Friday, May 15, 2009

Part 4f - House and Land


RAISIN'

HOUSE AND LAND

LIVING ROOM AND FRONT PORCH



The living room is the largest room in the house. Like the dining room, it was seldom used unless company was there, especially in winter as it was harder to heat. The ceilings were all 11 feet high. Of course, the old piano has been in that room since I can remember. Many hours have been spent sitting and standing around that piano singing, whether they be gospel or pop songs. Sometimes these "singings" would last only a few minutes, while at other times, they may last for a couple of hours with different piano players performing. The piano kinda ranged from the South to the West walls of the living room, mostly to the South.

In later years, the first Television was installed in the northeast corner of the living room. It was a Philco black and white, bought from and installed by Mr. Osborn Brown. We saw lots of "snow" and fade outs/ins as aircraft flew between Millry and Mobile, but overall, got pretty good reception. This TV was bought after I graduated from High School in 1955.

Along the North wall of the living room, there was a bookshelf between the dining room wall and the fireplace. To the right of the fireplace was a window. Outside that window was a wood shelf that "house wood" (fireplace length wood) was stored so anyone could conveniently reach out and get wood to go in the fireplace without going outside to get it.

The front porch had a swing that Joe and I have used as a train or a bus that "traveled" all up and down the lines and highways by swinging sidewise. Of course we would have to chug into each whistle stop or bus stop while announcing to all our (pretend) passengers what stop we were coming into, then calling for "all aboard" for the rest of the stops, naming each one.

The swing was also used as my "Pulpit", by turning it over so I could "preach" to all the "Bretheren and Sisterins" (Joe, Claire and Sylvia). I'd tell how bad them folks was to Jesus and "Nailed his hands, and Nailed his feet to the cross with nails this long..." (I'd spread my hands out about a foot apart.) Then the entire "congregation" would have to sing together.

The porch had a wall about three feet high with a ten-inch cap where Mother put all her potted plants during the summertime. She kept them in the "Flower pit," a pit about six by ten feet and about four feet deep with tin doors over it to keep the cold out, during the wintertime. She would have lots of pretty flowers. Her ferns would be "huge." She kept them at school during winter to keep them from freezing. Every "event" at the auditorium was decorated with her ferns.

In later years, the porch was remodeled by taking out the wall, replacing the flooring and screened-in. It has now been enclosed to make room for an additional bed for sleeping all the younguns and grands when they come home.


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