My early home was near my Erikson grandparents' home. We lived on a busy road so I wasn't able to go there on my own. But, I do remember riding bikes with my mom there. I remember digging holes in the backyard with my sister, Wendy, and trying to get to China. It had a beauty shop in the downstairs where my mom did the hair of many ladies. I LOVED those ladies and looked forward to certain ones coming to their weekly appointment. There were no children that lived near us. So, when we moved to our new house, south of town, I was thrilled to find kids EVERYWHERE. I didn't have to change schools. All my friends were closer to me and even in my Primary.
Our home was a place that lots of friends wanted to visit. We had a HUGE backyard and in the summer we played games all the time, bouncing from yard to yard. When the weather wasn't compatible for outside play, we all gathered in our playroom, above the garage. There were so many games of dodgeball in that room. Our house was always clean. We had chores to do - the worst of which was pulling grass out of the bushes at the side of the driveway or from inside the irises. Why do irises grow grass, too?
We had a very large garden that required lots of work - at least from the viewpoint of a kid. It seems to me that we were always picking raspberries, strawberries, peas, or beans. In the late summer and early fall, we were always canning. We always had plenty of home goods in storage. Looking back, I realize the canning time was one of my favorites.
During the summer, my yard was the sight of Sunday Night Games with everyone from the neighborhood and people from other neighborhoods. The games usually started around 6:00 and ended well after dark. Sometimes we heard the call of a distant mom to end the games. People felt very comfortable coming to my house. I used to hate it because I wanted to go to visit other's homes. My friends said they thought my Dad was so fun to visit with. My friends had dads that seemed quite intimidating and scary. Sometimes my friends just sat visiting with my Dad.
Our home seemed very big to me. Maybe that is because it took forever to vacuum. It was built in 1978. I remember because we moved when I was 8. We had the playroom over the garage (mentioned early) with gameboards, tic tac toe, and hopscotch woven into the fabric. There was a sewing room where I spent a lot of time crafting and sewing and sometimes ironing (I hate that task). There was a guest room where people stayed and I often wished I could move into. Our relatives often came from Arizona and stayed in that room. That meant I got to play with them. We are still quite close to 2nd cousins because of that. There were three bedrooms. Mom and Dad had a bedroom with two large cloest for hide and seek and a balcony that we weren't allowed to go on due to the fact it didn't have a railing. It does now. Cristy and Vicki shared a room with bright blue carpet. Wendy and I shared a giant bedroom. It was "pink." When the house was built I was asked what color carpet I wanted. I said pink, of course. The only pink carpet that could be found had many colors in it and was once referred to as "vomit." That is a pretty accurate description. There were two bathrooms upstairs, too. The main floor had a living room with the stereo and the piano and the hearth for singing and dancing. Mom had her beauty shop on the main floor, too. The kitchen, dining room, and family room were all connected like modern great rooms. Off the kitchen was a large storage room and pantry. So many foods and treats were in there. And out the back was the patio where we spent so much time in the summer and carried and stacked wood into during the winter. It was the best home to live in.
My home wasn't perfect. There were many arguments and fights between my three sisters and I. We argued with each other. We argued with our parents. We were grounded from time to time. Sometimes we got chased by the wooden spoon yielding parent. But, it was a happy and safe place to be. We didn't get all the things we wanted, but we never went without the things we needed. I had great security there. Mom and Dad were always there for us.
I couldn't have asked for a better place to grow up. I was blessed to be there then and those blessings continue now.
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