Mom, Dad, Tracy, Danine, Patti and I (and maybe John for a short while too) moved into Wadsworth Court in January of 1980. I was about 6 months old. I am probably biased a bit because it was the house I grew up in, but it was the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood. The only thing I wished it had was secret passageways. At the time my family moved in, there were only a few houses on the street. Now there are a total of 12 houses.
Our house had green siding and reddish brick in the front. A small porch, where mom proudly displayed her cement goose which she dressed for the season, was where you entered the house. We had the same light fixture the entire time we lived there, hanging in the doorway as you entered. Mr. Buhlman, who was 6'7" hit his head on it every time. It became a joke. To the left was the living room, a room only used for special occasions-wedding and baby showers, crazy surprise birthday parties for mom and Mr. Buhlman and it is where we had our Christmas tree and opened presents. That is where the porcelain dolls spent their time throughout the year or the Dicken's Village at Christmas time. To the right were the stairs. Attached to the living room was the dining room. They formed an "L" shape. The dining room is where we had our holiday dinners. 
When the family was smaller, we would gather around the table. Dad sat at the head of the table and mom was next to him. As the family grew, so did the table. Leafs were added, then another table was added, then another, taking it into the living room until finally we totally outgrew all the tables and had to make it a buffet style dinner.
Holidays were great at 339, especially Christmas. After church on Christmas eve, I would go to sleep. I'd wake up nice and early and mom would say "ok give me 1 minute." She would go downstairs, get her video camera and meet me at the bottom of the stairs to catch my expression to see what Santa left under the tree. Meanwhile, dad would start the coffee. We would start by going through our stockings first, each taking a turn pulling out 1 item at a time. Mom was the absolute best stocking stuffer. To this day the stocking is much more important and exciting than any gift. Daryl has a big role to fill! After opening presents, we would have leftover Christmas eve pizza for breakfast and mom would get right to work on dinner. She'd be in her PJ's right up until the time people started arriving. Dad would be busy
preparing the turkey. When I was little, I was allowed to help peel sweet potatoes with my plastic, toy knife and I could break up the bread for the homemade stuffing. That homemade stuffing...well mom made so much of it and no one seemed to care for it! As I got a little older, I started making the orange jello mold. That dish was at every holiday, picnic and birthday. I loved it, but as the years went on, I think we all got a little orange jelloed out. Then there were the infamous "burnt rolls." Mom was a master at preparing big meals and having everything come out at exactly the same time. Well, with the exception of the rolls. Every year, and I mean every year, she would forget about the rolls and they would end up burnt to a crisp. Even with the invention of the air bake pan, she still found a way to charbroil the rolls. We loved it though and everyone looked forward to their black rolls.
When the family was smaller, we would gather around the table. Dad sat at the head of the table and mom was next to him. As the family grew, so did the table. Leafs were added, then another table was added, then another, taking it into the living room until finally we totally outgrew all the tables and had to make it a buffet style dinner.Holidays were great at 339, especially Christmas. After church on Christmas eve, I would go to sleep. I'd wake up nice and early and mom would say "ok give me 1 minute." She would go downstairs, get her video camera and meet me at the bottom of the stairs to catch my expression to see what Santa left under the tree. Meanwhile, dad would start the coffee. We would start by going through our stockings first, each taking a turn pulling out 1 item at a time. Mom was the absolute best stocking stuffer. To this day the stocking is much more important and exciting than any gift. Daryl has a big role to fill! After opening presents, we would have leftover Christmas eve pizza for breakfast and mom would get right to work on dinner. She'd be in her PJ's right up until the time people started arriving. Dad would be busy
preparing the turkey. When I was little, I was allowed to help peel sweet potatoes with my plastic, toy knife and I could break up the bread for the homemade stuffing. That homemade stuffing...well mom made so much of it and no one seemed to care for it! As I got a little older, I started making the orange jello mold. That dish was at every holiday, picnic and birthday. I loved it, but as the years went on, I think we all got a little orange jelloed out. Then there were the infamous "burnt rolls." Mom was a master at preparing big meals and having everything come out at exactly the same time. Well, with the exception of the rolls. Every year, and I mean every year, she would forget about the rolls and they would end up burnt to a crisp. Even with the invention of the air bake pan, she still found a way to charbroil the rolls. We loved it though and everyone looked forward to their black rolls. Dessert was the best part. I think we would have more pies than people. Christmas', or any holiday or party, got crazier as the family grew. Noisy, crowded, crying kids, food everywhere....but they were great and so much fun. I can't imagine a holiday any other way!
Back to the house...The kitchen was obviously a busy part of the house. It was also where mom kept her cow collection and where dad would drink his Schmidts beer. It was where neighbors gathered for coffee and grand kids took their first steps. Several of us broke the news to mom and dad that we were engaged or pregnant in the kitchen. It's where grandpa helped Gary with his homework and where all of us at some point blew out our birthday candles.
Back to the house...The kitchen was obviously a busy part of the house. It was also where mom kept her cow collection and where dad would drink his Schmidts beer. It was where neighbors gathered for coffee and grand kids took their first steps. Several of us broke the news to mom and dad that we were engaged or pregnant in the kitchen. It's where grandpa helped Gary with his homework and where all of us at some point blew out our birthday candles.
The family room was a good gathering place too. Dad in his rocker with a grand kid on either side, mom taking her after work naps, I mean mom just "resting her eyes."
In the earlier days, we had a lot of fires in the fireplace. I'd sit on the brick ledge by the fireplace to warm up my hands after coming in from building a snowman. We loved the smell of the wood burning on a chilly day. Who can forget the wall of pictures. Literally an entire wall was filled with family pictures-every child, grand kid and wedding. I had hoped mine would once be displayed on that wall.
Off of the family room was the garage. Wood stacked along one wall, dad's samples along another and of course, Teddy Tied To Can on the other.
Upstairs were 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Tracy occupied the first, Danine, Patti and I the second, and mom and dad the third. Slowly, as the girls moved out I was left with the master bedroom...Holly Hobby wallpaper and I. Eventually I took over the other bedroom when Patti got married. It became my (The) Barbie Room. I had hours of fun there! John loved playing "Tornado" in that room. I on the other hand, wasn't such a fan! I didn't spend a lot of time in my room when I was young. I actually didn't like to be upstairs alone! I did like sharing the room though. It had it's perks....like one Christmas when Danine and Patti bought me a 3 quarter length, purple, Care Bear shirt. I knew they hid it under our bed. Every day while they were out, I'd take it out of the box, try it on, then neatly fold it back up and return it under the bed. I was a sneak!
I remember a lot about mom and dad's room. Dad's dresser where he put all his old photos, and his socks rolled in a ball. Mom's dresser where she got ready every morning and where the first Mother's Day gift I remember giving her was displayed-a stuffed animal with boxing gloves saying "My Mom's a Knock Out." In the closet is where all dad's ties were hung. He had a lot and I loved looking through them.
Finally, the outside. Lots of flowers-in the front, around the weeping cheery tree, on the sides of the house and in the backyard. Impatiens and marigolds were a big hit. The backyard was where our family spent most of the summer. The pool was a gathering place for family, friends and neighbors. People would spend the whole day, or swing by after work. Whatever the case, mom and dad were great hosts and often encouraged people to stay for spontaneous cookouts. The pool was the source of a lot of good times-Patti making tidal waves, dad not trying to, but still making tidal waves while getting on the raft and mom sitting on the deck in her bikini. Grand kids learning to swim without their floaties and games to see who could hold their breath under water the longest. Summers at 339 made for a lot of memories. Our neighborhood was a great place to grow up.
I plan to write more about that later.
For many of us, Wadsworth Ct was the last place we saw mom and dad. It is the place mom took her last breath before going to heaven. Those last couple weeks when mom was home had many memories attached to it. In February, dad sat in his rocker, in his Bills coat and handed out his Schultz and Dooley mugs. Then he was off to Florida.
I would love to hear your stories of times at Wadsworth Ct. I'm sure there are many funny stories and fond memories that slipped my mind or that I never even knew about.
Please share!
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