Perry Street, Finale'

It’s amusing on how much more you remember when a particular time of your life was more enjoyable.  Even though I was younger, I have more recollection on that period than I do after we moved to Grimm Heights.  I was in fourth grade when we moved, and thank God, I didn’t need to change schools, I was able to remain in Center Street, but had to ride the bus.  I could have written more in my previous blog of Perry Street, Yellow Creek and Anna Matlak, but then; it wouldn’t have been considered a blog; it would have been a Book. 

I lived on Perry Street when I made my First Holy Communion, enjoyed the sled rides down Perry Street hill, the games and fights that occurred and the mishap I had when riding my new blue bike down Perry Street hill and couldn’t stop.   How funny is this, I couldn’t stop and ran right into old man Popovich.  He was carrying a small bag of groceries and as I tried to stopped, the front wheels of my bike went right between his legs.   I remember watching my mom’s head out the second-floor window and I yelled to my mother, “But Mom, I couldn’t stop, but Mr. Popovich helped me”, but I couldn’t comprehend why he had this sweaty-horrid look on his face.  Thinking of it now, I have to chuckle and think that I could have not hurt him too bad, because he didn’t go to the ground doubling up.  However, it was a sight.

Oh yes, I have to mention one more thing about Perry Street, and then I’ll stop.  Close to the top of the hill on the same side of our house, there was this old big rickety gray house that was perched next to a small patch of woods.  It really needed a paint job and some repairs. It was the ugliest house on the street, with cats nestled on window sills.  Mary McGown was the name of the old lady that lived there; she hardly came out.  Everyone said that she was a mean witch who hated kids and only came out after dark.  All the kids in the neighborhood were afraid and would even cross the street in order not to be near the entrance of her dungeon, so it would be easier to escape the horror of her threats.

How funny on how scared we were to even experience nightmares about this house and her supposedly wicked ways.  Rumor had it, that this lady had money...  but was very cheap.   I heard she passed away and her body wasn’t found for weeks.  I always wondered what ever happen to that rickety old house; for sure this house had to be demolished.   As I took a drive and decided to go up Perry Street to see the old neighborhood, I glanced to the left as I drove up the hill expecting to see an empty lot or a new structure in its place, but the same house has been renovated, the patch of woods given a new landscape and now it’s the most appealing house on the block. 

This goes to show you how the imagination of children can get ahead of themselves.  Mrs. McGown was probably just a lonely-old-sickly woman who didn’t have any family nearby and died alone.  This makes me sad, who could know.  I heard that she had family who lived in Columbus, got the house and renovated it, but who knows, it could be just one of those naughty old rumors.

I know… I promised just one more memory of my life on Perry Street, but I guess I can’t help it.  Every summer, when it reached my birthday, August 23^rd, and on any Sunday close to it, my Mom and Dad would take the family to Farmer Jim’s to celebrate.  Farmer Jim’s was a swimming place with a big man-made lake with swings and sliding boards and plenty of picnic pavilions to hold gatherings.  We would have a picnic, not sandwiches or hot dogs, my Mom made my favorite, Pigs N’ Blankets and other things.  Of course, she made me a chocolate birthday cake.  It had to be my 9^th or 10^th birthday because my little brother, Donnie was almost two or three.   One of my gifts that Mom gave me was this real big doll, a doll that was almost as tall as Donnie.  I don’t know why I loved this doll so much, was it because it was so easy to dress her or to play with her or was it that Donnie was terrified of it?   Any time that I would play with her, when he was near, he would scream with horror and fright.  You can only imagine why I just love playing with this new doll, not that I didn’t enjoy torturing my little brother, but I believed I had some leverage that was greatly needed.  Until next time!