“I never wore high heels in my hometown.”
Huzzah!! I have a pair of slippers. The lost slipper appeared as if by magic. I went on the deck and saw my slipper on the driveway part in the yard. I ran down the deck steps closely followed by Nala, trying, I suspect, to save her treasure. The slipper is a bit worse for wear. It is soaked from all the rain. A new hole is on the side. It also lost its insides which appeared, almost magically again, in the house in two pieces, one at a time. Now I have a pair of slippers.
When I was a kid, I got new slippers every Christmas. Each year they were the same, slipper socks with a wool top and a leather bottom. Only the color of the wool changed. The soles made a noise when I walked, a sort of a shuffling sound. They kept my feet quite warm. One year my sister gave me a pair of slipper socks for Christmas. The top was mauve. They made noise when I walked.
When I visit the town where I grew up, I sometimes just drive around some of the streets looking for my memories. They are easy to find. My house hasn’t changed. The trees have. They are taller than the house. My elementary school hasn’t changed either, but the convent where the nuns lived was torn down, the land sold and a building sits there now. I pass houses where kids I used to know lived. I think about them.
I have been to the theater uptown to see plays. It was my movie theater when I was a kid. The front hasn’t changed, but the inside is totally different. People can sit in the balcony, and none of them toss Juju Beads at the people below which usually includes me. The folks in the back row now watch the play. During Saturday matinees couples sat there and made out as we used to say. I found it amazing. I was probably only 10.
I miss places in my town which have disappeared. The armory where I used to have drill team practice is now a hardware store. The armory was sort of neat with all wood and the hanging flags and banners. The hardware store is generic. The fish market spot has a restaurant, the second one on the site. I’ve eaten there once. I had a Cuban sandwich. The diner is gone, replaced I think by another hardware store. The box factory is gone. It was across from the train station and the red store. I used to cross by it when I walked the tracks. The police box which sat in the middle of the square was hit by a car and couldn’t be saved. It is one of the unique places in my old town I miss the most.
I have friends who still live in town. I don’t see them often. One has been my friend for well over 60 years. We share amazing memories. We laugh a lot. It doesn’t get much better than that.
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September 4, 2021 at 9:54 am
Hi Kat,
I remember that police box. It used to confuse me when I was a new driver. I wasn’t sure if I should make a left turn in front of it or go past it and then make a left turn. I admit to being relieved that it was gone. There used to be a memorial horse watering trough somewhere in the same general area of the police box. I thought that was cool. All my downtown had was memorial bubblers for people.
It was nice of Nala to indirectly return your slipper. I wondered if it would show up with additional holes. But the pair is still in usable condition so that’s a plus.
The weather here was lovely. Puffy white clouds, warm sun, cool breezes, low humidity. Perfect.
Enjoy the day.
September 4, 2021 at 1:15 pm
Hi Caryn,
The police box had so many signs on it no wonder it was confusing. I usually went straight on the right pass the fire station. I remember that trough. I can’t remember when it disappeared.
Nala has been bringing in balls which Gracie used to play with in the yard. So far she has found Gracie’s football, her tennis ball and one with a leather cover which squeaks. The squeaky one is gone, but it was only because it had been in the yard so long.
Lovely weather here too, so nice and dry and clear.
Enjoy the weekend.
September 4, 2021 at 3:38 pm
Hi Kat,
Congratulations on locating your slipper. I would consider it a total loss and buy a new emergency pair until Christmas. If you do the new pair will have to remain on your feet or stored under lock and key. Nala is very ingenious and sneaky.
The weather today is just like it was yesterday, hot and humid.
I did a Google search for, “You Can’t Go Home Again”, and several titles showed up by different authors. The most numerous one was by Thomas Wolf. I never read it. Several years ago I toured my teenage neighborhood in Jamaica New York. I drove around to all my former haunts before returning the rental car and flying back home from La Guardia Airport. The houses looked much smaller than I remembered and most of the business along Union Turnpike, where we shopped were gone.
When I return to my childhood neighborhood in Northwest Dallas, I’m amazed that the house we lived in is still standing. The only difference is the size of the trees my father planted. The neighborhood is being gentrified and many of the mid century ranch style homes are being razed and replaced by larger two story and more expensive houses. Unfortunately, the October 20, 2019 tornado damaged both my elementary and junior high schools. The junior high was so badly damaged that the remaining building was demolished. It was only a block and a half from the house. There are plans to rebuild the elementary school. I guess you can go home again, but somebody else will be living there. 🙂
September 4, 2021 at 8:42 pm
Hi Bob,
I was so shocked to see it in the yard. I thought that slipper was gone forever. If I had to, I would have bought a less expensive pair to hold me over until Christmas. Nala is definitely an adept thief. Even though I’m right here, she manages to steal mostly papers from the bag right under my nose. Crafty!
Today was another delight. It was in the low 70’s and really sunny and dry. I went out for a bit and was surprised by the traffic. They should be at the beach not crowding the roads. It will be the same weather until Tuesday.
I have read the Thomas Wolfe. It was a long time back. My town square has changed considerably. Some the smaller shops were demolished and bigger stores took their places. I was sad to see some of my favorite little shops gone, but I do like the way the movie theater was renovated.
It is the same with my old home. The trees are taller than the house. They were so much smaller when I lived there, but that was a long time ago. Nothing much in the area has changed. It is an established neighborhood. My old elementary school looks the same. Some things don’t change for which I am grateful.