A picture of me (with the braids) holding my baby brother Chickie, my sister Carol is at left and our cousin Tommy behind her. This was taken at our house "up on the hill" in Columbia NJ. I remember that little sun dress, I think I wore it all the time. I was about 7 1/2 in this picture quite the little "mother."
My dad built the house we lived in, and the house next door which my Grandma Davis and Aunt Anita lived in. My dad's father had acquired the land long before and eventually we lost it and had to move to a house downtown. I really loved the house on the hill....Carol and I had a wonderful room of our own, with a little bay window with a window seat. It was a model house I love to this day.
I used to tend the furnace in the morning. One day I discovered a mouse in a trap when I was about 6. I found some sticks, released the trap and let the mouse limp away. I have always remembered my mother and father's reaction, - they laughed fondly. I think I knew at the time that it was a strange reaction for them, but I also felt extremely proud of myself. It was in this house that I first saw television. Dad brought a little one home, we all got out of bed and went to see the magic of it. On a tiny glass "window" you could see a black and white movie - a horror film, I believe, something about graveyards. While this was not my first home, I have so many memories there and most are wonderful.
I remember it before it was a home. It was land then, and I was there to see my Dad create the foundation. I learned most of his tools and could fetch them as needed. It made my little heart swell to be a part of something he was doing. And I felt I was assisting in making our home. The earth there was red clay....as they dug it, I was amazed to see it was clay. I formed little creatures from it. And it might have been one of the few times my Dad showed that he enjoyed something I was doing.
I started school in this house. My very best friend lived just a half dozen houses down from us. Our communication was yelling. "Can you play?" "Yes, come down (up)." We loved our "instant talking." Early cell phones? Ha ha!
I remember the trains going by in back. I remember Mom setting fire to the entire lot burning leaves or trash. I remember a snow fall when Dad opened the back door there were only a couple of inches of light at the top! I remember playing cowboys and indians. I remember Carol, who was only a baby herself, filling Chickie's bottle with 4 Roses because he was crying. Mom caught it just in time!
I remember Anita (Neen) whispering to me, if you want to go to the ocean with me, you pack your little suitcase tonight and meet me early in the morning. I guess I'll never know if she really told my parents, but I would creep out before sunrise and go next door. We'd sneak to the car, drive quietly out and hit the road. I was filled with the thrill of it all. She never drove the speed limit, and would often just throw her hands in the air and say "Punkin' I'm not steering any more, it's up to you!" I'd throw myself over onto her lap and steer. Our laughter was trailing behind us.
There were often police stops and I never remember her getting a ticket. She'd flirt, she was beautiful, and there were as many date requests as warnings, as I recall.
We would go out into the ocean, I'd have to wear little rubber shoes, and there were ropes tied to posts which one held onto. I'm not sure, but I believe many of our trips to the ocean were to Atlantic City. There may have been other locations too.
The line in my life between happy childhood and less so is drawn just at the point where we moved from this house.
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