Throwback Thursday - The Notebooks

To clear up some confusion, the Notebook passages posted on Throwback Thursday were written by my father and found by me after he passed away. They were his attempt to tell the family history. He was in his late 80s or early 90s when he wrote them. Today's chapter:

In May of 1953, we moved to Natick. We purchased the house we are still living in. It was to be a beginning and then a bigger one. It did not happen. I had gone with your mother to see a number [ed: of homes] But your mother said to me that she would not wait any longer. Either I make up my mind or else. And even though our marriage was good and happy. She was going to jump into the water. We were young and somewhat innocent.

I was not seeing what I wanted to live in.After all I had lived with the Arnolds and I knew what was right. [ed: American]

So we began looking. We had a decent amount to put down. Which would make the monthly payments smaller. Also being a veteran our interest rate was locked in by statute to 4%.

We were shown a number of houses. Some were vacant and some lived in. Good, but not what I thought we should have. Uncle Fred had a house next door to him that was up for sale. But the price was too high. The seller would not come down.

We came to Natick [ed one town West of Uncle Fred and one town East of Uncle Joe] Mother was itching. We were despite the number of houses we had seen still innocents. 

We came to this house, that mother was not set on going back home without a contract. No more looking or else. We were brought by the Realtor up Walnut St.

We looked around. There was a cellar. It was brand new and the price was right and the builder's daughter lived next door [ed: And later she would sell to Himself's parents] Nice sell. Mother liked. She was all for it. Today, 06/14/07 your mother hates this house and will not admit her opinions when we signed papers to purchase. [ed: In all fairness to Ma and what Dad forgot is Ma suffered a massive stroke in 2003. So she wasn't quite the same after. A little like Pet Sematery by Stephen King. Dad expected her to make a full recovery. Poor old dude]

We signed mortgage contract and shortly after that we moved into the house. Mother noticed either on the day we moved in or day after that the Boy had the measles. And needing the room to be dark. Put up newspapers in the windows. In due course he was in good shape.

We also had our furniture and rooms as we would like them. We also were getting acquainted with the people in the neighborhood. We visited each other and for a good while we had my sister [ed: Emma] and Jack [ed her husband] came to visit and we had a lot of company over the weekend.IT seemed that we were always busy over the weekend. [ed: Ma had told me in the early when they first moved to "the country" all the relatives would come to visit on Sundays during the Summer. Ma ended up cooking for 40 people. chicken, sausage, lasagna, eggplant Parmigiana, salad, cookies as Italians don't have hot dogs and hamburgers as the main event for a cookout. 😸] Our weekdays were a lot better.

We got water in the basement and I sued the builder and recovered a good amount. And I installed a pump and things worked out well.We still have a problem but I put down blanket etc. and everything remains dry. We also enjoyed our barbecues. And did a lot of planting flowers and landscaping and dug a trench in the front of the house and filled it with stones directing the water away from the house.