Visiting In The City

Riverside Drive in Johnson City, NY

Yesterday, my husband and I went to visit my father-in-law. He lives in Johnson City, NY, which is about 35 miles away from us. For us, it is always like traveling to another world. As far as cities go, Johnson City is not a really big city. When you live where we do, any city seems congested! I look at all those house squashed together and can't imagine that. Most of the houses I have lived in that were in cities were never in areas like this. I don't think I have ever lived in a house that had neighbors behind my house. I would not like that all.

Lupole's house

My in-laws came from living in the country to buying this house, when all but one of their children had left home for lives of their own. My brother-in-law, who is the oldest, never left home. Not ever. He is still there. Now it is good that he is with his father, who at 91 years old, is losing his hearing and eyesight.

An EJ house built by Endicott Johnson Corp. for the workers!

The ramp you can see on the front of the house was built for my mother-in-law when she had to have her legs removed and was resigned to a wheelchair. She loved this house and the neighborhood. She was a real "people person," and the busy bustle of the street they lived on just added to her love of the area. To think she was from the country! I guess it proves that not all country born people want to stay there.

Brother-in-law's truck

You can see how close the houses are. From the kitchen window in their house you can see directly into the dining room of the house next door! So if you are standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes, you can't help but see what the people next door are doing in their own house. I just could never live this way myself.

An easy yard to mow! So tiny!

We had many outside family get togethers in their backyard. The fireplace was built by my husband and his son, Jeffrey. The yard didn't seem so small until they fenced it in. They had neighbors buy the house next door some years back and then had trouble with them. So they had to fence it in and then I realized how tiny it really was.

Our road in front of our house!

We were happy to get back home to our dirt road, trees and quiet, except for hearing the birds singing their evening song. Such a contrast from one house to another! I really appreciate our home once I have been to the city.

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

June Is Here!

June is here and it appears like a perfect summer may be headed our way. Our Spring has been just beautiful. Just enough rain, not hard downpours, like we usually get. My home is surrounded by the Ludlow Creek State Forest, and it is breathtaking. It looks like the Garden Of Eden must have looked. Everything is a deep green, the birds are always singing - and they are happy songs - not the angry ones I used to hear when I live in the city of Vestal, NY.

I have had reasons lately to go into the city nearby, Binghamton, NY. It makes me so sad to see how that city has changed. My mother grew up there and it was a whole different world back then. My grandmother raised chickens right in the city, grew a huge garden every year and canned all her produce. She worked, of course, at Endicott Johnson Shoe Factory (most people did back then!), and her co-workers shared their bounty with her. She always took it and canned it. My mother's family did not suffer from no food in the depression, because my grandmother knew how to provide it. She was raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, so of course she knew what to do.

She raised all her girls to know how to do all those things and more. They learned to sew, crochet, knit, and whatever else they had to do to take care of their families in bad times. Back then when someone lost their job and did not have any means to take care of their children, the parents would take the children to the orphanages and leave them there. My grandmother fought against that and did whatever she could to hang onto her children.

Anyway, I have been moving all my merchandise out of my eBay store. Somebody said that eBay was broken and I think they are correct. It is no longer feasible for me to keep my items for sale on there, especially when my own website, www.larrylupole.com/catalog gets way more traffic. So I can even lower my prices there and charge a very minimal shipping fee with no handling fees! It is just great. And so much easier to maneuver. I have been adding many different products there this week. So if you get a chance come take a look and see what you'd like!