3655 Vincent Ave North - Neighbors

Lynda Erickson and Lynn Le Dell! 

Lynda Erickson was my next door neighbor and in my class at school. At William Penn, there was just one classroom for each grade! 

Lynn Le Dell lived maybe 4 houses away from our home. We were always up for fun and silly shenanigans. Our playmates were always our friends on the block - and our adventures were in our backyards or basements.

One time I came over and Lynn was so excited! She took me up to an upstairs bedroom. There was a dresser with a mirror on it and she would get on a chair at the edge of the mirror and put her head so it rested in the middle of the edge and wave her arm and leg! In the mirror she would see herself mirrored as if both arms and legs were waving! Of course, I had to try it too! We did that for about an hour, laughing loudly, and finally were told to go outside and play.

Lynn and Lynda were also my playing school buddies. We set up our school either in my basement. We had our dolls there and took turns being the teacher. Our school was complete with books and paper and pencils. I am positive that my brother left quickly when we started playing school. We also did this for hours and had lots of laughs.

Lynn once had a relative come to stay at her house and the relative had a cute new baby. I was excited because I loved babies but there was a sense of something not right whenever I would visit. Now I realize that her relative had the baby out of marriage and it was a sense of shame in that house. It was years later before I figured out that situation. Here is Lynn with her brother and that baby (took awhile to find this photo!). 

I started searching for Lynda Erickson....and found some photos that may be her the Roosevelt High School yearbook - On Ancestry.com, but her name is spelled Linda! Oh names names names!!! It is so hard to find friends from elementary days when you have moved away and, oh, lots and lots of years have passed.

On one block over was a girl my age who would visit her grandparents. I remember her because we would go in their attic, play Clue, and eat red hots. Clue and red hots candy now are linked forever!

Another neighbor (between my house and Lyn's) was a new Mom. Her little girl was about 1 year old and I would go and visit them and enjoyed making the baby laugh and smile. The Mom would invite me to lunch and I remember we would have soft boiled eggs - a real treat. Later in my teenage years I was busy babysitting. Interesting how some of the things you love show up early in your life.

At the other end of the age spectrum was a grandmother-aged neighbor. She had a fantastic garden and gave me my first indoor plant - she called it Mother In Law Tongues. Maybe this was Grandma Ruff!! I kept that plant for years and was very proud to have my own plant. My Mom had Pothos (but we called it Ivy) - and her plants would get long and vine all around a window. Later when I worked as a technical writer, I would have Pothos growing in water at my desk. My friends from India said it was a lucky plant, called the Money Plant in their country.

Since starting this series of posts I have made new friends on an Old North Minneapolis Facebook group. I have found out the Ruffs lived at 3647 Vincent;  back across the alley from the Ruffs were the Sheridans; the Delmonicos lived across the street from me and the Ruffs. There is an alley that runs behind all of the houses between the blocks. 

Girl friends, babies, and a gardener, but the best neighbor was the lady who made popcorn balls for Halloween! She invited Lynn and I into her kitchen once and showed us how she made them! I was so impressed.