A Frugal, Amazing Mom, a Perfect House, and New Friends: The Good Years

             My mother was pretty frugal with money and taught us early how to earn and save money from our allowance. She set a very good example for us. By the time I was 12 she had saved enough money for a down payment on a small two bedroom house.  We looked at many houses, but the one that we all liked was at 3323 Alabama Street in La Crescenta, California. The small backyard also had a small fig tree, but Nancy and I didn't like them as much as mom did. 

           It was like a miracle to have a place of our own. Nancy and I got to share a bedroom while Mom had her own bedroom for the very first time in her life. She bought a washing machine, and we all took turns hanging the clothes out to dry. Nancy and I had a chore list for each day of each week. It was how we earned our allowance. It also taught us responsibility.  We also earned money with good grades. Mom used to pay us $1 for each A we brought home. That was great motivation!

DOROTHY AND NANCY’S CHORE LIST

Today I Will:	M	T	W	TH	F	S	S
Make bed
Brush teeth
Pick up room
Set or clear the table
Wash or dry dishes
Do homework
Practice Music
Be Helpful

        
          Having a house was a real source of stability. We even got a dog, but more about her later. Mom did some amazing things for a single parent back in those days. She made sure we had things that would prepare us for life. She taught us to sew (Nancy and I are both accomplished seamstresses still). She even arranged for us to have piano lessons (Nancy took accordion). Every day we would have to practice one-half hour. That wasn't always fun, but we had a good teacher and I'm so glad I learned to love music through these years--getting to know the piano and great music composers and compositions. Mom also purchased and had installed a tether ball that Nancy and I spent many hours playing in the backyard. My arms got strong punching that ball around the pole!      

         We began to live a fairly normal life--like other kids our age, except without a Dad. We soon got to know kids from the neighborhood and I began doing some babysitting. I remember one family on the corner who had twin girls named Patty and Betty. They always wore the matching outfits except different colors. Patty wore Pink and Betty wore Blue--makes remembering names easy too!   When I left for college, Nancy took over sitting for them. I remember they always had the fridge full of good treats we could eat while there. 

          These were the good years full of friends and family. Aunt Hazel and Uncle Bert were still very active in our lives, providing loving hugs and lots of fun. They cheered us on in every way they could, and of course, cheered our amazing mom on. I wish you could have known my mom. I wish I could have really known her. I only know now how much she truly did for us and gave of herself. She was a gift from God then....and now.

            Below is the floor plan for our house on Alabama St. It was small but seemed huge to us. Mom even added a wooden patio cover roof and left an opening for the light to shine through. She was very proud of it. When Nancy and I visited the place a few years ago, it didn't look any different than 50 years ago--except the yard isn't as beautiful as when Mom had geraniums bordering the whole yard. You can see a photo of the house today on google maps: 
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2359518,-118.251639,3a,51.2y,13.89h,90.82t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sEHLsRWPy2kBj-dDSs5k-bg!2e0!6m1!1e1