A Childhood Dream Come True!

I have been a serious for awhile in my posts. But those close to me, know I have a sense of humor. Laughter is what gets me thru stress, and the day. I love to laugh, and can usually find humor in anything, even my lack of physical abilities. So those of you who have just met me or don't think I have a funny bone in my body, get ready for a chuckle.

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I was born in and lived all over Ohio. We moved to Arizona less than two weeks before I began 6th grade. The last Ohio town I lived in was where I spent most of my Ohio life. Like every town or city, there are rich areas and poor areas. Our town was no different.

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First you had the rich section, they had the two-story and tri-level homes, all with basements. The richest had above ground pools. These pools were beautiful with wood decks, and some had slides! They also had indoor A/C as well as cars with A/C. These people lived on one side of our quaint downtown area, that included a beautiful gazebo.

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Between the downtown area and the railroad tracks, the upper middle class lived closest to the rich side and it trickled down the financial scale to the ones barely above poverty living next to the tracks. These people mostly lived in apartments, single story track homes, with only a few two-story and/or basement homes.

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On the other side of the tracks were the poorest. They lived in one bedroom apartments and homes so tiny they resembled sheds.

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My family was barely in the second classification. The only thing dividing my family's house from the tracks were the ABC apartments. We, the neighborhood kids referred to them as the ABC apt's because each building had a letter of the alphabet on them. We thought we were so clever. I went over the "tracks" only a few times. Once on a Baptist church bus for a week, on my way to and from Vacation Bible School. The other times were during the gas crisis and they cut our school days in half, allowing the school from the other side to use ours during the other half. We would share the bus as we were getting picked up and the other was getting dropped off.

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My life was simple. I had no idea what else I was missing other than the size and type of homes. I dreamed of having a tri-level home in the rich section of town, with an above ground pool. I prayed I would never have to live in a one-story home, when I grew up. (I have a personal phobia about one-story homes). I had no clue that people actually had central air conditioning, let alone A/C in their cars!!

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I remember a hot, sticky summer day riding in the back seat of our family's two door car. My parents had their windows down, and the hot air was blowing in my face. I felt gritty from the dirt also blowing in. We came to a stop at a traffic light and a car pulled up next to us. I suddenly felt so blessed! The car next to us had their windows UP!!! I thought how sad that the father in the car was making his family sweat, I was darn happy to have the wind in my face. Two years later my parents purchased their first car with A/C and I quickly learned that the everyone I saw with their windows up, were not suffering. Funny that until that moment I thought I was better off!!

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It was after we moved to Arizona that I learned about central air. We lived in an apartment complex that had A/C and a pool. Wow!! I thought my family hit the lottery. Had no clue I was still living on the edge of the "tracks".

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Many years later I was blessed with a husband, two kids, and a childhood dream of a tri-level home and above ground pool!!!! Only one thing wrong or maybe it is right, I am still on the wrong side of town!!! LOL! Oh, I almost forgot, I have A/C too!!! Of course I don't know anyone in the valley who doesn't!! Below are pictures of our tri-level home and our above ground pool !!!

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By the way I love where I live and am thankful for my above ground pool :)

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Count your blessings, I am counting mine which include TWO above ground pools! Also laugh a little, or as I do, A LOT, ROFL!!!

-Mrs. C.