The Furnace Room

Okay, so enter house from side door, go down steps to the basement. It used to be one big room. A childhood terror: roller skating, I skated over a board, a spider ran up my leg, I ran up the steps with my skates on, terrified. Have wondered, was I already afraid of spiders at that age or did the incident make me afraid of them.

The board covers pipes. Do not know what they are called, perhaps "the tops of drain pipes". Do know we had a big wrench, real big, only way to uncap one of them. Sewer pipes I guess. The board is along the front wall and next to it is a little spooky room. The room is below the outside front steps. Brothers carved "No girls allowed" on the door when they turned it into a clubhouse. Later my friends turned it into a clubhouse. Carol exed out "girls", with marker I think, changing it to "boys".

Like most childhood endeavors do not think our club lasted very long. At the time the candles Carol brought to light in there were a marvel to me. Short fat things with strange writing on the box. I would say "Kosher candles" but do not know if candles can be Kosher. I suppose they were properly called Hebrew candles. I had never seen candles like that at the time.

Dad built a sewing room for mom. At the bottom of the steps, no longer one big room, a door to the left lead to her room. There was a new wall and additional door at the back of her room. That lead to the furnace room. Straight ahead from the stairs, built-in cabinet. At least 5' long, a foot or more deep, floor to ceiling. Next to that is the original back wall, plywood that almost reached the ceiling. To the right more plywood walls to create a room for the toilet. Room? Not roomy at all, just room enuff for toilet and a bit of space in front of it.

Next to the toilet, along back wall of house deep sink that came from upstairs kitchen. I am going to say "double sink" but no longer sure. Next to that, the washer, dryer and door to Jukebox room. A very short step up, floor tiled. Hanging pipes, that brothers got in trouble for using to do chin-ups. Pool table, ping-pong table, that we often used to do jigsaw puzzles, a rolltop desk, two wall to ceiling display shelves with glass doors and of course, the Jukebox.

Display cases filled with National Geographic magazines, and what not. Lift up door, and slide to the back of display cases. We usually kept them open like that. Several broken glass doors; kids playing, maybe a pool stick accidentally hit glass as someone took a shot. Maybe Dad bought them at an auction. He said a store went out of business. Also bought a barber chair and moose head.

I do not think the mounted moose head was every inside, just tossed in the garage. I remember the barber chair being in the back yard, but not inside. However I think it was at bottom of cellar steps, in front of the cabinets.

The Furnace Room ran the length of the side of the house. Clotheslines to the left behind mom's sewing room. The day sister found me reading, I was sitting to the right, in front of the furnace.

And what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?