Growing Up … Way Back When (Part 1)
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
Sometimes I think about how our world has changed in the past 50 years and I wonder what Grandma and Grandpa would think of it.
Grandma and Grandpa were faithful church goers, lived in old houses with an outhouse, windmill with a pump for water, an old Maytag washer and always a clothes line to hang up the laundry.
When I was five we moved in with grandma and grandpa and I started kindergarten. At that time we lived in town. I do remember walking to kindergarten and not being scared someone would grab me.
One day they had a circus at school. All of the school got to go for free. I was very excited and enjoyed seeing the elephants, the trapeze artists and the magicians. And then, it was time for this clown to do his act.
He was sort of funny, but for his last act he put a firecracker in his britches and lit it. The firecracker went BOOM and the back of the clowns pants blew out. Ha!! I was so scared that I ran out of the school and ran home. I had never seen anything like this and I hated clowns and the circus and still do to this day!
When I got into second grade, we moved to an old house which was located on a hill. We named it, Middle Point Hill. It was a duplex and an old man and his son lived in the other half. Almost every day and night, the old guy would bang his cane against the walls and we weren’t even making any noise.
At that time we had lots of cats and baby kittens. One morning my little brother and I got up and I went and got a partial bucket of water from our well. I told little Jimmy, “Now we are going to baptize these kittens. I think they have sinned and need baptized.”
My little brother said, “Otay I help you” First we grabbed a kitten and dunked him in the name of the father, son and Holy Ghost” About that time Mama came outside to see what we were doing. The kitty was screaming and hissing and Jimmy and I were in trouble.
After hollering at us, Mom told us those kittens were not sinners and no more baptizing.
In the summertime, we had glass jars and chased lightening bugs. I still wonder where the lightening bugs went to and why we haven’t seen any. We would porch sit and drink iced tea. No air conditioners in our house. We raised the windows and sometimes a cool breeze would blow softly in the windows.
My granny had a room she called The Parlor. She kept the door shut, but almost every day I was allowed to go in there and practice on her big old upright piano.
She had an old record player in the parlor and I was allowed to play a gold old Martha Carlson record and try to follow along. The song is still one of my favorites called, “Satisfied”.
We all went to church and it was there that the musicians at church taught me chords and keys. This music would begin after church service was over and that is where my journey began in playing piano.
I don’t claim to be a professional musician, but I enjoy playing any gospel, old country and so I just call myself a honky tonker.
I have really enjoyed writing this and thinking back that the world seemed like such an easier place.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this and maybe you have done some of these things too. Well next week I will write more about my school days and see if you remember way back when. If you do, let me know and I will give you a Penny For Your Thoughts.
