Those Neighbors!

     Our neighbors on Walnut Street were the McCarrans on the south. The Kalepps lived on the other side. The Dad was named Footsy, and my friend's name was Linda.

     McCarrans daughter, Patty, was about a year older than I, and knew more things than I did. I had a pair of roller skates and was just learning to use them. I think I put them on for the first time when Patty asked if she could skate, too. Well, what do you do when two little girls want to skate and there is only one pair of skates? Right. You share.  Our solution was for each of us to wear one skate.  It was a lot easier that way. We pushed on the grass with one foot while the foot with the skate rolled on the sidewalk.

     One day, in the morning, I went out the front door, carrying a box of cereal. I was going to eat it right from the box.  My mama said it was okay.  I was standing in the yard, eating puffed rice by the handful when Mrs McCarran came out. She saw me eating right from the box and told me that I should take it back into the house. She said my mama wouldnt want me to be doing that. I didnt pay any attention to her, because I knew my mama didnt care.  Mrs. McCarran called my mama on the telephone and pretty soon I had to go in. I ate my cereal out of the box in the house.

     Linda Kalepp was younger than I was, and still slept in a crib. I slept in a big girl's bed.  This was the first time I remember seeing a crib and was fascinated by it. I didnt say anything, but Mrs. Kalepp asked me if I would like to get into the crib. I said yes,and she lifted me into it. I sat there for a few minutes and then she lifted me back out. 

     One morning I went over to see if Linda could play.  She was still eating breakfast.  She didnt want to eat. Her mama asked me if I would like to eat her breakfast. I said yes, because it was a soft boiled egg, and I loved them. I felt sorry that Linda wouldnt eat it, but I was very happy to help her.

     During World War II it was very hard to get food.  The food went to the soldiers. People were asked to plant little gardens in their yards to help feed their families.  The Kalepps planted their garden right next to the picket fence between our back yards. In the middle of the summer, I noticed that their garden had nice green leaves. I pulled one up, and to my surprise, there was a carrot attached!  I liked carrots. The carrot was really good. I pulled another and ate it. I thought that was enough for one day. The next day I pulled a few more.  When I did that the third day, I thought  I had better save some for them, so didnt pick any more.

     Patty lived across the alley. I didnt know her very well, but we played together a few times. One afternoon, we played in her yard for a really long time. It was getting dark. When she went in for dinner, I went home.  My mama and daddy were very angry with me because they didnt know where I was.  I had to go to bed without any dinner.

     The Liddiards lived next the the Kalepps. All the kids in their family were really big and old. Some were even teen agers. One of them was our babysitter a few times. We didnt really need a babysitter because Jim was eleven years old. That is what Jim and I thought.  One day the babysitter took me downtown with her. She took me on the tram. The tram is a short train that ran the length of the town and out to the smelter where our dads worked. My mama didnt want me to ride the tram, and when I told her what an exciting day I had, she got mad at the babysitter and we never had her again.

   Next to the Liddiards, on the corner there was a little girl about my age. I dont know what her name was, I dont think I knew even then. She and I played in her house. She had a little table just her size, and she had a coloring book and crayons. I had never seen such things before. I went back to her house to color in her book.

     Timmy Sullivan lived around the corner, across the street from the store. He had a dog named Georgie.  I had just learned the poem, Georgie Porgie, puddin' and pie; Kissed the girls and made them cry.  I didnt understand how a dog could kiss girls, and why they would cry.  Timmy had some baby cereal called Pablum in his basement. We tried it, but it wasnt very good. We fed it to Georgie, who seemed to like it.

     Kathy McMahon lived next to Timmy. She had a big brother named John, and a big sister named Gertrude.  John was mean. He took my stuffed rabbit that the Easter Bunny brought. My brother went to his house and got my rabbit back.  Gertrude had make-up in her room.  Kathy and went in there and decorated ourselves. We painted our fingernails with her nail polish. We tried very hard not to spill, but we were just little girls.  Gertrude (we called her Gerchoode) was REALLY mad at us.