My Life 4th writing

The school that my brother Bill and I attended was the school that our Mother graduated from High School in 1927. She was the President of her class and a very lovely to look at girl as well as being very popular with her fellow students. We had small classes in comparison to classes of the major schools today. Brother was a better student then I. He knew when to shut his mouth and listen. Me on the other hand was a social butterfly even in tomboy years. We lived in what was known as the german settlement of our little town. Summertime we had a wonderful baseball lot to play baseball on. Our crowd was very competitive. I am sure that the whole neighborhood heard me over the rest of the kids. Even today I can clear a room if I am not careful. It can be a real bother to have a loud voic.e Some of the kids We grew up with were Lois and Jimmy Dean, Karl and Gwen Smith, Ken Rogal, Dale Bruce, Peter Daraksis and his brothers, Bob Schaefer and our step-brother Jack Reinhardt and our half brother Don. Oh what a happy bunch we were. Most of us were poor as church mice but we did not know it. Life was so good. The house that our parents bought right after WW 2 faced North Main Street. It was owned by a brother and sister. Her name was Hattie and we kids were really frightened of her. In later life I realized that she had a learning disability, but in those days we all thought she was "nuts". She always looked so scarey. Could because we all swiped apples off her trees on the alley side. Mother and Dad made a real show place of that house. It did not have a bathroom only outside plumbing, When the boys got more grownup they made it a real project to knock over the outhouse at Halloween. I think that several of the fathers knew that we would have to set it back up right each year.

At the other end of the alley was Mrs. Wenzel's place. She raised chickens and a large garden as our step-father did. Mother bought eggs from Mrs. Wenzel for $.15 a dozen. I believe she called them Pullet eggs. The first eggs layed by the hens.