Thursday, July 12, 2012

Anna's house

Anna's house was almost green!  I had remembered that she had ordered red shingles that summer day in the early 50's when the contractor was putting up green shingles on the front of the house.  I was outside playing when I saw the green, and I knew it was the wrong color.  I ran in and told my mom, and she went into Anna's house to use her telephone to call her at work.  I remember that the siding men weren't too happy about the mistake.











In the spring of 1959 Anna had me install the yellow plastic wall tiles.  If you look closely you can see that the job was less than professional.  On the wall by the telephone is the buzzer button.  If someone called my mom, Anna would buzz twice, and mom would go over to answer the phone (See the brick walk in the first picture).  It looks like there is a church missal, as well as a cigarette lighter and ash tray on the red cart.  Notice the moldy piece of cheese on the table.  The chair on the left at the end of the table was the usual place a visitor would sit and have a beer or two.  It was usually two, as Anna would insist that you can't "stand on one leg".   Anna would sit on the chair not shown in front of the sink and stove.







This room was originally intended as the dining room.  Anna had a kidney shaped desk in one corner, and in the opposite corner was an antique table on which sat a chrome cocktail pitcher and goblets.  The corner of the room pictured was probably used by visiting kids.  Anna liked to do crosswords  She sometimes had me go down to Eddy's on 4th and Parade and pick one out for her.




In the living room Anna had two yellow chairs of which the visitor chair is shown.  The chair she used had a higher back and a foot stool.  Sometime after this picture was taken the table lamp was replaced with a fiber optic lamp, which was the latest thing.  Anna spent many a quiet evening watching TV in her easy chair with her beer and peanuts.  I don't think there were ever any pictures on the walls.



Thanks dad for taking the pictures, and having the foresight to know that one day they would be enjoyed and appreciated.