Oaklawn continued
May. 23rd, 2024 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jdmkleinAbout the parakeet. Its cage was in the back corner of the dining room. Mother would let it out of the cage and rather than fly around the house the bird would walk. One evening when my parents left me with a babysitter, the bird was still out of the cage. The babysitter brought her German Shepherd with her and the dog ate the bird. There were blue feathers all over the dining room floor. How awful it must have been for her to tell my parents that the bird was gone. I don't remember Mother's reaction but I think she must have been sad.
I remember, too, the day I was down in the basement with Mother helping with the laundry. I was crouched down by the drain making soap bubble pies when I found my new pets. They didn't last long though, I had found a nest of baby mice. I showed one to Mother who immediately told me to put it back where I had found it. Shortly after that, Dad came home for lunch. He went downstairs, Mother must have told him about my new pets, found the nest, and I watched with my jaw dropped as he dumped them in the trash can. I was upset.
Another memory I have is of my aunts reading me a Little Golden book, one on each step, to get me upstairs and into bed. I had those girls wrapped around my little finger. Dad came from a large family. There were 12 children. Aunts Caroline, Joan, and Mary were the youngest. With all those older brothers and sisters, I imagine they made a truckload of money from babysitting.
The biggest memory I have from the house on Oaklawn nearly gave Mother a heart attack. We lived on Oaklawn when Eileen was born. Mother and Dad had brought her home from the hospital and introduced her to me. I thought she was pretty ok for a baby. What I had wanted though was a sister who was closer to my age. I asked my parents about that and was told Eileen would be older in a few years.
Trying to be a good sister, one day when Eileen was crying Mother was busy doing something. Mother must have known it was not an emergency cry but big sister? Not so much. I went upstairs to Eileen's bedroom and lifted her out of my old crib, The nerve of her, sleeping in my old bed. I got her out of the crib and started to carry Her down the stairs to give her to Mother. Mother caught me carrying Eileen about halfway down the stairs. I have the memory of the look of fear on Mother's face when she saw us. Several years later Mother told me she was imagining what would happen if I tripped ot if Eileen slipped from my hands. Neither of those things did happen, though.
Finally, I decided Eileen was pretty ok and we kept her. Today she is my best friend.
I remember, too, the day I was down in the basement with Mother helping with the laundry. I was crouched down by the drain making soap bubble pies when I found my new pets. They didn't last long though, I had found a nest of baby mice. I showed one to Mother who immediately told me to put it back where I had found it. Shortly after that, Dad came home for lunch. He went downstairs, Mother must have told him about my new pets, found the nest, and I watched with my jaw dropped as he dumped them in the trash can. I was upset.
Another memory I have is of my aunts reading me a Little Golden book, one on each step, to get me upstairs and into bed. I had those girls wrapped around my little finger. Dad came from a large family. There were 12 children. Aunts Caroline, Joan, and Mary were the youngest. With all those older brothers and sisters, I imagine they made a truckload of money from babysitting.
The biggest memory I have from the house on Oaklawn nearly gave Mother a heart attack. We lived on Oaklawn when Eileen was born. Mother and Dad had brought her home from the hospital and introduced her to me. I thought she was pretty ok for a baby. What I had wanted though was a sister who was closer to my age. I asked my parents about that and was told Eileen would be older in a few years.
Trying to be a good sister, one day when Eileen was crying Mother was busy doing something. Mother must have known it was not an emergency cry but big sister? Not so much. I went upstairs to Eileen's bedroom and lifted her out of my old crib, The nerve of her, sleeping in my old bed. I got her out of the crib and started to carry Her down the stairs to give her to Mother. Mother caught me carrying Eileen about halfway down the stairs. I have the memory of the look of fear on Mother's face when she saw us. Several years later Mother told me she was imagining what would happen if I tripped ot if Eileen slipped from my hands. Neither of those things did happen, though.
Finally, I decided Eileen was pretty ok and we kept her. Today she is my best friend.
