My sister took offense to Saturday’s blog where I said I came from a one bedroom shack on the lake. Quite frankly I didn’t even know that she read the blog, but I digress. So I get a text yesterday morning that says, “We lived in a f*#*#%g shack?” Ooops. I had to call her because I simply couldn’t text it all.
To clarify, it wasn’t REALLY a shack; it was a three-season cottage on Coventry Lake that our father converted to an all season cottage. Eventually a dormer was added so the two bedroom cottage became a four bedroom house. But it was a very small house (I drove by it last year and I couldn’t believe how really small it was!) The house had no basement, just a crawl space underneath for the pipes, plumbing and electrical, or whatever else they stick under those things. There were always spiders in the house and one of my sisters and I actually got blood poisoning from a spider bite.
The front porch which was enclosed was converted into a living room and there were two bedrooms downstairs. When we first moved in the three girls were in the back bedroom, which was the slightly larger of the two rooms. The front bedroom was my parent’s room and you had to go through their room to get to ours. After the dormer got added, the two younger girls went upstairs and our parents moved into the larger bedroom, while I got the front room. I can still remember the way the sun would shine so brightly into that room first thing in the morning on a sweet summer’s day. At some point, I went upstairs but then we moved to a different house and our uncle bought the “baby” house as we referred to it then.
The cottage wasn’t directly on the lake, but the lake was just down the street and we spent many a summer’s day down there, swimming like we were fish. To be truthful, I don’t have many fond memories of that house or that time period, maybe that is why I refer to the house as a shack but just to clarify for my sister’s sake, it was not a shack, it was a cottage, however I still think my husband would be happy in a one bedroom shack on a lake.
Even though it was small, your mother and father always had room for others (namely me and my family when we were having problems). Remember I went into labor with Jamie while staying with you…. Your mother and I used to play Canasta at the kitchen table for hours. And she always had room for taking care of my three girls, so I could work. And don’t forget the dogs… I have found memories for both of us..
You are right Sylvia, they always did have room for others. They were very generous in that way. Yes I remember that your water broke on the couch! 🙂 You forgot her cat, she always had a cat.
Shack or cottage, I would be happy in any of them, without the spiders lol!
BTW I read your blog everyday!
Hi Jodi,
This entry brings back memories!
Don’t forget that the best babysitters ever lived in that house 🙂 I do remember spending a lot of time there. It was not much bigger than the house I grew up in, but definitely had more character!
Beth
Thank you Beth. I do have some good memories of that house and you and your family were certainly some of them!!