Simply Seven

S-E-V-E-N! It sounds so wonderful. Seven! It seemed magical to be seven. Seven is BIG! Seven meant second grade and learning more and more amazing things. Seven and Second Grade were ever so much better than Six and First Grade. Seven brought new forms of freedom never before even imagined. I had a book, "Now that We are Seven" and I just couldn't wait to read it. I turned 7 on a bright day in May of 1964 and promptly read that book. I can't tell you a thing about it, except it was white and the title was orange. But it was about being seven...and I finally WAS seven!

We lived in Clinton, Iowa when I was seven. I attended Longfellow Elementary School. Think of the school in the movie, "A Christmas Story" and you'll have an idea of what Longfellow was like. We had a Longfellow song that we sang with gusto. The school was old and established and had a history. Nothing pristine like most of the elementary schools are today. We walked those old halls surrounded by the spirits of generations who had gone before us.

Longfellow School

(picture from the internet...looks much nicer than I remember...they must have fixed it up)

My family lived across the street from the school. While walking home after school, many afternoons found me slowing down in front of a very special house. Mr. and Mrs. Witherspoon lived several houses down from us, and if I was lucky...Mr. Witherspoon would be sitting on his porch after school. I'd wave hello and he would ask if I could stop and visit for awhile. My mother had given me permission to visit with Mr. Witherspoon after school, so I knew it was okay. I would sit with the dear gentleman and tell him all the news of the day.

Who had been in trouble for disobeying the rules. How difficult some words were to remember to spell correctly. How truly hard it was to just know that 7+6=13 (still have to stop and think on that one...it gets me every time!).

Inevitably, our conversation would come around to Mr. Witherspoon's usual request. Would I like a cookie and some milk? Would I??? You bet! Errr, make that, "Yes, sir...thank you very much." We would go into the house, which was an amazing place. They had a mural of Paris, France on the wall, complete with the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower! Who had such things in the their living room besides Mr. and Mrs. Witherspoon? It was like being in a palace to me. I loved that room. I would sit politely on the couch in that amazing living room and wait for my treat, knowing that I would have to pay the piper. Before I received the cookie and milk, I would have to sing for Mr. Witherspoon. He always wanted me to sing, "My Blue Heaven" and I was always happy to comply. You know that song? It goes, "Just Molly and me, and baby makes three. We're happy in my blue heaven." Mr. Witherspoon would smile and act like I had given him the most amazing gift in the world.

The Library in Clinton was an amazing place. We had friends at church, Mr. and Mrs. Owen. He worked at the YMCA and she worked at the library. I loved our trips to the library. How delicious to see all those books! The anticipation of climbing those steps to go up into the building! How important it felt to not only know the librarian, but to also have her be my Sunday School teacher! My goodness, she was the only person I knew who carried a red Bible. I thought that having a red Bible must be the ultimate in glamour (people weren't cool in the mid-60s...or else it would have been way cool to have a red Bible).

Clinton Public Library

(also from the internet)

Clinton had a bus system. When I was 7, I was old enough to go with my brothers to town on the bus...without an adult! Rob was 12 and Terry was 10, and they were supposed to watch after me. Of course, they didnt' allow me to sit with them on the bus. I had to sit near the front and they would sit several rows behind me, but I didn't care. We were headed to town with our hoarded quarters and dimes. We would go to the Dime Store and behold the treasures that were there. Time was so lazy when I was 7. It seemed like we would be gone forever before it was time to catch the bus home. I might have bought some candy or a small toy. Whatever the treat of the day was...it was precious because of the adventure involved in obtaining it.

Another fond memory of Clinton is Eagle Point Park. There was a castle there and I loved playing in it, pretending that I was a Queen in the castle, just waiting for the Prince of my dreams to come along. It took him a long, long time to find me...but he finally did! He was worth the wait, thats for sure!

The Castle at Eagle Point Park, Clinton Iowa

(you guessed it...picture from the internet)

One last thing about Clinton that year. In the spring of 1965, the Mississippi River flooded. It was an angry, raging flood...the likes of which had never been seen. On April 28, 1965, the river crested at 28+ feet, the highest ever recorded. Schools and businesses were closed. We had to take a series of typhoid shots (ouch! not pleasant shots to take). My Sweet Daddy and brothers went down near the river to help fill sandbags. The thing I remember most about the whole situation is that there were reports of rats coming up out of the sewers into homes through the toilets. If my memory serves me, my Mother put the bathroom scales on the toilet lid at the house (the only bathroom in the house was on the 2nd floor) and I had to have her come with me when I needed to use the toilet. She would take the scales off and peer into the toilet before I could get on.

To this day, I don't sit on a toilet seat without first looking to make sure nothing is there. I don't know if I'm checking for rats, but I turn on the lights at night and check before I expose my bottom to whatever could be lurking there! Don't we carry funny things from childhood throughout our lives?

(picture courtesy of my beloved grandfather, Bobo

who took most of the pictures of my childhood)

Disclaimer....these stories are like historical fiction. They are based on the facts, as best I can recall from 46 years ago.

If I have told anything in error, that error is firmly planted in my brain and at this point the facts would only confuse me. I did look up data regarding the flood. It really was the BIG one!