My corner

I have to mention that today the clouds over the mountains were astoundingly beautiful and that the color of the sky was a fantastic blue. When I see such things, I am so very happy we moved here. It's just gorgeous.

R took V out for a while and I spent my time unpacking a few more boxes. There are still many boxes left to unpack and I am not at all sure how all of this stuff is going to fit in this tiny house. In fact, I'm sure it won't fit. Some of it is going to the storage space we rented, some of it is going to Goodwill, and some of it is getting tossed. It has been this way at every place we've lived. At least we'll keep our best and most favorite things, I suppose.

I was thinking today about the corner I had as a kid.

When I was 7 or 8 my parents divorced and we lived at my grandparents' for a while. It was during this time that I laid claim to my corner.

Even with three bedrooms, my grandparents' house wasn't very big, so I didn't have my own room - other than a small, unused area between the sofa,the wall, and the tv. Actually, I'm remembering now that it wasn't unused - it had a magazine rack that my grandmother moved for me so that I could have the space to myself. Since I had mine, my little brother claimed his behind the chair on the other side of the tv. His was more private, which I envied, but mine was bigger.

In my corner, I would keep whatever I held precious at the time, usually hiding it under the sofa. The things I kept there were almost always small enough to fit in a pencil box. For a long time, I had every newspaper and magazine clipping about Raiders of the Lost Ark that I could scrounge. And my Star Wars bubblegum trading cards. I had almost 300 of those.

On the wall I taped up posters, usually pictures of Shaun Cassidy from Tiger Beat. I remember my mom getting me an iron-on of Shaun and ironing it to a t-shirt for me. Too thrilled with myself, I ran outside and was immediately set upon by the neighborhood kids, who made fun of me for wearing a Shaun Cassidy shirt. They started pulling at it and soon Shaun's face was all stretched out so that he had a little piggy nose, which just made them laugh harder. I ran inside and pulled down all my posters and swore that I hated Shaun Cassidy, that he was stupid. I sat in my corner and cried.

I also put stickers on the wall, which must've driven my grandparents crazy. Garbage Pail Kids. Horrors. What was I thinking?! It took them years to get those stickers off; they were stuck good. But I'm glad they indulged me. I guess they understood that everyone needs a little space to call her own.

Above my corner there were shelves hung on the wall, mostly holding framed family photos or a card sent in the mail, but also a few other things that I loved playing with when I was allowed. This was one of them. There was also a clock - the dial looked like a captain's steering wheel and the base lit up, playing music and sending fish swimming in a circle. I wonder where that clock is now. I think my side also held the Rolls Royce model car with radio that my grandfather had. On my brother's side were more pictures, a green Depression glass candy dish, a common milk glass vase, and a model of a covered wagon. I always wished the covered wagon had been on my side, especially whenever I was reading books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Eventually we moved out to our own townhouse, but I kept my corner for several more years, until I didn't need it anymore. As I've said before, I would love to be able to thank my grandparents for the care they took of me when I was a kid. Now, as we're unpacking and I'm setting up V's space to call her own, I am so happy to be able to give that space to her. She's just fallen asleep in her own bed for the first time ever. I can hear the sound machine, playing rain. The house is dark and peaceful and happy.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

It's amazing that your grandparents made such an effort to give you a space of your own. And to go so far as to let you stick garbage pail kids stickers on the wall! Those were some nice grandparents...

[Elisa]

Thanks for this post. It is little sad especially in the part where other kids made fun of your t-shirt (while I was reading I wished to strangle them:D ), but as always you have been great in underlining the good aspects, alike your grandparents love, and the fact that you have the chance to give a corner to V too :)

[sheri]

Your grandparents must have been saints. I bet they are getting many rewards in heaven.
shawn cassidy was a hottie. So sad what those kids did to you.

[kristen]

I love these kind of memories!!

[Shelli]

Just lovely.