House # 1
When I was first born, my parents lived in the same house my Dad still lives in. Right next door to the slaughter house that employed him and that his family owned during the 1970's-90's in Canehill. That house was built in the 1960's and has gone through a lot of upgrades through the years. My Step-mom has a great knack for seeing improvable space. When I was growing up, that house had a pea green carpet in the living room and I think, hallway. My room had wood floors, and so did the family room. Dad's room had a flat red carpet, not plush at all. The kitchen had linoleum that had the same pea green colors of the carpet in its pattern. When I was in my single digits, it had two bathrooms. The one you entered directly into from the hallway was pastel pink and had a bathtub. It had the wall tiles similar to this picture.
The one you entered into from the laundry room was pastel blue and had a shower. Later on, walls were torn down and it became one larger bathroom. This was a 3 bedroom home. Growing up I went back and forth between the two bedrooms at the back of the house. When I was in my teens, I helped remove the old pea green carpet and we replaced it with a hunter green carpet. I can vaguely remember gold vein mirror tiles I think above the cabinets in the kitchen....
House # 2
I don't remember the house my Mom moved into after she and dad divorced. The only "memory" I have of it is a picture she has of me and my **step-dad next to a huge snowman he built. I was about one or two at the time. It was on the corner of Cheri Whitlock and Mt. Olive/Hwy 43 in Siloam Springs.
**When you read 'Dad' from this point on - I will be talking about my step-dad, Steve, since while I was growing up and even today, my Dad (Johnny) only had one house. Mom and Dad (Steve) had several.
For more on my feeling about the whole
House # 3
The first house I do remember was on Stonewall Rd, in Prairie Grove and it is a great example of how our young minds remember things vs how things really are. The way I remembered this house was that it sat on top of a hill. A pretty steep hill and at the bottom of that hill along the road were two apple trees. When I drive by that house today I can barely call that "steep hill" a knoll and I don't think the apple trees are there anymore. That house had a basement that leaked. I remember having a sand box to the east of the house. This is the house we lived in when my little brother, Tyler, was born. This is the house we lived in when Dad worked the late shift at Franklin Electric and when he would come home, he and I would sit on the couch and eat while he watched TV. I was about 3 or 4. He and I were really close during this time. Mom was going to school and working during the day, I wasn't old enough for school yet, so it would be just the two of us all day and baby Tyler once he was born. (Jared and Laney had a similar relationship because I worked graveyard and slept during the day, while they two of them hung out - and baby Ashley mainly slept.)
Remember those apple trees? Its funny the memories you have. One year I was allowed to make my own lunch. I gathered apple blossoms from those trees, wild onions from the yard, and pickles from the fridge and made myself a salad! Dad actually let me eat that! I remember a time when I spotted a baby mouse behind the couch so I went to the kitchen and grabbed the cheese and threw pieces of cheese behind the couch to feed it. Mom and Dad were not happy when they discovered what I had done. I remember Dad with the help of my Grandpas, Uncles and other family members, built on the back room of that house as well as a covered patio to park under. While they were adding on I was running around barefoot and stepped on a nail. I remember when I was sat into the bathtub the water turned red. They had a wood stove in the new family room and one time mom threw the bathroom trash in there. Dad had thrown a shaving cream can in the trash and she didn't know it. It blew up and she was burned pretty badly. I remember being afraid of sleeping alone for a while and I would crawl into their room at night and sleep on the floor beside the bed on Mom's side. She would drape her hand down on the side of the bed and I would reach up and hold it until I fell asleep. I remember one summer mom kicking us outside to play (that was very common thing when I was growing up). She actually locked us out and I wouldn't' leave the porch. The next thing I knew there was a HUGE tarantula on the porch with me. I remember Dad trying to argue on our behalf to let us in. I don't remember the outcome. I only remember that huge spider! I remember a large Mimosa tree that was to the west of the patio. It had several branches that forked right there at the ground and I would often climb in there and just hang out. During that time Mom and Dad both had motorcycles and Mom's sister Michelle, lived a little ways down a nearby dirt road on a chicken farm. We would sometimes ride those motorcycles to her house to visit. Doesn't that seem strange? My mom driving a motorcycle? Hers was a little gray Honda. Dad's was red and seemed like more of a dirt bike. I can't remember what make it was. We also had a few stray dogs that would show up. I vividly remember one was a dark red colored golden retriever. Because of her color we called her 'Red'. She would follow me to the mailbox to catch the bus each morning and would be there waiting when I got home. I seem to vaguely remember a little puppy maybe named 'Socks' or 'Boots' that we had for a while too. When it was time to leave this house and move to our next home, we had to send Red to stay with my Grandma Reba. I don't remember exactly what happened to her, but I think she ran away.
House # 4
The next house we lived in was a rent house we had to stay in while our new home in Siloam Springs was being built. When I was in second grade we moved to a little house on W. Graham Street, in Prairie Grove. I remember being allowed to walk to school. I remember we were friends with the little family at the end of the street and I would sometimes 'baby-sit' the little boy named Justin, though at that age, I'm not sure I was baby-sitting as much as maybe just keeping him occupied. I don't have too many memories of the interior of this house. I remember it had carpet in the kitchen and it seems like the carpet was burnt or stained in a few places and left a life long impression on me that you would never want to have carpet in your kitchen. We still lived in this house by the time I started 3rd grade but not long after. I vaguely remember Dad driving me from Prairie Grove to Siloam the first few weeks of school.
House # 5
Remember those apple trees? Its funny the memories you have. One year I was allowed to make my own lunch. I gathered apple blossoms from those trees, wild onions from the yard, and pickles from the fridge and made myself a salad! Dad actually let me eat that! I remember a time when I spotted a baby mouse behind the couch so I went to the kitchen and grabbed the cheese and threw pieces of cheese behind the couch to feed it. Mom and Dad were not happy when they discovered what I had done. I remember Dad with the help of my Grandpas, Uncles and other family members, built on the back room of that house as well as a covered patio to park under. While they were adding on I was running around barefoot and stepped on a nail. I remember when I was sat into the bathtub the water turned red. They had a wood stove in the new family room and one time mom threw the bathroom trash in there. Dad had thrown a shaving cream can in the trash and she didn't know it. It blew up and she was burned pretty badly. I remember being afraid of sleeping alone for a while and I would crawl into their room at night and sleep on the floor beside the bed on Mom's side. She would drape her hand down on the side of the bed and I would reach up and hold it until I fell asleep. I remember one summer mom kicking us outside to play (that was very common thing when I was growing up). She actually locked us out and I wouldn't' leave the porch. The next thing I knew there was a HUGE tarantula on the porch with me. I remember Dad trying to argue on our behalf to let us in. I don't remember the outcome. I only remember that huge spider! I remember a large Mimosa tree that was to the west of the patio. It had several branches that forked right there at the ground and I would often climb in there and just hang out. During that time Mom and Dad both had motorcycles and Mom's sister Michelle, lived a little ways down a nearby dirt road on a chicken farm. We would sometimes ride those motorcycles to her house to visit. Doesn't that seem strange? My mom driving a motorcycle? Hers was a little gray Honda. Dad's was red and seemed like more of a dirt bike. I can't remember what make it was. We also had a few stray dogs that would show up. I vividly remember one was a dark red colored golden retriever. Because of her color we called her 'Red'. She would follow me to the mailbox to catch the bus each morning and would be there waiting when I got home. I seem to vaguely remember a little puppy maybe named 'Socks' or 'Boots' that we had for a while too. When it was time to leave this house and move to our next home, we had to send Red to stay with my Grandma Reba. I don't remember exactly what happened to her, but I think she ran away.
House # 4
The next house we lived in was a rent house we had to stay in while our new home in Siloam Springs was being built. When I was in second grade we moved to a little house on W. Graham Street, in Prairie Grove. I remember being allowed to walk to school. I remember we were friends with the little family at the end of the street and I would sometimes 'baby-sit' the little boy named Justin, though at that age, I'm not sure I was baby-sitting as much as maybe just keeping him occupied. I don't have too many memories of the interior of this house. I remember it had carpet in the kitchen and it seems like the carpet was burnt or stained in a few places and left a life long impression on me that you would never want to have carpet in your kitchen. We still lived in this house by the time I started 3rd grade but not long after. I vaguely remember Dad driving me from Prairie Grove to Siloam the first few weeks of school.
House # 5
This house was a very exciting home. Mom and Dad had designed it. It was a mansion compared to all our other homes. It was in a little living addition called Country Acres. We lived on Hickory Lane. It was brand new and had an upstairs. Stairs are a big thing when you are young and have never had them before! The exterior was brown cedar and had brick half way up. When you opened the front door you were facing the staircase that took you upstairs. Tyler's room was on the left, our bathroom was straight ahead, and my room was on the right. We had those gabled windows in our bedrooms and my closet also had a door that led to the attic. From the front door, when you entered and looked right you were in the living room. There was a fireplace to the right and entries on the left and right of the back wall. The left took you into the dining area, the right took you into the kitchen and the garage door was there too. The kitchen and dining area were an open floor plan. The dining area had a wall sized book shelf and to the left of the dining room was the master bed/bath. We had a deck and large backyard accessible from sliding glass doors in the dining area. We also had a garden. I loved that house. While we lived there we gained ownership of a beautiful collie that we named Lassie. She belonged to a neighbor that lived a few houses away. I'm not sure why but she would never stay home and made her residence at our place. Dad went and talked to the owner and she became our dog. Mom started her career as a first grade teacher in Gentry, when we lived there. We lived in that house for about three years.
House # 6
When I was in about the 6th grade, Mom and Dad sold their home and we again moved into a rental. This one was a trailer house that sat right where 412 is now. When they put in the new highway the rental was moved and the highway went in. It sat very close to 'humpback' bridge. We didn't live there for very long. I remember seeing "ghosts" when we lived there. There were a few instances when my cousin Christy and my best friend Cheryl were there and they witnessed this strange phenomenon - I can't remember which story belongs to which person but once a silhouette ran through the yard and right though a barbed-wire fence. Another instance we were up late and Christy or Cheryl (who ever was there that night) their eyes glowed bright red. To this day I find it strange that there's a haunted house that takes place right there at Riverside each Halloween. When we lived there I also remember Tyler getting in very deep trouble when he and a friend walked down to the river without asking and none of us knew where they were.
House # 7
This house was not very far from the one in Country Acres. It was in a living addition called Meadow Wood on Crestwood Drive . I loved this house too. It had a lot of neat things like an intercom system, a built in vacuum cleaner, and a toaster that was built into the wall too. My bedroom was attached to the bathroom, so even though I had to share it with Tyler, and guests, it felt like it was my very own. My bedroom had mauve carpet and I had a canopy bed. This house was very long, no upstairs. When you entered the front door you were in the living room. We rarely used this room. I took piano lessons when we lived here so there was a piano sitting in this room and the NW wall had a mural on it. To the left was the hall way that would take you to the bedrooms. At the very end was the master bedroom and bathroom area. You would step down into the master bedroom. And it was huge. If you went straight at the front door you would enter the dining room and to the right was the kitchen and then you would step down into the den. Dad built a really nice deck onto the back of the house that wrapped around a rather large tree and it had built in benches. This house was dark blue on the exterior and gray brick. It had an attached patio to the right and a shed type room to the right of it. We lived in this house until I was in about the 9th grade.
House # 8
House # 7
This house was not very far from the one in Country Acres. It was in a living addition called Meadow Wood on Crestwood Drive . I loved this house too. It had a lot of neat things like an intercom system, a built in vacuum cleaner, and a toaster that was built into the wall too. My bedroom was attached to the bathroom, so even though I had to share it with Tyler, and guests, it felt like it was my very own. My bedroom had mauve carpet and I had a canopy bed. This house was very long, no upstairs. When you entered the front door you were in the living room. We rarely used this room. I took piano lessons when we lived here so there was a piano sitting in this room and the NW wall had a mural on it. To the left was the hall way that would take you to the bedrooms. At the very end was the master bedroom and bathroom area. You would step down into the master bedroom. And it was huge. If you went straight at the front door you would enter the dining room and to the right was the kitchen and then you would step down into the den. Dad built a really nice deck onto the back of the house that wrapped around a rather large tree and it had built in benches. This house was dark blue on the exterior and gray brick. It had an attached patio to the right and a shed type room to the right of it. We lived in this house until I was in about the 9th grade.
House # 8
This was another rental that we stayed in while Mom and Dad renovated their next house. It was a little house on Rodric Drive, I think the house number was 207. I walked to school from this house too. This house didn't have much of a yard, front or back. I don't remember very much about the interior. We didn't live here too long.
House # 9
This is the last house I lived before I "grew up" and got married. I remember mom and dad doing a lot of painting, and fixing up before we moved into the house on Summit Drive. It had a fenced in back yard and a large lot to the North. When you entered the house it had a foyer. The hallway was on the left. The washing machine and dryer were down the hallway. I don't remember the laundry area of the other houses. Probably because this is the house we lived in when I learned how to do laundry. Across from the laundry closet was the bathroom and down the hall to the left was the master bedroom and bath. The hallway then made a right angle turn and my room was on the left and it made a dead end at Tyler's room. Tyler's room had a western theme. Mine room was two tone, hunter green on the bottom and a tan color on top and a fleur de lis type pattern wall paper border between the two. Mom took my childhood toy box and painted it the hunter green color and added the border around it. I had a desk to do my makeup and a pretty good size closet. If you went straight from the foyer you were in the living room and could look straight to the sliding glass door that went to the back yard. To the right was the kitchen. It was quite small and led to the garage. I got my first care while living in this house. It was a white late 80's model mustang with red interior.
I married in 1998 and by the end of 1999 Mom and Dad had built the house they live in now on River Valley Road.
I don't know how or where they found the energy to do all they did when I was growing up. Besides moving that many times, my brother, Tyler, was heavily involved in baseball. Dad coached him in little league and later, on a travel team. Mom and Dad both worked full-time jobs and did most, if not all of the repairs and fixing up of all the houses we lived in, rentals included. The few times I have moved as an adult convinces me each time that I never want to do it again.
We have had quite a few hiccups with our new place but I do hope we can endure and spend the rest of our lives here.
Until next time,
Becky
House # 9
This is the last house I lived before I "grew up" and got married. I remember mom and dad doing a lot of painting, and fixing up before we moved into the house on Summit Drive. It had a fenced in back yard and a large lot to the North. When you entered the house it had a foyer. The hallway was on the left. The washing machine and dryer were down the hallway. I don't remember the laundry area of the other houses. Probably because this is the house we lived in when I learned how to do laundry. Across from the laundry closet was the bathroom and down the hall to the left was the master bedroom and bath. The hallway then made a right angle turn and my room was on the left and it made a dead end at Tyler's room. Tyler's room had a western theme. Mine room was two tone, hunter green on the bottom and a tan color on top and a fleur de lis type pattern wall paper border between the two. Mom took my childhood toy box and painted it the hunter green color and added the border around it. I had a desk to do my makeup and a pretty good size closet. If you went straight from the foyer you were in the living room and could look straight to the sliding glass door that went to the back yard. To the right was the kitchen. It was quite small and led to the garage. I got my first care while living in this house. It was a white late 80's model mustang with red interior.
I married in 1998 and by the end of 1999 Mom and Dad had built the house they live in now on River Valley Road.
I don't know how or where they found the energy to do all they did when I was growing up. Besides moving that many times, my brother, Tyler, was heavily involved in baseball. Dad coached him in little league and later, on a travel team. Mom and Dad both worked full-time jobs and did most, if not all of the repairs and fixing up of all the houses we lived in, rentals included. The few times I have moved as an adult convinces me each time that I never want to do it again.
We have had quite a few hiccups with our new place but I do hope we can endure and spend the rest of our lives here.
Until next time,
Becky
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