Issue 51.09
I still remember what both of my grandparents’ homes, no longer standing, looked like. Sometimes I’ll awake from a dream and recall being in grandma’s kitchen or dining room. It still exists in my memory even though grandmother died in 1967. It’s been more than 40 years since I walked through her modest front door.
By the front window she always had some geranium flowering plants growing to add some color and cheer to her life since she didn’t have a yard to grow her favorite lilacs or others flowers after moving to Eureka from Silver City. All she had was a cement front porch, no grass and an old tree growing by the side of the house. There was an alleyway on the side of her house, but no garage. In the winter when the snow was high, it was difficult to shovel the driveway. There was just one way out the front door to get to the street.
Grandma’s house had an upstairs where my mom and I had a small apartment that we shared. A long stairway leads to our hideaway but alas we had no bathroom up there. We had a little chamber pot under our bed for when it was too cold to make the long walk downstairs to the one toilet shared by everyone including grandma’s borders. Across from the community toilet and shower that were in separate stalls, there was a huge washbasin with a large decorated mirror when boarders could lather up and shave their whiskers before heading off to work.
I remember Grandma’s stove in the dining room that required lumps of coal to heat the whole house. The only other source of heat was the kitchen wood stove that was used all year round for cooking despite the temperature indoors or out. Hauling in wood and taking out ashes were regular chores each day for my uncle Clarence. Next to this cozy stove was where I had my tub baths.
My other grandparents lived in the railroad company home, a simple but well kept block home that grandmother kept meticulously clean. I was so sad when grandpa retired and they had to move from that home to a newer home in a different part of town. I had so many memories in their old house, but grandmother was excited to finally have some of the modern conveniences like a garage that her neighbors had. The perfect Christmas gift, a bound collection of these columns. Contact <lin@sunrivertoday.com>