The House up the Holler
It was more than a house. It was our home, our shelter, our
refuge. A place of love and family so dear. A place to laugh, a place to live, and a place
to love. So many memories live inside those old walls.
I remember winter nights so cold that Mom would hang
blankets over the doorways to keep the warmth of the old gas stove in the
living room. It was a room that was always cozy and warm.
I can picture Mom in the living room with her ironing board.
She would sprinkle the clothes with the old plastic water bottle, tie them up
in a tablecloth and place them in the fridge. She would get the bundle out, set
up the ironing board and settle us around the TV to watch Pete & Gladys or Hazel
while she ironed. We’d pile on the furniture or floor and watch that old black
and white TV.
When Andy came along, we would sometimes sit and fold his
diapers while Mom did the ironing. After the chill of the cold winter was gone,
we’d open the windows for the cool spring breeze to drift in while we listened
to birds singing in the old maple tree outside the kitchen window.
In summer time, Daddy would sit on the patio in the sun
listening to the Reds ballgame on the radio. Rachel and I were usually on
blankets in the yard or sitting under the shade of the old oak tree playing
dolls. Jack and Andy would be playing
ball in the yard or cars and trucks in the dirt.
As fall rolled around, Dad would light the pilot light. I
remember many nights coming home from chilly fall football games, that old
house feeling so warm and cozy after the long walk home. Mom would have glazed
donuts and homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows waiting.
We each grew up and moved away from that old house up the
hollow, but our love for it never dimmed.
We got married, had kids, and one by one, went back to enjoy cool fall
evenings and sunny summer days as we visited with our families and let our
children share in the great love found in that old house.
