Summer days around 1948
Summer days around 1948. I’m seven and my sister, Ruth is three and a half. We live at 1414 Monroe Street in River Forest. The house was built in 1941, just before the war. It was a handsome red brick two storey building with a long cool back yard. Mature elms made cathedral arches over the street. Dad loved to garden and I remember gladiolas and hydrangea bushes, three crab apple trees and a lacy honey locust shading (too strong a word for what a honey locust does) the swing set. The long pods in the fall. We had a sandbox in the back corner of the garden.
Summers must have been hot, but I don’t think children care, or even notice. I remember running through the sprinklers and splashing in a large, square galvanized tub filled with water from the garden hose. Follow-the-leader was great fun. Run through the sprinkler, one foot in the tub, the other foot on the far side, always running full speed. Forgot to take first foot out of tub. Crashed in the wet grass. I still have that wiggly bone chip on my left shin.
Seems I was always traveling full speed and falling, crashing into trees, falling off roller skates, getting pants legs caught in bicycle chains. Never broke a bone though!
About those roller skates. They were metal and had a raised edge around the back of the heel with a leather strap that buckled around the ankle. The length was adjustable by sliding the middle shank and tightening with a screw. The front attached to your shoes (probably saddle shoes, gym shoes were strictly for gym) with clamps, which tightened with a metal “key”. They always loosened and fell off when you were going full tilt. More scrapes and bruises. We spent a lot of time on those skates. Our team consisted of Jane Wiedell, Joey Mascari, Tony S. and me. We competed against the team from the 1300 block of Monroe - Alan Davis and Mike Spranze are the two I remember. Race around the neighborhood, up the driveways, touch the garage door, touch the gate, up the next driveway, grab a leaf from a bush, around the corner, up another driveway. We could go for hours, or until a skate fell off.
Every year Dad replaced the storm windows with the summer screens. The awning company came and put up our green awnings. The whole house took on a cool, quiet green tinge. Then the light would change – became darker and greener. Then the wind started to blow a bit. Then the thunder, just a growl at first, but soon crashing and accompanied by lightening, then the rain a curtain of sound, a good sound. I still love thunder storms.
Toys I remember from the 40’s and early 50’s:
Block set for castles –white with black windows, round towers, red pointy roofs
Sparkle Plenty doll
Storybook dolls
Lincoln logs
Cap guns, holster, cowboy hat
Clamp on roller skates – dangerous at high speeds which was the only way I skated
Slinky
Trading cards – playing cards and later same size but blank backs- collected and traded by category – dogs, horses, scenery etc.
Paper dolls – Came in books and Brenda Star in Sunday Tribune comics. Attached by tabs or little flat magnets
Sparking toy – pump the handle, make the round part spin, and watch the sparks fly. Best used in a dark closet. Lucky we didn’t burn down the house
Silly Putty
Doll House
Baseball bat, glove, ball
Bicycle
Books, books, books