Richmond

"When was the last time, you ever saw the sunrise?" So many reasons why this blog is named this way, not related, inter-related, musically related, and a sprinkling of memories.
Standing in N.Richmond's Kitchen, my (first home) green stucco house, no more than 3, looking up at Ma washing dishes, man I loved that kitchen with it's Birch Cabinets, Silver handles for ease of opening, counter tops black, white kitchen table with a red trim, red kitchen chairs to match, it was a child's haven, that kitchen was. And my dog Beauty, a great friend, she always defended me, usually you didn't find one without the other, I was a puppy, too.
She'd just gotten a new album, " You are my sunshine" was playing and I fell in love with music.

My favorite part of childhood was Richmond, living on the 2nd floor, although we lived on the first floor twice, colder down there not as much warmth, I had my two brothers, 4 yrs and 6 yrs older than me, always someone to play with as long as you were into being a bit of a tom boy, baseball, cowboys, although I never did well when they got to football, I couldn't seem to understand the shaping of that ball.

Going to Quality Food Store I believe if my memory serves me further up North Avenue, when Doctor Pepper first came out they marketed it as a soft drink that could be served cold or hot, and the sample lady was there to serve it.

And all the people we met on our walks to the stores, and some became friends through those years.

Walking home through alleys at times known as shortcuts, we did encounter a neighbors dog that escaped, and it had always been a mean dog, it came for me growling, and it was the only time you'd see my mother hit an animal with her purse, so many times the dog retreated back, my mother loved animals but she did not love their owners when they trained them to be mean.

To me the alley always smelled funny, which must be where the word rank came from.  Sometimes the boys played a short game of catch there before supper time.

The whoola hoop came out while we still lived there, the boys had the big one and I had a little one, fun.  And still a mystery why kids can do that so well and for so long, and adults can't.  Amazing.

Once a week we'd go at night with Dad in the car and shop for groceries for my Grandpa John and his 2nd wife whom we were to call Aunt Jule, Aunt Jule had never liked my mother but she depended on her to help them with groceries and medical needs, but she didn't have many kind bones in her. She sat at her kitchen table giving commands to the rest of us, but mostly to my mother.  I loved my Grandpa big time, and always enjoyed seeing him but Jule was almost always crabby with us, and "you must sit quietly and don't touch that" were standard phrases that would follow us when we visited. She never had children of her own and was no way-no how Grandmother material, so I guess I never really had one, Dad's side was already gone as well as my maternal grandmother.

Every once in awhile we'd go out to eat at Father & Sons Pizza, or at a restaurant called S & L's, but mostly Mom cooked.  Frankie forced to eat his carrots, darn I hated that why did we have to have them?  And at that time I didn't like Pea Balls, so the cool part ways the table had a drawer in it, a drawer no one ever used.

When I was twelve or so Dad did tell me he had found the peas eventually long after we moved to McVicker Ave.  Dad was always intriguing he guarded many a secret never telling my mom, I've always wondered why he was so loyal.  I've wondered what his childhood was like, he was the youngest, too.  And so was Ma, yep I've wondered.

One summer Kool Aid came out, Ma had a real neat pitcher with matching glasses, and I remembered summer days with that a treat after we cooled off playing in a child's pool. And we lucked out our best friends at the time lived next door to us on the same floor, so even if it rained we could be out on the roof porch and still be talking back and forth.

We had some very strange tenants throughout those years, Mom and Dad grew weary painting and repainting, and fixing whatever they'd mess up, the neighborhood started to change rather quickly from grown up speaks, so we went house hunting for what seemed FOREVER, long days out in a car, no air conditioning at the time, 3 children in the back seat which resulted in pinching, slapping or biting wars, until Dad would pull the car to the side of the road and threaten us with what would happen if we didn't stop.

They found it.  We moved.  Chapter 1 closed.