When I was getting ready to go to the 2nd grade we moved again.  Our new house was on 10th street and we could walk to school at Central.  This was a big house, 4 bedrooms, 1 bath.  All the floors were linoleum.  I had my own room which mom painted purple for me.  The boys shared a room and we had one bedroom left that was our play room-mostly just toy storage!  Mom and dad slept downstairs.  We had 3 cats.  They were allowed on the screen porch and man did that porch smell bad.  We never had a litter box!  I used to bake cookies with my friend Lori Moses.  She was older than me but her baking skills were not much better than mine.  We could read and follow directions and we were creative.  Our efforts were always met with approval and the cookies disappeared in no time even the purple, mint flavored ones.

There was a tree in our front yard that had some boards nailed into it for a ladder and a couple of boards across the branches.  I loved to sit up there and do nothing!

One time I told our neighbor that my grandma had C A N C E R.  My mom was so mad but you know I must have heard it from her.  I was 7!  We used the quilts Grandma Scott made for tents by throwing them over the clothesline.  No wonder they didn't last. 

I remember when the Beetles came to America.  I remember when John Kennedy was shot.  We stayed home from school and watched the funeral procession on our TV. 

About this time, mom taught me to iron shirts and that became my job.  Today, I do not iron unless I am quilting. 

I think this was my favorite place that I lived when I was young.  We had lots of room, lots of things to do, lots of freedom.  Kids and parents today would be appalled at the freedom we were given, but we survived!  We moved again when I was going into the 4th grade.  After that, we had a lot of drama in our lives.  Good drama and bad drama so stay tuned.

I went to second and 3rd grade while we lived in this house.  My dad says it was a drafty old house full of mice, but to me it was home.  I rode my bike, played games with my brothers, learned to read all the books my dad brought home from the library, played with my cat, had a kool aid stand, snuck down the stairs to see my Christmas presents early and all the other "normal" kid things-at least they seemed normal to me at the time. 

Memories, 3

My parents met at the Old Settler's Picnic.  I believe my mom made the first move.  Dad is quiet and shy, doesn't talk much.  My mom was talkative, inquisitive (nosy) and friendly.  We spent most of our time with my mom's relatives and there were a lot of them!  My Grandpa Scott's brothers and sisters lived on every block on main street in Maxwell, IA. Of course that was after they gave up farming or what ever business they had.  Even the ones who moved away, moved back to retire.  Grandma( Helen, nee Bisher) Scott and Grandpa (Dale Jon) Scott lived on a farm several miles from Maxwell. A black topped road ran past the farm. They did not own it. There was a house that I now realize was small and shabby, but when I was a child it was just Grandma's house. She did her laundry in a small building by the driveway on an old wringer washer. She hung her clothes out on the clothes line. She had a garden and chickens. When I stayed with her she let me help her clean. It was my job to dust. Grandma started each morning by cooking a huge breakfast for Grandpa, then reading a chapter of the bible. She was the daughter of German immigrants. She had a 2 sisters: my Aunt Bee who I loved and Aunt Irene who I only met one time when I was 5 or six. She lived in Oregon. Grandma had a brother too, but I don't think I met him or remember what happened to him. She came from a broken family. Her parents split up and Grandma went to live with her mother's sister. Grandma taught me how to embroider.  I can't remember the lessons or what we practiced on it.  I did not reach my current level of expertise and fussiness until my middle age.  Grandma made all of us kids-my cousins and my brothers- quilts which we destroyed.  She made the girls dresses with bows that tied in the back.  She made us doll clothes.   I remember one time I was there when they were harvesting.  There were lots of neighbors helping and Grandma was cooking up a storm.  She fed them outside at a table under the tree. I am sure I was a lot of help!  Grandma always had kittens under the house, under an outbuilding or in the haymow.  What sharp little claws they had and since they were all crazy wild we got plenty of scratches for our trouble.  Grandma had hollyhocks growing in the yard and she taught me to make dolls from the flowers and the buds.  One time we had a large family gathering and the kids were playing hide and go seek after dinner.  It was starting to get dark and the grass was damp. Home base was the square cement base of the well that was just outside the back door.  I came running into base as fast as I could and slipped on the wet grass.  I landed on the edge of that cement platform and I will never forget how bad that hurt!  I couldn't stand up straight for quite some time.  I used to go to church with Grandma.  She would play a game with me to keep my quiet.  She tickled my hand and arm but I wasn't allowed to move or giggle.  Quite a challenge.  Grandma always had gum and Kleenex in her purse. 

Grandpa Scott was a hard working guy but he loved to talk and gossip.  He knew everybody and he always had a quarter in his pocket for the grandkids.  He took the boys with him and taught them to drive his old pick up but not me.  He taught me to sing "Way down yonder, not so very far off a Jay Bird died of the whooping cough."  Well we didn't really sing it, we yelled it loud. 

Grandma and Grandpa retired and moved to town after I left home at 18.  The farm house and buildings doesn't exist anymore.  The only way I can find the location is to look for the driveway entrance off the blacktop road.  You can only find that farm, that house, that part of my life in my memories and the memories of my Aunt Carol and Uncle Jon and my cousins.

I used to stay for a week or more at my Aunt Bee's house.  Aunt Bee lived in Des Moines and she had a brand new modern house with a big picture window overlooking the city.  At night, the lights were so beautiful.  Aunt Bee had a sunken bath tub and a sunken living room-so cool.  She took me shopping and she taught me to play solitaire! 

My mom had a sister, Aunt Carol to me and a brother, Uncle Jon to me.  Aunt Carol was the eldest and she married Uncle Verl.  They had 4 kids-2 older than me and 2 younger. Jean and Jim were the older cousins and Jana and Joel were the younger.   We had many happy memories of time spent with them.  They lived on a farm.  Uncle Verl raised pigs.  Man pigs are so stinkey!  He built a house for Aunt Carol.  It took a long time.  They lived mostly in the basement for years!  Aunt Carol is still alive as of this post.  83 years old and still living on that farm in that house Uncle Verl built. Uncle Verl died years ago.  Aunt Carol and I spent a lot of time together when my mom was sick.  Aunt Carol sat with me in the hospital and we were both there when she passed.  That was in 2013.  Dad has been living with me since then and it is a blessing to have him here.

Memories, Part 2

My mom was raised on a farm outside Maxwell, Iowa.  My dad was raised on a farm outside of Collins, Iowa.  Both of these small towns are in Story County.  My parents lived in Story County until they moved to Ankeny in Polk County around 2005?  After my mom died in 2013, my dad moved to Wisconsin to live with me.

When I was 5 we moved to Nevada, IA.  We lived in a small 2 bedroom house on 3rd St. My brothers and I shared a small bedroom.  I had the top bunk.  Behind the house was the horse barn on the 4-H grounds.  This was not usually even noticed until the fair when a very large smelly pile of horse manure arrived.  My mom stayed home with us most of the time.  I know she worked some at the local newspaper.  And we got our picture in the paper when she was featured as homemaker of the week.  I don't remember my dad being around except on the weekend. He traveled all over the state and worked for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

It was 1960, Big Bad John was on the radio every morning when I was getting ready for school.  Nixon, Nixon, he's our man.  I had morning kindergarten at West School and I walked to school with Willie Graham..  Mrs Ritgers was my teacher.  We learned to write our name.  We had music several times a week with Mrs. Hale and recess every day.  I had 1st grade there too.  Miss Roberts was the teacher who taught me to read.  I remember the first words I learned.  Look.  Look oh look.  Look, look, look.  I was so excited!  Miss Roberts is also the teacher that gave me a complex about speaking in front of the class.  She threatened us with "ruler medicine".  She wouldn't let Willie Graham go to the bathroom so he peed in his pants. A mixed record.

 I used to play with a boy named Dale Burmeister.  One day we were playing on the bleachers by the horse ring.  Dale stood on the top level and peed!  Somehow my mom found out and she never let me play with him again.  We were happy.  I remember coming home from church one Christmas and saying something that got me in trouble. We had been up early to open our presents but we had to go to Sunday school and church. When we pulled into the driveway, I said "now we can start getting used to our toys". I'm not sure why but mom looked at me like I shouldn't have said it.  It is funny what we remember.  I remember when mom had her wisdom teeth pulled.  She had an ice bag on her face. I whined that I had a headache.  I whined until she said "fine, take it!"  I brought her home a marigold plant in a paper cup at school.  Mom said " ew, I'm allergic to marigolds". I thought she was the most beautiful mom ever and loved to out make up on her and style her hair.  We got a new puppy and named him bubbles.  He had worms.  Mom wormed him and believe me that made an impression.  Mom killed a mouse with a broom in our kitchen.  Again, that made an impression. One time my mom decided that she would feed us some canned spinach.  We had been bothering her to make it so we could be strong like Popeye the Sailor man.  It was gross.  It took me 40 some years before I gave spinach another try!

I had a friend, I think her name was Luann.  Her momma came looking for her one day and whooped her butt with a switch.  Made an impression on me!

 My brother, Steve had 2 memorable accidents while we lived on 3rd St.  He rode his bike into the mulberry tree.  He was stained purple right down to his skin! He landed belly down on the floor grate that came from the furnace and had a scar like a tic tac toe board on his stomach.

You know I can't remember Mike doing anything interesting.  That's funny!  I used to read to the boys.  Of course I couldn't really read, but I had memorized the books.  Guess mom must have read to us quite a bit.  My favorite was Little Black Puppy.  I bought a copy off the internet when my grandson, Kennedy was born.

I had a birthday party when I was 5.  Cali Christy will tell you I spent too much time drawing the donkey for the pin the tail on the donkey game.  That was my one and only birthday party until my
daughter gave me a surprise 50th birthday party in 2005.

We lived on 3rd St for 2 years.

I wish I could verify some dates and events with my mom, but she has been gone over 3 years now so I have to go on my best guess.

Memories

I remember the day my brother Mike came home.  It was late June in 1957.  I was 2 years and 4 months old.  Of course I don't remember everything.  I must have been staying at grandma's house while mom was giving birth.  They laid him on grandma's brown  davenport ( that's what we called the couch).  I remember that I was not impressed with him.  The very first time I saw him and he needed his poopy diaper changed.

Several days later, my second memory.  It would have been early July.  My dad wakes us up and takes us to the storm cellar.  A tornado.  I didn't understand anything, but I remember.

I lived in a small house in Maxwell, Iowa for the first year or so of my life.  I don't remember anything except the stories.  They called me terrible Terry.  My parents were so young.  Dad used to tell mom she needed to watch me better so when he was supposed to be watching me and I took off down the middle of the road he found out how hard it is to watch a runaway toddler and I got a swat on the butt.

Dad tells me that we moved from that little 3 room house ( it had an outhouse) when my brother Steve arrived.  I do not remember this! We moved to Uncle Doc's farm. Uncle Doc was my grandpa Scott's youngest brother.  Grandpa was one of 11 children.  Uncle Doc was a bachelor. His farm house had 4 bedrooms and a huge bathroom.  I lived there until we moved to Nevada when I was 5.  We had a TV and a dog, plenty to eat, clothes to wear, plenty of love and attention.  My mom had me and my 2 brothers 1 year apart, 3 kids by the time she was 20.  It was a happy time for me.  We used to dress up the dog in my doll's clothes.  My favorite doll was soft plastic and had plastic hair.  This is the same doll my brothers used for target practice, colored with markers and basically totally destroyed when we were teenagers.

My mother killed a skunk.  I confess I am not sure if I remember the event or the story of the event.  I know our dog had to be put down because he fought with the skunk.  My mother killed it by throwing a flashlight at it.  It's a good story.  I believe it.

I was sitting under the kitchen table while my mother was working, cooking, cleaning?  My brother Steve came running past me.  Blood was running down his face.  The explanation is that he was running around behind the big old oil stove in the living room and slit his head open on the damper.  I don't remember if we had to take him to the doctor.

We had plum trees on Uncle Doc's farm and my mom made plum jelly.

I got sick to my stomach after eating a banana and have never liked them since.

When I had a cold( I was sick a lot) mom would have me rest in her bedroom.  She left the cough syrup next to the bed and every time I coughed, I took another swig.

I used to play with my belly button.  I had an innie-outie.  It drove mom crazy.  I still don't know why it was such a big deal.

My first dog's name was George.  The one that replaced him was named George the 2nd.  You will see a pattern later that started right here.

I went to kindergarten roundup in Maxwell, but I never went to school there.  We moved during the summer before I started kindergarten.

Maxwell was where I first went to church.  It was where every other house on Main Street belonged to one of my Scott relatives.  There was a movie theater where we saw Francis the Talking Mule movies and Grandpa would buy us a bubble gum cigar at the grocery store.  Looking back, everyone was white.  As far as I know everyone was Christian.  Adults were there to take care of you, teach you, scold you, love you.

More later.....