My nephew, L.J., shared this photo with me. We know the kids – L.J., his sister Becky, and me (Kathy). We know the place – my parents’ (his grandparents’) home in Orofino. And I can make an educated guess about the date / occasion. I think it was my 9th birthday, August 28, 1958. The doll Becky is holding is probably Ginnette, my birthday gift, and I’m holding the box she came in. That would be our mother / grandmother standing in the background.Note the “taupe” chair behind us. I have early memories of my mother upholstering that chair in that fabric. I can see her sitting on the floor shaping pieces of fabric to fit the contours of the chair. Its boxy, ‘30s style, dated it in an age when modern meant long, low, sleek lines. And it was important to us – to me, anyway – to appear up-to-date in those years. I don’t think the chair was very comfortable – “too deep,” Mother said -- but it was what they had so Mom made do. Anyway, I always think of that chair at this time of year when I get up and the house is cold. It sat in front of a heat register, and when I was little, I would get dressed behind it because it was a warm place. In fact, I remember coloring there, too, so I think I spent a lot of winter hours behind that chair. In 1960 the folks carpeted the living room and a part of that make-over was to dispose of that chair. We were happy to see it go. Can’t help but think what I could do with it today. Hallie says, “Life’s too short to fill it with regret; stuff’s out there." Harriet says, “Unclutter your life!” Thanks for sharing, L.J. (KW)
4 comments:
I hadn't realized that there were beautiful wood floors under the carpet. That's the living room, yes? I would think that such a large room would be echo-y and cold without carpet. I enjoy the photos on the blog! :)
Wood floors, yes, but not hardwood & only beautiful when just waxed. They were "high maintenance," requiring frequent waxing, a chore that Mother did not enjoy. Also, in those years, the living room was a high traffic area because Daddy's piano students came to the front door and walked through to the studio. Mother resented that. Carpeting made a big difference to the feel of the room & an outside entrance at the studio eliminated a lot of traffic.
Did Grandpa make the alterations to the house himself or contract it out? Did he make the outside entrance to the studio?
I don't trust myself to say whether Daddy did the work alone. In 1957 before Nina's wedding, the folks replaced the rounded steps to the porch with the existing ones. It could be the studio entrance was constructed at that same time. Roy Brooks was the contractor on the front steps project and also on some other remodeling the folks had done. Bill & Harriet might remember.
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