Wednesday, May 6, 2009

My move to the country


It was the summer of third grade. I had finally finished school for the summer. My father now in trouble with his radio and TV businesses. The IRS forced him to declare bankruptcy and closed his remaining stores. Of course being a kid, we didn't know anything about this..all we knew is that we were moving..away from the city. We were moving to the country. Middlesex Twp. to be exact. During that summer my father purchase a few acres of land with the few thousands of dollars he had left to his name. I remember when we went out to look at the parcel of land. My father made some sort of a deal that he could buy the property from a man that needed some wiring done in some houses..so I think they traded land for labor. However, we accomplished being country bumpkins during that summer. As soon as the school year ended we would trek up to the property and work all day, clearing and cutting brush. We did it all by hand, built a big fire and cut and dragged briar bushes; what seemed like for months..Every day, we drove up Route 8 to Middlesex Twp and worked on our land in Cooperstown. We all were a part of this effort. I was a tom boy so it was fun for me..I enjoyed getting dirty and smelly. I enjoyed the smell of the wood in my hair...we fell fast asleep in the old Dodge panel truck adorned with signs of "Curry Radio and Television" painted on the sides. Some nights I think we didn't come home, we just passed out after having something to eat and fell into a deep sleep til morning than began again. Eventually we got it cleared. Somehow a drive way was dug to pull our old blue trailer in from the West Mifflin trailer park. The truth be know, we looked like a band of gypsies..moving into the wild west. I remember my father discussing the price of putting an electric pole in and having a well dug...any price would have been to much. I think the well driller was Kaufold. He had this old rusty water drill and I am sure my father explained our situation and got some sort of barter thing going with them. I know my parents borrowed and begged money from people that would help us. My parents always very private of funds and things of that nature, we would never know how any of that came about!! But eventually we did have an electric pole placed in right near the driveway of dirt...and moving day came some time that summer. I don't recall how or who dragged the trailer up there..I would now love to know so many things I didn't learn while my parents were still alive and now will never find out. The three of us Carole, Georgetta and myself were now country girls..coming from the city. We were up for many new and exciting years ahead. Survival is something you do, and we were about to start doing it!!..Things were about to get TOUGH!!

1 comment:

Cindy said...

Beautiful memories... is'nt it funny how things are colored so differently through a childs eyes.