This Old House

This from Jerry Bowles, Temple Class of 1952:

This picture of our old home place was taken from Google Map by my niece, Teresa Bowles Harrison. The place looks thrown away now and is decaying back to dirt from whence it came. Back then the house was painted white and there were more trees and a picket fence around the yard. My Mom loved flowers and she had the whole yard full of all kinds of plants and flowers. Dad always complained about all the watering that she did on the flowers. My Mom was always working in the yard, cooking, canning food, sewing, quilting, and a multitude of other things. She did like to read and that's about the only time she did something for herself.

Out in the back yard we always had a large garden and a chicken house with chickens. Sometimes it would be after 11:00 PM before it would cool off enough to go to sleep. One vivid memory I have of the hot summers is hosing our selves off with the garden hose to help cool.

There used to be a big shade tree near the back door. One of my favorite memories is when company came, especially Uncle Monk. All the men sat under the shade tree and told stories, each trying to get the biggest laugh. Sometimes Mom would make home made ice cream. Peggy and I would sit on the freezer while someone cranked it until frozen. The funny part was listening to everyone trying to boss the thing – put on more salt, no that’s enough, turn faster, turn slower, sit still kid, eat it now, no let it set awhile. I can remember all those things, but can’t remember what it tasted like.

I lived in this house from grade 7 until I graduated from high school in 1952. Lots of memories there, some good, some not so good. My best year was my senior year in school. I had a part time job at Yeildings Department Store and was able to buy some decent clothes. I had a little money and had my first steady girl friend. We would hang around together at school and go to the movie on Saturday night. Dad had an old Chevy car and sometimes he would let me have it for a special date.

Gerald R. (Jerry) Bowles, 1952 Temple Alumnus.