With great sadness, I'm taking a moment to collect memories from my childhood - all available within the walls of my aunt's home, which is now up for sale after a 3 year legal battle. I saved these photos from trulia.com, and will cherish them forever... visible proof that this time in my life once existed.
This was the finish line of a 4 hour drive on major holidays. Vicki lived at the end of a long, dirt road (until they paved it) and the gate was visible from the bottom of a hill, under a grove of trees. This gate sits on the top of a hill, like a grand entrance! My dad and I both got so excited when we'd see this finish line! Vicki took such pride in her entryway... She was so proud of the "End of the Trail" addition on the top!
The front porch. Just seeing the picture makes me cry. She's supposed to be here, flinging the front door open, arms outstretched and a big smile on her face to welcome us home. The cat bed is missing now... Prissy, Baby Blue Eyes, Huggy Bear... they all use to eat on a shelf just under the kitchen window, above the red bench. That closed door though - knowing that it will never open, again. My heart is locked inside it...
The back porch. I used to love sitting on that swing with her, or my daddy, and looking out over the valleys and oaks at a beautiful sunset. We could see deer grazing in the bottom of the pasture from here. I miss the click of the dogs claws on the wood as they'd pitter back and forth. The squeak of the hinges on the back door as it would open and close... signs of wear on a house so full of love.
This picture is probably the most painful of all to see. We shared so many holidays in this room. The corner, where the light is coming in... she had an ancient exercise bike - and I was so proud of myself for logging 7 miles on that thing one night, out of boredom! The TV went in the corner on the left. Stockings used to hang from the chimney... Pictures of horses and Southwestern stuff hung on the walls. Jobee, her dog, was often draped across the couch. Fire would crackle in the fireplace on cold winter nights. A fresh cedar tree would accent the living room during Christmas, filling the air with that sweet scent... She'd often be with her coffee, next to the fire, with a Boston by her side.
Dog and cat food in the door on the right. Canned veggies and groceries in the door in the middle. A fridge that housed the famous "Cold Wimberley Milk" that was perfect with the best bubbles on the top. The kitchen where I refused to eat her pizza because there were tiny flakes of parsley on it. The room where I'd find her up early, making cinnamon rolls for breakfast for me because she knew they were my favorite. The counter that held the dog bone cookie jar that barked when you opened it. The same one that held the cordless phone and the answering machine and her year's worth of bills that she hadn't filed yet :) A refrigerator covered in pictures of me and Stevie and other children who were so dear to her.
The dining room... Those hideous, cushioned, green chairs that sat around the table for as long as my memory can recall. The green napkins in the golden napkin rings. The many meals of chicken fried steak and creamed gravy with mashed potatoes and corn (our favorite!) Spiral sliced ham... crescent rolls, and mac and cheese. Her "End of the Trail" plates that used to be on display on the shelves in the back. The same shelves where Huggy Bear used to hide, and I'd seek her out and make it my goal to touch and befriend her before I had to leave again. Darn cat - I never could win her complete trust.
Her room. She had the biggest bed, and somehow you'd just sink right into it when you climbed in and pulled the covers over you. She loved to lay in bed at night and read before falling asleep. All the dogs piled in with her, in and on top of the blankets. I loved to sneak in when I woke up in the mornings and climb in with her and watch the night turn into day. We'd talk, and we'd laugh... and we'd love.
Her bathroom. My all time favorite place to take a shower. I loved how her shower would fill with steam. There was a seat in it, and I'd just sit there and take my time doing all I had to do before it was time to get out. The sink, where she taught me to turn the water off while brushing so we wouldn't waste. The countertop where her masses of jewelry and beads were in a big tangle, all over the top! I loved to watch her curl her hair, and put her makeup on. I needed to know how to be like her.
The guest bathroom. In all my years, I dreaded having to do anything in here because it was full of spiders. Spiders by the toilet, spiders in the plants, spiderweb in the corner of the shower. I'd always find an excuse to use her bathroom instead because I never saw spiders in there! She was sure proud of the new tilework in the shower in this room though. Very beautiful!
Ohhh.... the barn. My dad and I shared this quiet spot. It was one of the first places we'd run to after we saw Vicki, and always the last place we'd say goodbye to before we left. Hay, horse manure... crisp, cold air... jackets, hands in pockets, steam from the horses nostrils. . . A kiss on a muzzle or 5... See, I even shared this with my own daughter:
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| Stevie, age 1... Vicki's barn. |
Too Tall and Festus lived here. Sometimes, Foxy.
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| Teaching Stevie to love the Too Tall! |
I was even able to share this place with my husband, before I left for Germany. He proposed to me while I was laying on that hammock. I was too scared and confused to say yes the first time - but it all worked out in the end! Vicki was sure proud of this garden that was built for her. A quiet spot to spend her time when all her work was finished.
I pray to God that whoever buys this house will fill it with the same love that we did all those years... Here's to remembering... and the end.
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