Friday, March 19, 2004
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
One of the advantages of living on 24th Street were the sidewalks. Mom and dad got me some roller skates and I was in heaven. Dad showed me how to fasten them on to my shoes and to tighten them with the skate key. I had narrow feet so it was important to get them tight enough to stay on.
You could always tell the girls that skated because their shoe soles had a tell-tale black mark and an indention pressed deep into them. We would put them on and skate up and down the block, jumping the slabs of the sidewalk that were pushed up and broken. Once in a while one of us would take a tumble and it amounted to running home for Mercurochrom and some TLC. I think Mercurochrom went out with the “fasten on” skates.
Sometimes Louis and I played dominoes with Hilda who lived in the apartment building. She was a nice older lady who seemed to love the company of children. She would have a dish of candy on the card table for us to enjoy as we played the game. Her living room was beautiful to me as a six year old. The lamp shades had fringe around the bottoms, there were heavy brocade drapes, a velvet couch and printed tapestry matching chairs. A Persian rug with beautiful colors and designs captured my attention. I loved pretty things and Hilda’s apartment was beautiful.
Another beautiful place we were exposed to was the Joslyn Memorial. It was just half a block away on the opposite corner and took up the whole next block. It was a marble building which housed all of the paintings and art forms of the Joslyn family. They were extremely wealthy and bought items all over the world. They lived in a mansion with a huge yard and iron fence all around it. After the last of the Joslyn’s died the home was donated to and occupied by the Omaha School Board and used for offices. As a field trip our class toured the home once and we were told all about the artifacts and history of it.
The Memorial Building on Dodge Street was a wonderful refuge for us in the summer time. We would play and skate until we were so hot you could melt butter on us. We would dart into this beautiful edifice all hot and sweaty, our hair plastered to our heads with sweat and walk around looking at all the things housed there. Fountains trickled and gushed everywhere. We would sit on the edge of the pools and even stick our hands in the water. I’m sure we were a bad influence on the place……we looked like the unruly pack from the Orphan Annie movie. Occasionally a guard would walk towards us with an unpleasant look on his face and tell us to keep out of the pool. We would then walk around the many halls and rooms until we were cooled off and then exit. We were oblivious to the fact that our presence was unwanted……..we enjoyed the building until we moved later on.
Central Grade School was right across the street on the South side of the Joslyn Memorial. It was a brick building and had a round turret on the front of it. The name of the school was carved in the concrete above the large front doors of the building. The area in front of the building was all brick, laid out in nice designs. I loved to walk on it because it was so smooth. The school was old and the bricks were worn.
When we first moved there dad worked at the Dodge Street Garage as a mechanic. He was a good mechanic and the owner was Sam Goldware. Once in a while mom and I would stop in there to see dad if it was necessary. Dad would be working way in the back of the garage with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The garage was cold in the winter. I can see him standing there yet wiping his hands on a cloth as we approached him with the hood of the car up in the air.
Mom told him she bought me new Easter shoes and I had them on. Pretty white slippers with a strap across the top…..white patent leather. Dad grinned and said, “Pretty fancy stuff,“ and then he would say, “Come ‘mere, Esther….let me break ‘em in for you,” and he would be acting like he was going to spit on them. Of course I always ran even though I knew he wouldn’t, but it was something that always happened with new shoes. I was very proud of these because normally I would be taken to Sears and Roebuck and dad would want a “good, durable, brown oxford that gives your feet good support.” Dad thought anything from Sears would last better and be cheaper than anywhere else.
On Friday and Saturday nights there would be all kinds of activity going on across the street. There was a dance hall on the second floor of the building with metal stairs going up the side. At the top was a landing where people would come out and smoke or get some fresh air. It was fun to watch the ladies all dressed up with high heels on and lots of make-up. We could hear the band from across the street and I loved to listen to the music. You could hear people laughing and having a good time.
One of the favorite things I used to love to listen to was a radio show on Saturday mornings. It was called, “Let’s Pretend.” I would sit with rapt attention while a lady read a story to us. I can still hear the tune in my head that used to announce the beginning of the show. I loved the voice of the woman who read the story….she had a kind voice and seemed to enjoy it as much as her little listeners. Saturday mornings were special when I was six and seven…….I could live inside of a Fairy Tale for a half hour……..that’s pretty special.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
You could always tell the girls that skated because their shoe soles had a tell-tale black mark and an indention pressed deep into them. We would put them on and skate up and down the block, jumping the slabs of the sidewalk that were pushed up and broken. Once in a while one of us would take a tumble and it amounted to running home for Mercurochrom and some TLC. I think Mercurochrom went out with the “fasten on” skates.
Sometimes Louis and I played dominoes with Hilda who lived in the apartment building. She was a nice older lady who seemed to love the company of children. She would have a dish of candy on the card table for us to enjoy as we played the game. Her living room was beautiful to me as a six year old. The lamp shades had fringe around the bottoms, there were heavy brocade drapes, a velvet couch and printed tapestry matching chairs. A Persian rug with beautiful colors and designs captured my attention. I loved pretty things and Hilda’s apartment was beautiful.
Another beautiful place we were exposed to was the Joslyn Memorial. It was just half a block away on the opposite corner and took up the whole next block. It was a marble building which housed all of the paintings and art forms of the Joslyn family. They were extremely wealthy and bought items all over the world. They lived in a mansion with a huge yard and iron fence all around it. After the last of the Joslyn’s died the home was donated to and occupied by the Omaha School Board and used for offices. As a field trip our class toured the home once and we were told all about the artifacts and history of it.
The Memorial Building on Dodge Street was a wonderful refuge for us in the summer time. We would play and skate until we were so hot you could melt butter on us. We would dart into this beautiful edifice all hot and sweaty, our hair plastered to our heads with sweat and walk around looking at all the things housed there. Fountains trickled and gushed everywhere. We would sit on the edge of the pools and even stick our hands in the water. I’m sure we were a bad influence on the place……we looked like the unruly pack from the Orphan Annie movie. Occasionally a guard would walk towards us with an unpleasant look on his face and tell us to keep out of the pool. We would then walk around the many halls and rooms until we were cooled off and then exit. We were oblivious to the fact that our presence was unwanted……..we enjoyed the building until we moved later on.
Central Grade School was right across the street on the South side of the Joslyn Memorial. It was a brick building and had a round turret on the front of it. The name of the school was carved in the concrete above the large front doors of the building. The area in front of the building was all brick, laid out in nice designs. I loved to walk on it because it was so smooth. The school was old and the bricks were worn.
When we first moved there dad worked at the Dodge Street Garage as a mechanic. He was a good mechanic and the owner was Sam Goldware. Once in a while mom and I would stop in there to see dad if it was necessary. Dad would be working way in the back of the garage with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The garage was cold in the winter. I can see him standing there yet wiping his hands on a cloth as we approached him with the hood of the car up in the air.
Mom told him she bought me new Easter shoes and I had them on. Pretty white slippers with a strap across the top…..white patent leather. Dad grinned and said, “Pretty fancy stuff,“ and then he would say, “Come ‘mere, Esther….let me break ‘em in for you,” and he would be acting like he was going to spit on them. Of course I always ran even though I knew he wouldn’t, but it was something that always happened with new shoes. I was very proud of these because normally I would be taken to Sears and Roebuck and dad would want a “good, durable, brown oxford that gives your feet good support.” Dad thought anything from Sears would last better and be cheaper than anywhere else.
On Friday and Saturday nights there would be all kinds of activity going on across the street. There was a dance hall on the second floor of the building with metal stairs going up the side. At the top was a landing where people would come out and smoke or get some fresh air. It was fun to watch the ladies all dressed up with high heels on and lots of make-up. We could hear the band from across the street and I loved to listen to the music. You could hear people laughing and having a good time.
One of the favorite things I used to love to listen to was a radio show on Saturday mornings. It was called, “Let’s Pretend.” I would sit with rapt attention while a lady read a story to us. I can still hear the tune in my head that used to announce the beginning of the show. I loved the voice of the woman who read the story….she had a kind voice and seemed to enjoy it as much as her little listeners. Saturday mornings were special when I was six and seven…….I could live inside of a Fairy Tale for a half hour……..that’s pretty special.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
