…in a brand new split level home in northern Wisconsin, with my mom and dad. That was the year, ironically, that my parents also split. Huh, I never thought about that correlation before. We’d lived in a duplex across the street and got to watch the house being built. I was incredibly shocked when I found it was ours! It seemed so huge. You couldn’t just holler to somebody as there was too much separation between rooms and floors.
Lots of stairs in the house, with landings and a boxed corkscrew effect. When you walked in the front door, you could either go up a few stairs to the living room that had a brick fireplace set on the diagonal, or go down a short flight of stairs to the garage entrance, with another short staircase leading into the family room. The family room had a fireplace directly below the one upstairs, so we thought this place was really something because we had TWO fireplaces, never having had even one before. In the family room, we had a honkin’ big new picnic table that I helped my dad stain and paint, and it was the only movable furniture in this long room. I wonder why? The three of us would have picnics down there when it was too hot and humid outside, as well as having picnics all winter long with a fire in the fireplace. There were also built in benches under the windows to sit on, but I didn’t like them as they were terribly boxy and straight, and not at all comfortable. You know, I haven’t thought about how quirky and unique this house was until just now. Funny, looking back.
Also down in the lowest level was the utility/laundry room and my dad’s “bathroom” with the only shower in the house, all in one room. The shower was cinderblock, cold, dark, and I hated it. But I hated baths more, so I’d go down there to shower anyway. My mom still had a wringer washer she preferred using. She had a regular washing machine too, but said the wringer washer got clothes so much cleaner. I can’t tell you how many times my fingers got “wrung” as I helped with the laundry. (Not by choice!!) There were clotheslines down there too, for rainy laundry days or winter weather. We had a fairly new dryer, but my mom preferred hanging things to dry. I didn’t like it because of the stiffness of the dried clothing, bedding and towels. Especially the towels. ooooh and washcloths. Not pleasant at all, even though we used fabric softener!
If you were up on the main level, you’d go up another small flight of stairs to the three bedrooms and main bath. I LOVED my bedroom. Peach walls, white sheers on the windows (three large windows, so there was a LOT of light,) with white shades for privacy and darkness. The best part was the crazy shag carpeting. Surprisingly colorful for my parents; dark orange (almost a rust color,) medium orange that was Halloween pumpkin-ish, and yellow orange, like butternut squash. The amazing thing was that we found a bedspread with those exact colors. It was meant to be, I swear!!! I had white French provincial hand me down furniture that I never really liked from my next older sister, consisting of a huge dresser, a headboard, and make-up table with a little chair. Never understood why we had a make-up table since my mom wouldn’t let us wear any. ha! There was also a wonderful and simple bookshelf my dad and I made out of cedar, painted a shiny white. He tried to talk me out of the high gloss, but that was what I saw in my head. I still have it, and my son treasures it because his Grampa and I made it together. Honestly, I’d forgotten how much I treasure it too.
The kitchen was full of new “avocado green” appliances. Even the hood over the stove and the first dishwasher we ever had. We were living in style, we thought. But I’d have moved back to central Wisconsin in a heartbeat. That was where we were still together, still a family. But then I wouldn’t have my orange shag carpeting…
With warm wishes on your journey,
Nance
Covey View 