Changes are every where

When I was a child every couple weeks or so my Dad and I (or the family) would be driving somewhere and we would go by a junkyard. Sometimes the same one... sometimes a random one.

My Dad would always joke that he would be getting my first car from this junkyard or that one. Kind of ironic that my first car was only 4 years younger than myself. But I understand why they did that...in the 70's they made cars like tanks. It also kept me close to home as it only got 12 miles to the gallon. Being in the country nothing was closer than that so I would dig through the couch cushions to come up with the $0.69 I needed for a gallon of gas.

I was thinking about this as I drove to the origins of One4jc Land this weekend for a birthday party. OK I drove to a little neighboring town for the party and detoured on my way home so I could go past the house I grew up in.

We used to have a HUGE evergreen tree in the front yard and this little sprout of a tree that wasn't even big enough to climb. I used to ride the streets of this little town on my bike from dawn to dusk with no fear. We lived next to a tiny green house that was the home of (what I believed to be) the oldest man alive. This little one bedroom house could have fit inside our house....twice!

This is also the house that most of the abuse occurred or at least started. It seems to be frozen in moments of time in my mind. Occasionally I drive by but I really have to go out of my way to see this little town.

I have seen the Post Office move to a new location, the school (yes singular) get new playground equipment, new housing additions pop up and many other things over the years.

This time when I drove through town I noticed the old evergreen was gone and the tree was almost too big to try to climb. The little grocery store where I got candy is torn down as is the little green house.

My Mom recently sent me an email telling me that an old neighbor was asking about my sister and I. She made it seem sinister in some way. She refused to give this old neighbor our contact information. I wonder if she is still trying to "preserve the family image"?

Life changes. Changes happen whether you want them to or not.

Oddly enough I am glad the old house has new windows, a fenced in back yard and a converted garage so that it looks different. Now maybe the house that was in my nightmares for so long will never appear to someone else in their dreams... well at least this is helping put some of those final parts of my life to rest. Again.

Just rambling I guess...