It is chilly outside this morning. There still remains some of the snow even after a warmer day yesterday. It is still a little over a week until Thanksgiving so it is expected that more snow will fall this season and snowbanks will envelope the sides of the road. Any leaves that are hanging on will surely give up in the wind and roll across the snow filled yards where green grass was present just a week ago. How quickly this street changed. This is the street I grew up on and standing out there brought back many memories that brought a smile to my face. Was it just yesterday that:

My grandparents bought us new bikes for Christmas and mine had sissy bars and a white basket and I loved it.

We were only allowed to ride our bikes around one block. Did our parents truly think we would follow that rule?

We walked from our Carmen Addition home to the Woods Addition for piano lessons and never thought twice about being snatched up by a “bad” person.

We would go to the outdoor pool downtown almost every day and stay all day and swim. No parents, just us kids enjoying our summer weekdays with our friends.

We were playing “Annie, Annie Over” at our garage or “Kiss or Kill” with neighborhood kids.

Where we rushed everyday to the warming house to get our skates on and skating and hanging out long after the street lights came on.

Kids were running in and out of each other’s houses getting permission to go here or there.

We thought we were rich receiving an allowance of .25 each Saturday and rushing to Sadie’s grocery store a block and a half down to get a little brown bag full of candy.

The streets were full of kids on their bikes and the yards were just as full of kids playing football or hide and seek. A car passing by certainly had to look extra hard to ensure there was not a child running nearby. Street hockey players ruled over traffic. There was a constant sound of laughter and slamming back doors of kids running out of them.

The street is quiet today. I heard the wind blow and a car drove by at a good clip; no child to watch out for. No sleds or leftover bikes from the last ride. Sadie’s is gone and no warming house or ice rink. Just as I grew up and my life changed for me, it did the same in the old neighborhood. How I wish the nice warm weather could stay and the beauty of summer and the laughter of the children in the yards, swimming pools, ice rinks, and in the streets could be heard from morning to nightfall.

The house on 4th Avenue S has changed, I have grown older, the neighborhood is not the same, nor am I. In my mind though the memories remain clear and bring such joy to my heart.

Life in the hood…oh to be young again just for a day!