Our trailer park was right next to the Allegheny County Airport. It was the only airport in Pittsburgh and planes flew in over head, DC3's with huge propellers. They made so much noise flying over head everyone would have to quit speaking, or yell very loud, until the plane flew over head and passed to land. They were so close we could almost reach up and touch them..but it was accepted as face and everyone just made do with the noise. Nobody even thought of the safety or the chance of one of those huge planes coming down to short of the runway. Behind us was the "slag dump"...for as nasty as that sounds..it was beautiful..The entire hill behind our trailer park had a train track on the top of this huge hill..nothing was on this hill. It was barren and black during the day. It laid quiet and had no life ...but as soon as the sun set and the sky turned dark. The show began! We were showered with one of the most thrilling sites...The train would come from the steel mills filled with left over coke from the ovens...every car was filled with hot burning slag....Bright orange embers glowing with fire like spikes shooting from them...all at once the cars would turn over and dump this beautiful display of liquid, glowing, orange slag...it would melt down over the entire hill and slowly come to rest where it cooled and turned dark...All night long the hill glowed and by morning it seemed the light had gone out. The hill returned to the dark barren place it is...The hill once covered in bright, shimmering orange like brilliance was now barren, black and still. A new refreshing of this bright and beautiful light came daily. Like our souls...we lay dormant and still. We await for the brilliant light of Christ to pour his life and blessing on our everyday!! Thank you Lord, for letting me see how beautiful you are...!! and to appreciate the forever presence of your light in our lives!!!
There was an incinerator and we used to burn our garbage. Eggshells, trash anything that would burn. It was a huge brick furnace like place that had a chimney. Everyone would haul their trash there and set it on fire. The rats would come and feast on what didn’t fall victim to the flames and scatter when one walked by. Nobody thought anything of it, it was just a fact of the incinerator. We also had a bath house. None of the trailers had no bathrooms back then. They were just little round gypsy like metal rooms on wheels. There was a steel tongue in the front. That was where I tied my imaginary horse, Blacky. I rode him everywhere and I might add had the sound of horses hoof prints down pat!!...I clicked my tongue and it sounded exactly like a real horses hooves on pavement!! Blacky was my freedom in times of boredom or just wanting to run through the breeze. I would pretend to mount him and gallop away!! I don’t remember when Blacky disappeared out of my life. I guess it was somewhere around fourth grade when we moved to the country. I still see him, his mane dancing in the breeze as we galloped down the rode...His body shined in the sun and he had bright wild eyes...He was my best friend...I could tell my Blacky everything..Now, I know looking back, I could trust him, I could rely on him, and I could tell him my innermost secrets...Now I tell My God, and he hears and answers my every need. Something good ole Blacky couldn't do!!!
There was an incinerator and we used to burn our garbage. Eggshells, trash anything that would burn. It was a huge brick furnace like place that had a chimney. Everyone would haul their trash there and set it on fire. The rats would come and feast on what didn’t fall victim to the flames and scatter when one walked by. Nobody thought anything of it, it was just a fact of the incinerator. We also had a bath house. None of the trailers had no bathrooms back then. They were just little round gypsy like metal rooms on wheels. There was a steel tongue in the front. That was where I tied my imaginary horse, Blacky. I rode him everywhere and I might add had the sound of horses hoof prints down pat!!...I clicked my tongue and it sounded exactly like a real horses hooves on pavement!! Blacky was my freedom in times of boredom or just wanting to run through the breeze. I would pretend to mount him and gallop away!! I don’t remember when Blacky disappeared out of my life. I guess it was somewhere around fourth grade when we moved to the country. I still see him, his mane dancing in the breeze as we galloped down the rode...His body shined in the sun and he had bright wild eyes...He was my best friend...I could tell my Blacky everything..Now, I know looking back, I could trust him, I could rely on him, and I could tell him my innermost secrets...Now I tell My God, and he hears and answers my every need. Something good ole Blacky couldn't do!!!
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