When I was 8 1/2 ,Mom met Harry and they decided to get married, it was a marriage of convenience cause she was tired of working and being poor. His family had money but that didn't mean he did. He owned a gas station in Algiers and we lived there for a few months then he left for Ohio where he got a job . So mom andi took a train from New Orleans to Cleveland Ohio. Lived in Mentor where I went to the 4th grade. I loved the fall there because of the colors and the crispness in the air. I walked about 6 blocks to school and then came home for lunch. Mom would make me a boloney sandwich and chicken noodle soup, which is still my favorite. Then I'd walk back to school. That was the first time I remember snow, and I loved it. We lived in an upstairs apt and the landlady lived downstairs with a door that opened at the bottom of the stairs. She had a habit of calling out" are you home? and then just walking up into our apt. Boy that made mom mad.
I had a friend down the next block named April Neubert, she had a brother Lee and a sister Claudia. Next to her house was an apple orchard where she and I would climb and eat apples for hours. Never got sick! It's funny how smells can bring all that back after all these years. Apples and autumn go together.

We lived not too far from Amish country and in the fall they would have apple butter festivals, and stir hot apple butter for hours and serve it to you on hot home made bread. Then later they had the maple syrup festival, You watched them tap the trees for the syrup and how it was processed and then they made candy. The Amish were wonderful people, so simple so easygoing. To bad we can't all have that attitude. Instead of every man for himself.

In the spring of that year we bought a house in Chesterland in a new subdivison. One acre with 3 bedroom no garage for & 17,500 That was my very first bedroom to myself and I loved it.
I went to West Geauga Jr High, there are my foundest memories. I was always happy at school because my home live was not always good. Harry and mom fought a lot and it got unbearable at times. When it was too bad I went to the woods across the street and sat on a log for awhile till I figured it was over. So school , my creek and my friends homes were my sanctuary in those years between 11-16.

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you about the time when I was 8 or 9 and mom and Harry sat me down and explained that he wanted to adopt me. I said "what does that mean? and mom said they would change my name to Harry's. Well that didn't set to well with me cause I thought they were going to call me "HARRY" and I told them I didn't want to change my name. It was years after that I told my mom and she got a laugh out of that one.
Oops I gotta go to town so I'll finish this up later. bye