Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

It rained cats and dogs today.
No Appalachian Festival for us.
Sorry, Mom.

Dear Gracie

Relax. We're not going to the vet. We're going to Grandma and Grandpa's in Indiana.

Yes, we're going to Grandma's house, but this is not Grandma's house. Not anymore.

This is a 2012 photo of a house I lived in when I was in the 3rd grade. In 1970.

I wrote a short story about it and read it at a public reading on May 2, 2012 at Women Writing for a Change. The story was aptly called "The House on Water Street." Alyssa and Jill attended which made it special. Gracie, you should have been there. Lots of talented ladies.

Back then, this house looked nothing like it does now. Picture old paint, no landscaping, and a small, old outbuilding that we used as a clubhouse. We lived in the top floor. My brothers, Rusty and Mike, and I all slept in the living room. Both of them have passed away since, the former from an accident and the latter from health problems related to Down Syndrome.

You would have loved both of them, Gracie. Mike was so sweet and friendly, and Rusty was very energetic and mischevious.

Interesting factoids about the house:
There were 5 kids and 2 parents and no bathtub or shower. We washed up at the kitchen sink.

The house was built in 1870, which made it exactly 100 years old the year I moved in. I had no idea at the time.

This is an edited version of the photo above, made to look old.

And it's Grandpa's birthday tomorrow. He'll be Eighty-One. Yowza!