StoryWall - our combined memories

As I get older, I look back to my childhood past and recall the good times I had as I was growing up. Family vacations were always fun. Getting packed up and filling up the back of Dad's 1920s coupe and heading to the beach was the thing to do. Our favorite vacation spot would be going to Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. Playing in the sand and watching the waves come ashore was my favorite. Especially when other people's sand castles were knocked over by the waves. Having sand between my toes, and even up to my knees was fun. That's how you knew everyone was having fun. At Atlantic City, NJ - we rode horses along the edge of the ocean. I remember the smile on my face as the horses trotted with the rhythmn of the ocean waves. It was a beautiful moment with my wife - as I recall seeing her locks of hair dance in the sun.

As I look back farther, I recall the smell of a roast cooking in the oven. Mom worked hard to prepare the dinner for the family. I would bring wood in for the stove so mom had a fire to cook food and keep part of the house warm. Bringing in the wood was just one of the many chores that I had to do as a kid. Tending to the animals, like milking the cows, washing dishes, hand-washing and ringing out the laundry; hanging out the clothes on the line to dry... even picking eggs from the chickens for breakfast. We did it all. In the wintertime, I remember our beds being filled with straw to keep warm at night.

Every year during the summer when the garden is ripened for picking, our family did its yearly duties of canning. We canned everything from meats and vegetables to fruits. I'll always remember mom measuring out the salt and pepper for me to pour into the quart and pint jars to preserve our meats. After letting the filled jars sit for a week, we listened to the lids pop. It was its own musical tune.

After chores where done, the family would gather to listen to the radio. The Lone Ranger would have an exciting adventure to look forward to. I would always be prepared by wearing my cowboy hat and have my toy guns ready for the show. When television first came out, the going price started at $150. Back then, the screen was no bigger than 6 inches, and in black and white. All the neighborhood kids gathered to watch at my house.

I'll never forget what school was like. It ran all year long. No weather would stop it. Though it was fun, it seemed as if I brought my chores with me. We brought our books, our lunch, our water, and got wood everyday for the black belly stove in the middle of our one room school. There was no plumbing. Boys and girls had separate outhouses.

I think, now, about our doctors who made house calls. That doesn't happen much anymore. In our area of PA we had several: Dr. Dellinger, S. Main Street in Red Lion; Dr. Hoover of Dallastown; Dr. Atkins of 1st Ave., Red Lion; and Dr. Shenberger of Windsor. Dr. Shenberger even gave whiskey for pain. That wouldn't happen anymore today.

I keep my memories close now. Anytime I feel down about something, I pull out my photographs and find a smile with my memories.