3655 Vincent Ave N - Siblings

Mary Ruth, Martha, and Timmy. We all have biblical names. Here we are in our living room at 3655 Vincent Ave. N. You can barely see the silhouettes on the wall. I remember going to a store downtown - Daytons? Donnelsons? to sit for those! Mine was lost but I have Tim's! This must have been when I was in 2nd grade since my hair was not long enough to braid!

Mary Ruth. Mary Ruth was ten years older than me and graduated from North High School when we lived in Minneapolis. One vivid memory is when her friend Yvette came over. Yvette and Mary Ruth taught me how to take care of my fingernails - like a manicure! Mary Ruth married young (she was 18) to Reuben, who she met at Jess and Gerties' farm in Ellsworth, Minnesota. Jess and Gertie's family relationship and their last name is lost in my mind. If I discover it, I will be sure to edit this blog! I had never been on a farm before! This farm was a dairy farm, with a milking barn where they played soft music, and another barn where they processed the milk in big stainless vats. They also had chickens that terrified me. Reuben was one of the workers at the farm and quickly set out to romance my sister. I remember coming home from school one day and my Mom and Martha were crying because Mary Ruth had gotten married. My Dad was really mad. Things calmed down later, especially when they had their first baby, my niece Theresa! In the photo below you see Tim, Theresa being held by Martha, and me with French braids going to a pony tail! It was Easter (and looked to be pretty warm).

Martha. Martha was her family name but she was Marty to her friends. Martha was eight years older than me and was the "smart" one and a tomboy. She was a member of the National Honor Society and had two smart friendly boys: Bob Lund and Steve Mahalchek. I remember them trying to calculate the number of grains in a Kool-Aid package. She brought a foreign exchange student from Sweden to our Thanksgiving dinner one year - Sven. Sven ate everything on his plate - and he had never had turkey, dressing, or cranberry sauce. After that we were urged to join "Sven's clean plate club". Martha learned to play the guitar during these years and I loved hearing her sing the song: Fraulein by Bobby Helms.

Far across the blue waters
Lives an old German's daughter
By the banks of the old river Rhine
Where I loved her and left her
But I can't forget her
'Cause I miss my pretty Fraulein
Fraulein, Fraulein
Look up toward the heavens each night
When the stars seem to shine
By the same stars above you
I swear that I love you
You are my pretty Fraulein

Martha was a feisty smart teen and really enjoyed arguing with my Dad (who was always right, of course). She was very competitive, especially with my older sister Mary Ruth.

Tim. Timmy was my mischievous brother who loved to tease me. He was two years older than me and a champion with the Duncan yo-yo: walk the dog, around the world, baby in the cradle! He had asthma and somehow my parents thought it was good for him to sleep in the unheated back porch. He had an electric blanket but I can't imagine how cold it must have been for him! Tim loved cars and had a little go cart. He was always getting hurt - not badly - just enough to get a few stitches. We ice skated in our back yard and did chores together. I remember pushing (barely) that push mower to cut the grass. I did better at raking leaves, which Daddy burned in the alley. 

William Penn Elementary School - Twirling

We first moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Kansas City, Kansas, in the middle of my first grade. We rented a home and then bought our house at 3655 Vincent Ave North. If I think of my childhood home, that is the home I think of!

I attended William Penn Elementary School for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade - and then we moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but that is another story!!!

I loved this school and enjoyed my studies but the fun part is what we did during recess. Since the girls were required to wear dresses, we wore shorts underneath them. Why? Because when we played on the monkey bars the boys would not be able to see our panties.

The monkey bars, not to be confused with a jungle gym, had three bars of varying heights, middle, high, and then low. Most of the time I stood in line for my turn at the middle but occasionally would be brave enough for the high one!

Twirling. That is what we did on the monkey bars. First we began with one leg hooked over the bar, then holding on tightly fall forward and twirl around to the beginning upright position. Next level of difficulty was falling backwards and twirling! Of course, there was also the "double" where you sat with both legs around the bars and twirled forward or backward. You held on with both your hands and the back of your knees! I loved doing this and had blisters and calluses on my hands. We would all count how many times we would go around!

This photo shows the monkey bars but not twirling. These children are just hanging or sitting.

We may have had other activities like hopscotch, but it was not the number one thing to do. In fourth grade, twirling at recess became less popular when a new girl joined our class. She was a natural leader and guess what? She did not play on the monkey bars; she RAN. All the 4th grade girls would run behind her to one end of the big field and back during recess. It is funny to think back at that time - running was okay for me but not as much fun as twirling.

Later, much later, as a young adult, I tried to twirl, and it was not the same. I did not have the calluses and it bruised the back of my knee! I did **one twirl** for old times sake.