Day 187
RR# 2 Box 106A,
Waterloo, Illinois 62298
(1st
house in Oakridge Estates outside New Hanover)
Our first home was a single wide trailer we
rented for $75/mo. I waxed the vinyl floors in that place until you could see
your face in them; everything neat and tidy.
Daughter Beth fell in love with horses at age
four watching Fury on TV; could a
farm with stable animals and riding horses be far behind? Not on my watch!
We looked for a lot seeking acreage we could
build on. A farm near New Hanover had been purchased by a farmer who wanted the
tillable land; the “pretty” part, woods, hills and meadows he subdivided and
broke out in lots. One ten acre plot overlooked the Mississippi River bottom
sitting high on the limestone bluffs.
We
bought it and I built our very first house adding a swimming pool and a stable;
I even put in a pond for water for the livestock. Quite a spread! RR# 2 Box
106A, Waterloo, Illinois 62298.
Shortly,
“city-folks” wanting to live in the country moved in and built homes; some one
of them changed the Rural Route addresses to the auspicious name: Oak Ridge Estates! Wow!?
Our
10 acre lot provided a spectacular view across the bottoms and well into neighboring
Missouri. To this day, some forty years later, I confess, I still miss that
wonderful view with sunsets to flame a painter’s spirit and fire a writer’s
fantasy creative imagination.
As our family expanded to two girls (we moved
into our new house the very day Becky blessed our lives) and the herd grew, we
searched for a bigger spread and soon found one.
A mile west of the little town of Maeystown
(founded in the 1800’s by Lady Candy’s great-great-grandfather) we found a
little 214+ acre farm for sale. We sold our “estate” for a handsome profit;
with a “large” bank loan, we managed the farm purchase. (I lived pretty well on
bank money!) I built another new home with pool and the herd grew---Green Acres!?...Hmm?
We spent twelve years on the farmstead before
moving to Oregon. No regrets as I look back.
Ah! Cookie Jar Sweet “What’s next?” Memories!
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