and brick, just like the house. He kept all of his tools locked-up there, and it was his work space when he had a project to complete. I clearly remember it was on the steps of his Tool House where he taught me to tie my sneakers. Sadly, I noticed the Tool House is no longer there, and wonder why it was torn down, as it matched the design of the house and was constructed in a sturdy manner.

One of my favorite toys was a tricycle. It was red, and so much fun to ride around the yard! My most prized toy from that era, though, was a doll! I still have her now, and she brings back many fond memories. I am so glad she is still with me, my longest friend! 😊

My brother recently found the teddy bear I had as a child. It was in a box in storage, along with several other old things. The poor bear is in much worse shape now than the doll — apparently, almost all the stuffing had been hugged out of him over the years and he is in need of re-stuffing! I feel sorry for him, although I had to laugh when I saw his pathetic condition!

I also remember walking to school as a child, back in the days when such was safe and parents didn't have to worry. I remember there were two routes I could take to the school. One of them led me past a house where a boxer dog lived, and he would chase me, nipping and barking as I ran past. So, I stopped going that way. The other route took me over a teeny little creek, and I would stop on the small bridge every day and watch the minnows swimming to-and-fro in the water. One of the boys in my school ate dirt sometimes and he would chase us around the schoolyard, trying to put a handful of dirt in our faces, too. The swings at the school were always my favorite activity at recess because "dirt boy" couldn't get to me there! LOL!

I also have other vague, fuzzy memories of long ago...

I remember the furniture store where my parents bought most of the furnishings for the house. We still have some it and are using it today, such as the coffee table in front of the sofa on which I am sitting. Things were really built-to-last in those days, and this coffee table is almost as old as I am (and I am in my sixties)! We also have a bedroom set from the same store (bed, chest-of-drawers, and a vanity/desk piece, all matching design) which I used as a child.

I remember the Boone family who lived around the corner. They had two daughters, one my age and one older, and we had fun together sometimes. The little girl next door to us had a doll and we talked and played with our dolls together. I also remember an elderly lady, Mrs. Evie Devane, who babysat me on occasion for my parents. She had a grown daughter, Bernice, who lived with her, perhaps to look after her. Mrs. Evie gave me a silver dollar as a child, and I still have it today!

I have other memories, too, such as our annual Family Reuinions and times spent visiting family, but I will save those for another time! Thank you for walking down Memory Lane with me, and please JOIN OUR CHALLENGE and post photos from your childhood! 😊

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