State Street House Tour and Mickey

I was reminded that I could use the google street view to see if that house was the same as the house we lived in back in the 1950s.  It is and while it is has been abandoned and boarded up, it made me smile to see it again.  While we can't go inside, I can show you where each room is.  It was really a nice house when we lived there.

The front of the house looks the same except we had a big maple tree in the middle of the front yard and there was no walkway across the front or on the right side.  (1) is the blue bedroom and (2) is the pink room.  The pink room was the smallest bedroom.  The little white house next door is the same.  A single older lady lived there when we did.  She had a big black and white cat and she would let me pet it.  I love cats and use to go looking for strays to bring home.  I think I brought the lady's cat into our house once and Mother made me take it back.  Our living room was across all of the front of the house.

The side and back of the house.  (1) is the blue bedroom.  (2) is the yellow-cream bedroom.  This was the largest bedroom.  (3) is the bathroom.  (4) is the living room.  (5) is our bedroom.  The headboard of our bed was up against the windows.  When it would storm with a lot of lightning and thunder, it was kinda scary.  (6) is the coal bin opening.  The
coal truck would come and they would shovel coal through the window.  The coal bin was just a small area with walls around it to keep the coal contained.  Mother would shovel coal into a bucket and then shovel it into this huge, round furnace.  (7)  This is where our parakeet, Mickey is buried.  There wasn't that enclosed back porch when we lived there.
My mother would not let us have any pets.  It wasn't because she didn't like animals, it was because we couldn't afford to take care of one.  We did have a goldfish once in one of those round bowls.  I don't believe he lived very long.

I don't remember who gave us Mickey, but mother said that we could keep him.  He was a bright blue with white face and yellow beak.  He was very pretty and friendly.  We kept him in our bedroom.  I would take him out and have him sit on my finger and let him climb from one finger to the other.  I would pet him and kiss him - I just loved that bird.

One afternoon I decided to give him a bath.  I pulled the chair up to the kitchen sink and filled it with water - not hot or cold.  I probably filled it about 4 inches and turned the water off.  Mickey was on my finger and I lowered him into the water.  He didn't exactly like it and started fluttering around.  So I took a hold of him and dunked him in the water.  It was a quick dunk, but when I lifted him out,  he was limp.  I hurried and dried him off and started crying.  He just couldn't die - please wake up.  I took him out on the front porch.  It was a warm day and the sun was shining on the ledge.  I laid him down in the sun where I have Mickey written in the picture.  I thought maybe he would dry out and come back and through my tears, I kept asking God to bring him back to life.  I talked to God a lot when I needed help.  I just kept saying please God, bring him back, I'll be good.  I also tried to negotiate with God - it wasn't working.
My mother came out and tried to console me.  After awhile, we got some pretty material and wrapped him up and buried him in the back yard next to the house.  My mother told me he would turn to dust.  After several months, I had to see if he turned to dust so I dug him up, but he was still wrapped in the material.  I checked several more times, but he was always there.      

Our National Motto - In God We Trust

The following article was taken from the 1980 Farmers' Almanac, compliments of Avon.  It is an article written by Mary Accles in the Liguorian Magazine, a  Catholic magazine.  I am not sure when this article was written, but was probably just after the Supreme Court's ruling banning the word "God" from prayer in public schools.

OUR NATIONAL MOTTO

In God We Trust, originating during the Civil War as an inscription for United States coins, was first contemplated by the Reverend M. R. Watkinson of Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, a deeply concerned churchman who in 1861 wrote to the Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase.

The letter read:  "From my heart I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters."  The clergyman then suggested "recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins."

Secretary Chase, in complete accord, ordered designs prepared with the inscription "In God We Trust."  It first appeared on some U.S. coins in 1864, then appeared and disappeared until 1955, when Congress ordered it placed on all paper money and coins.

In 1956 "In God We Trust" was designated as the United States national motto and was signed into law during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

There are those who would exclude God entirely from the American way of life even though dependence on God was first permanently established by our Founding Fathers in the preparation of the Constitution.  Such permanence has been affirmed and reaffirmed in the context of assertions by many of our greatest statesmen, churchmen, authors and poets. 

We have the undeniable and indisputable claim that America is the only country in the world founded with an implicit faith in God.  The last sentence of the Declaration of Independence states:  "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor." 

In view of the Supreme Court's ruling banning the word "God" from prayer recitations in public schools, it's comforting to know "In God We Trust" continues as our national motto.

We shall continue to affirm our unqualified reliance on God and joyously acclaim, "In God We Trust."

-----Mary Accles

Liguorian Magazine