This photo was taken in March of 1958.  I am not quite a year old.  My Aunt Mary Alice is holding me – my mom’s baby sister.  Sitting beside her is my Great-Aunt Nell – born Helen Nora – sister to my grandfather, Rue Carrico.  She was the only one in her family that had no children.  She married late in life – she was 56.   Her husband, Uncle Leon, was a very tall, very skinny man with white hair.

My parents were renting an upstairs apartment from my Aunt Nell when I was born.  She was also my godmother.  The picture hanging on the wall is of my mother on her wedding day.  This must have been the apartment!  I did not find this photo until today – I’ve been going through old pictures of mom’s.

We visited Aunt Nell quite often as children – and she also babysat for us from time to time.  I remember the downstairs of her house very well.  When you came in the side door into a hall she had a green plant that had grown almost all the way around the room.  The bathroom was straight ahead.  Her kitchen was to the right – rather large appliances, big cupboards – or at least they seemed big at the time!  I remember she would set the table for breakfast the night before and lay a tablecloth over the place settings.  She had a large, shady backyard if you went out the door in the kitchen.  Uncle Leon mowed his grass with a push mower that was not powered by gasoline!  He was an environmentalist before it became popular!

If you turned to the left in the hall you entered what was not only their bedroom, but was also the sitting room.  I remember we were not allowed to sit on the bed – Aunt Nell was very particular – we must sit on the little stools she and Uncle Leon used for footstools.  My uncle chewed tobacco and had a spittoon sitting by his rocking chair.  I was always intrigued by it, but we were highly cautioned before we visited to leave it alone!  There were long windows in the room, white sheer curtains that hung at them.  There was no television to make noise.  We could hear the clock tick – and on the quarter hour hear it chime!

The room that most fascinated me was the parlor.  I don’t think I ever got to go in this room – I’m not sure anyone did!  We did get to peak in the door occasionally.  It always seemed very cool in there.  There was a large rug on the floor with flowers and beautiful designs.  The couch – which looked oh so comfortable! – was a raspberry color.  There were long windows in this room, too, but lacy white curtains hung at them.  The shades were pulled down three-quarters so very little sun every came in.  Their were tables and lamps – large pictures on the walls.  How I would love to have sat on that couch and taken in the beautiful objects my great-aunt had sitting around.  Such a remembrance!

If you came in the front door there was a huge open staircase that turned to the right.  Along the landing were doors that were always closed – such a temptation!  I know that I lived there when I was young, but I remember nothing.  How I wanted to open those doors and see what was behind them!  There was a bedroom to the left of the staircase on the first floor.  Aunt Nell always had someone who rented this room – usually a gentleman.  I suppose it may have been scandalous to rent to a woman!  The door to the right of the staircase was the parlor.   And if you walked straight through the hall beside the staircase you went into a small room – also a bedroom – that she sometimes used for overnight guests.  And if you continued through that room there was a door into the bathroom.

There was a huge front porch with a swing – which we dearly loved.  And there were tall hedges in the front of the house and along the walk to the house.  Such a lot of memories!  I’m surprised I can remember everything so clearly.  I always did think it was the most beautiful house I’d ever seen!  Unfortunately, after Aunt Nell and Uncle Leon passed away – she died in August of 1971 and he died the following April – the house was torn down.  I was aghast!  I always thought I would live there when I was grown up!  Things don’t always work out as we think.  But those memories still live on!