My childhood and probably my life were best defined by the values taught to me by parents who grew up with very little. To say that anybody grows up with nothing is incorrect as material goods are not what develops or shapes a life. The character and sole of human beings is developed by the lessons we learn from our family and most importantly our parents.
We were probably more fortunate than most because in the late 1940's my parents bought their first home, a 3 family house on Washington Hill in Waterbury, Ct. I remember the open porches, the asbestos siding, the small yard, but to my family it was a palace because it had taken them out of a 4 story 30+ apartment building.
As with many families after WW2, there was usually enough money for food and the necessities, but when it came to repairs, creativity and do-it-yourself was the norm. No trips to the big super depot or lowes, hit the hardware store or lumber yard, or whatever store had the materials needed for the task at hand.
It was from these tasks that my brother and I learned:
- how to glaze a window, because it was no secret that we not only broke ours, but also several of the neighbors as well.
- How to side a house? Waste a few pieces until you learn, but then stand back and admire the finished work.
- Windows need painting, watch how I scrape first, sand then apply the primer and finish coats.
- Be careful when you mix the cement, you don't want it too soopy because you can't stack the bricks.
- Need to replace some old wiring? next time you'll disconnect the fuse, that tickled didn't it?
- Be careful when you put the torch to the copper you'll burn the wood behind it, besides the water's off until we finish
Home made wine, there's nothing like it but crushing all those grapes and then mixing it twice a day for a week. What to do with the left over rinds when the wine's all done, the simple answer is called 'shine, but that's an entirely different story.
As both Mom and Dad worked, chores had to be done inside also. Clean up after dinner, make the beds, vacuum and dust. Nobody is more important than anyone else, and learn to pick up after yourself because there's nobody else to do it. Want to watch some TV tonight? Is your homework done?
I called this house home until I went into the service in 1971, and then only slept there for a month when I was discharged. The house got sold in 1974 and the folks moved into their first single family home, which of course dad built with some help from myself, framed with completed roof, 2 people in 4 days.
We learned what was important in life and that was in essence, to not be afraid to try anything, and of course respect. Today, even though I can now afford to pay somebody to do the little things around the house, I won't, because that's what dad did. When he knows I'm doing something he comes by, not to help because at 89 he shouldn't, but just maybe to be proud of how well he taught us.
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