Monday, October 15, 2018

My station wagon washed away!

We lived on Holly Tree Drive, named for the lady with Holly Trees around her stone house. After 3 years we sold our trailer and bought a double wide trailer set up on a lot. It had aluminum siding, and a plywood shingle roof. We had bought a 1/2 acre lot to build our dream house around the corner from the double wide trailer. The guy building the double-wides on basements was our landlord of the trailer park.

He sold us the single wide trailer we spent 3 years in. He had a heart attack, and his children were left with the mess of settling his affairs. The local bank was hanging for the money, and no one to finish the houses. We went to the bank to buy the lot around the corner. 3 years in a single wide, we wanted a real house, not another trailer. I knew the double-wides sold for $37,900 when finished with a well & drain field with paved driveway.

We went to get a loan to build our dream home. Harry the head guy at the bank was near retirement age. I was 27, had a great work record, so did Mary. We had one daughter. We were interviewed by Harry. He said we must sell the 2 remaining double-wides. It needed to put a sewer pump near the house and a new drain field. The drain field needed to be way up in back yard about 12 feet higher than the back yard. The drain field was 6 feet behind the house. Not 100 feet from the well.

Out front the lane the cars parked in was dirt. No, mud! I told Mary it would be a lot of work. Harry said, what will you bid for the house. I told him,$15,000 not one penny more. Harry said he has a meeting tomorrow and he will ask the others if $15,000 is enough.

About 4:30 I got home and called the bank. The girl said Harry left, but he did not bring up our deal at the meeting. I told Mary they turned us down. We started working on the dream house we wanted, again. Two days later I came home,Mary said Harry called, we got the house for $15,000. Now the work started. Contracted plumber to move drain field. Mary cleaned inside house. Workers were finishing from where 2 halves fit together. The yard was not leveled, and there was no grass.

The basement was filled with lots of trash from setting the house. We made 2 trips to the dump. Got electric in our name when we made the settlement. It was in the bank's name before. Got the telephone hooked up. Put the single wide up for sale. The guy that sold us the single wide never recorded the deal. We had a lot of paperwork to do.  On a trailer it has a title like a car. If a double-wide is put on foundation, the electric meter can be put on the house. We sold the single wide, paid off the title, paid the last month of lot space and paid all the utilities. We finally had a home. Not our dream house. That would be 10 years later.

The reason I built the house we live in now so high is because the Holly Tree house was in a low spot, with several thousands of farm fields and developments higher than us. When it rained hard, we had to let the garage door in the basement about 4 inches high open. The cement floor in the basement was washed every time it rained.

Our now 2 1/2 year old daughter had only place to ride her tricycle. On the stoop at the back door. Mary stayed with her so she would not run off the concrete slab. A neighbor lady came over, saw Mary from her back yard. Two seconds of not watching, Laura ran off the concrete. Th ground was soft, thankfully!

My dad and mom got a newer rambler wagon. They gave their old rambler station wagon to Mary, her old car was shot. It was 15 years old, but in pretty good shape. She drove it about two years. The extra lane we parked in was always mud. there was an open drainage ditch in front of my yard. It went under my driveway.

One day it poured, and poured. My rambler wagon was in the mud parking place. When the heavens let loose I was at the store. I hurried home thinking the worst. My wagon was pushed two car lengths toward the lower part of the ditch and about two feet up in the neighbors bank of flowers. It was summer, the vents were open. The water flowed in and out the back floor. To get the last bit of water out I opened the plastic plugged holes in the front floor. It was like they made the car for floods.

We kept the wagon one more year. The under carriage was rusting, so we junked it. I got the plumber to bring some big stones to stop our mud pit parking space. I talked to other neighbors, all six wanted a piece of the action. We paid about $40.00 a piece. He scooped out the mud. spread the stone around. One more problem solved!?!

About two weeks after our band-aid was done it rained again. No wait, we were looking for NOAH!! It poured worse than when my car washed away. The township came with a tractor and put the stone back. The township manager stopped and asked for a meeting with us. I had a copy of the township blueprints for the housing development. Harry gave it to me at settlement.

The manager showed up, and one of my Mom's good friends, John Henry. He said this guy is used to getting his way. He will demand you pay the township to do the blacktop over the stone. I told John Henry I have the township plans, shows the pin in the middle of the road, and all township roads are 50 foot right of way. I showed John Henry the pin, held the tape measure, the stone line of 25 feet was 2 inches in my grass. John Henry said let him make a fool of himself again.

When the supervisor showed up I had the plans folded, held by my arm. He said the township does not pay for asphalt for a parking spot for homeowners. I showed him the plans, about the 25 foot right of way owned by township. He said that is nowhere near 25 feet, his face getting red. I told John Henry to hold the starting end of the tape on the pin. The supervisor made sure the tape end was on the pin. I took the rolled part of the tape holder slowly to the 25 foot mark, it was two inches on my grass.

He did not say a word, not look at either of us, slammed his truck door and roared off. When he turned the corner, John Henry and I both broke out in laughter. Years later I attended a township meeting, they oiled and stone chipped the road in front of our house. At my driveway the whole way up the road the chips were about 5 inches deep. Must have been not tight when they started, now everyone makes a mistake now and then, but always he is right. I just wanted to needle him again. John Henry smiled then too!

I am looking for pictures of Holly Tree road, when found I send. I put up a big farm mailbox with Tim just sticking his head out! Now he is a Doctor of Children with Autism. Also when we built this house I have a picture of Tim in the first layer of chimney pipe in the garage floor.

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