The 1940s Begin

1940s. There was an empty lot next to our lot. The lot was purchased and building began. At that time I do not remember any type of bulldozers and was amazed to watch them dig the foundation using a horse and a drag bucket. The man would line up the horse with the foundation outlines and then tip the bucket, which looked like a large scoop, into the ground. He would then get the horse to pull as the bucket filled with dirt. When full, the man would tip the front up and the load would be dragged off to the side. The man would then tip the bucket up to dump the dirt. They would then circle around and scoop out another load. It was slow but it worked. When I finished 1st grade, the teachers decided it would be best for me to skip to third grade. As most kids, we were always exploring, this new house was very tempting. After the foundation and the first floor was complete, we decided that this would be a good place to play. There was a ladder down to the basement floor. Some of my friends went down there and I decided to trap them. I grabbed the ladder and started walking backward to pull it up. However, I forgot that there was another hole for the chimney. I stepped into the hole and landed in the basement, hitting my head on some scrap wood. I was taken to the hospital where I was diagnosed with a concussion. I have a feeling that this was the start of my difficulty to read and retain my future school work. Prior to that, I had good grades. Many teachers would review the different subject material and I was fine with that. However, if I had to read the material and it was not covered in detail, I struggled. So, I feel that this could explain some of my many future school difficulties.

We enjoyed this house, but the owner of our house decided to put it up for sale and it was offered to my Dad. However, money was limited at this time and he felt that he could not afford to become a homeowner, so we were again on the move. They looked around and found a new home close by.