Tuesday, November 3, 2009
House of secrets
As a little boy, often playing by myself in the house, I appreciated the things built into the house which would prepare me for my life's work...as an international spy. The clothes chute has already been mentioned, but I used it to spy on Mom and/or Dad while they were in the basement. You had to open the metal door in the bathroom verrrrry slowly, or the rusty old spring would make a horrible screeching noise and give you away. Then you could listen to even the slightest noise with ease, except when the washer was discharging water into the laudry tub during a spin cycle. There were a lot of hiding places for a spy; the closets in the main hall and side door hall, and of course the two bedrooms. But the best place was one where you could observe your environment: The space under the basement stairs. Because of the sump pump, the only easy way to gain acess was to enter the workbench area, pass between the water heater and furnace, duck into opening, and wait to see if anyone came downstairs. In later years I also liked going into attic under the pretense of finding something in an old National Geographic, when I really just wanted to hang out.
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3 comments:
Yeah, I remember looking down the closes chute. Do you remember when clothes got stuck in there and we had to poke a stick up in there to get them out? And I can also remember the sound of that spring. Do you remember the sound of the original furnace? I can still remember how it sounded when it first turned on. And I remember what the original thermostat looked like, sort of tall and thin, and what it sounded like when it turned on. I can remember when I learned to bump it up a bit when I was cold, and crouching down by the "main" heater vent in the living room to get warm.
I think Thom used to hide under the stairs and scare me when I came down. I liked to get under there, too, when there was no one else there. I used to be fascinated by the steel door at the bottom of the chimney or exhaust stack. I'd open it and try to figure how Santa could fit through that little door. Gee, I must have been young then! I remember the basement was a great place to hide and explore. I also liked the place at the back of the stairs in the "walk through" area. I'd always hide there for hide and seek and always was found. I, too, liked the attic space, which is where my Tiny Tears doll got her melted fingers one summer. The attic always held interesting old books, Christmas stuff and dusty boxes. It was even interesting to explore after Mom died, to see what was still there. Thanks for the "clothes chute spring memory". I think I tried to hear Thom and his friends conversations down in the basement--spying on them. Ha!
Tom- I'm certainly glad you had grown out of your "international spy" period by the time Marie and I started dating, and using the basement Dad had fixed up! (for listening to Johnny Mathis, the Righteous Brothers, Ferrante & Teicher, etc. did Mom and Dad really let me bring those records over?- or did you all all the same albums?).... Bill
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