The Pine Tree

Back in the early 1970s, younger brother, Rocco, bought a live Christmas tree. At the time, it was a new concept. Ecology minded people started buying live trees to be planted outside after the holidays rather to save trees from being chopped down. Look at that tiny little thing now! I used to park in that driveway when I had my first car, cussin' (not that I cussed back then) at the tree sap that was a horror to clean from the windshield. Do believe I learned how to back the car into driveway, which did not mean there was no longer sap on the '62 Mercury Monterey, just that it was not on the windshield.

Interesting, that my mother blocked this driveway and planted a garden there, yet younger sister or her man are parking there now.

The door is what we called "the side door". When younger sister was born, around the time I was three-years-old, my father built an addition to the house. I remember getting my feelings hurt when a friend's father dropped me off at home, perhaps, sixth grade. He made a comment, something about what a stupid looking house it was "1/2 wood and 1/2 brick".

Facing the house, to the left would be front porch and front door. The side door or addition is recessed or set back from the original building. Entering the house using side door, which is what everyone did, most all of the time, is what we called "the cellarway". Nice long sliding door closet to the right, directly in front built-in drawers with closet or shelved cabinet space above them. We kept winter stuff in the drawers, mittens, gloves, hats and such. I think the ice skates were on closet floor.

To the left were two rows of hooks to hang our coats, jackets, sweatshirts. A step-up to a little space, cellar steps straight ahead, two or three steps that lead to the kitchen. No door in front of cellar steps; yes one at top of "kitchen steps".