We lived down on Strong Street and they lived up on Highway 96. They lived the second house in from the corner in a brown tar paper shack. I call it tar paper but it had a coating on it with flecks of brown, red and black. You know what I mean, kind of like the asphalt shingles on roofs today. Their yard was small but it was big enough for a chicken coop and an out house. It had one tree and that is where Whittlin' Joe could be found every afternoon after school. He sat on a wooden chair and leaned it back against the tree trunk and whittled his little things he whittled whatever they were. I suspect he was there all day and not just after school, but that is when I saw him. The chickens ran free in the yard and some times one could be seen coming out of the house. They had a small trailer and it was said by my brother (who knew these things) that the trailer was full of things they had whittled and in the summer they went on the road and sold stuff. I could not argue, because I did not know. I just know I walked on the other side of the street because they scared me.
I had heard rumors that sometimes Hank Windiate would stop and pass the time of day with them. Hank lived at the end of our street and was crippled. I do not know why, just that one arm and one leg were pretty small. He had a buckboard and an old brown horse which he harnessed and hooked up to it on a daily basis and "went into town." I have no idea why he went into town every day, but he did. There were rumors that he had been married at one time and his wife had died. Hank was another one who let the chickens run in and out of the house. Hank took sick and died and the town people came and built a fire in his yard and burned everything that was inside. I never understood that. And I do not know what happened to the goats, chickens and horse either. This is just how I remember it.
Between us and Hank were two houses. First was Rudolph Reinke and his girls, Irene, Delores, Florence and Venita. He had several more girls who had grown and gone, but Irene was my age and Delores a year or so older. The mother had died when Irene was a wee tot and Rudolph was left to raise the kids. He did handyman work and left early and came home late. He also raised pigs and he could be heard doing his chores and singing hymns in German while he went about his business. The girls made doughnuts every Saturday morning. They also had a cow so they made real butter. They used to trade us butter for the white stuff with a yellow dot that passed for margarine in the old time. I liked that. They had a dog on a chain that barked all the time and I do not think anyone ever petted it.
Between Reinke's and Hank was Jake Smith and his wife who I never knew because she looked really mean and stood very straight when she walked. She walked into town and was a cleaning lady for someone. Jake was a retired peace officer and he liked to show us his gun and tell us what would happen to us if we ever did anything wrong. He would arrest us because he still had his badge and he could do that. He had a chair in the yard and used to tip it back against the tree and nap. Pretty sure Jake was the instigator of the "sneaking up on Jake Smith while he was asleep and tying him to the tree." Boy, was he mad! Of course he was not tied very tight, but it was just the idea of catching him asleep that the boys could not resist.
Walt King lived over on the highway on the other side of our block. He raised beautiful flowers and a garden to die for, which he did one afternoon. We saw him sleeping face down in his garden all afternoon and so when mother came home we told her and she and Rudolph went to investigate, but we had to stay home.
The Feins and their son Howard lived between us and Whittlin' Joe on the highway. Howard was probably 25 years old and still lived at home. He worked in his garden a lot. He raised mostly flowers. I stopped to see him sometimes, but once he made his false teeth jump out at me and scared the living shit right out of me. I did not even know there were such things as false teeth. When I told mother she just laughed and said to stay away from there because I was probably aggravating him. I pretty much avoided him after that.
Right catty cornered from our house was a lot that was a square block with an empty house on one side. I mean a deserted falling down house with no roof. Joe Hedrick held his rodeo's there. I always liked to watch them ride the broncs. Joe or Jerry. One was an old man and one was my age. Today they have an exotic animal farm on the other side of town. I think it is a bed and breakfast, or it was. I have not been back in years so I do not know.
Behind our house about half a mile was the cemetary. I used to love to go there because it was quiet and sometimes there were pretty flowers. I just looked at them.
So, these are my thoughts this morning. I sure wonder where they come from?
I had heard rumors that sometimes Hank Windiate would stop and pass the time of day with them. Hank lived at the end of our street and was crippled. I do not know why, just that one arm and one leg were pretty small. He had a buckboard and an old brown horse which he harnessed and hooked up to it on a daily basis and "went into town." I have no idea why he went into town every day, but he did. There were rumors that he had been married at one time and his wife had died. Hank was another one who let the chickens run in and out of the house. Hank took sick and died and the town people came and built a fire in his yard and burned everything that was inside. I never understood that. And I do not know what happened to the goats, chickens and horse either. This is just how I remember it.
Between us and Hank were two houses. First was Rudolph Reinke and his girls, Irene, Delores, Florence and Venita. He had several more girls who had grown and gone, but Irene was my age and Delores a year or so older. The mother had died when Irene was a wee tot and Rudolph was left to raise the kids. He did handyman work and left early and came home late. He also raised pigs and he could be heard doing his chores and singing hymns in German while he went about his business. The girls made doughnuts every Saturday morning. They also had a cow so they made real butter. They used to trade us butter for the white stuff with a yellow dot that passed for margarine in the old time. I liked that. They had a dog on a chain that barked all the time and I do not think anyone ever petted it.
Between Reinke's and Hank was Jake Smith and his wife who I never knew because she looked really mean and stood very straight when she walked. She walked into town and was a cleaning lady for someone. Jake was a retired peace officer and he liked to show us his gun and tell us what would happen to us if we ever did anything wrong. He would arrest us because he still had his badge and he could do that. He had a chair in the yard and used to tip it back against the tree and nap. Pretty sure Jake was the instigator of the "sneaking up on Jake Smith while he was asleep and tying him to the tree." Boy, was he mad! Of course he was not tied very tight, but it was just the idea of catching him asleep that the boys could not resist.
Walt King lived over on the highway on the other side of our block. He raised beautiful flowers and a garden to die for, which he did one afternoon. We saw him sleeping face down in his garden all afternoon and so when mother came home we told her and she and Rudolph went to investigate, but we had to stay home.
The Feins and their son Howard lived between us and Whittlin' Joe on the highway. Howard was probably 25 years old and still lived at home. He worked in his garden a lot. He raised mostly flowers. I stopped to see him sometimes, but once he made his false teeth jump out at me and scared the living shit right out of me. I did not even know there were such things as false teeth. When I told mother she just laughed and said to stay away from there because I was probably aggravating him. I pretty much avoided him after that.
Right catty cornered from our house was a lot that was a square block with an empty house on one side. I mean a deserted falling down house with no roof. Joe Hedrick held his rodeo's there. I always liked to watch them ride the broncs. Joe or Jerry. One was an old man and one was my age. Today they have an exotic animal farm on the other side of town. I think it is a bed and breakfast, or it was. I have not been back in years so I do not know.
Behind our house about half a mile was the cemetary. I used to love to go there because it was quiet and sometimes there were pretty flowers. I just looked at them.
So, these are my thoughts this morning. I sure wonder where they come from?
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