Grandma and Grandpa's House

Grandma and Grandpa’s House
I drive past their old house almost everyday. Sometimes I can’t help but think back to when we were little kids running around in the back yard.
The house looks different, its had a few owners since Grandma and Grandpa Reed moved to Sturgis all those years ago. They’ve replaced the porch steps we used to play stone school on and remodeled the inside, it doesn’t have the console stereo under the window, or the piano in the toy room. It does have a young family living inside for this first time probably since mom and her siblings were there. They decorate for the seasons and have the front curtains open. There are toys in the side yard, and maybe even a dog.
When we were young, we’d stop in after church, and have a big cookout once or twice in the summer with cousins, aunts and uncles and playing baseball in the back yard. Now, there’s another house in the back yard, and different neighbors all the way around.
I didn’t know every neighbor, but we sure had fun with Mr. Swihart across the street. He enjoyed it when we came over to visit - we’d share a story or two and he shared his treasures with us. More than once he’d collect his loose change, and let us go shopping with it - I remember one time, he gave us strict orders to go to the dime store and bring back enough for everyone to have a treat. We had a blast! Just walking up town was our adventure.
Tree lined streets, and saying “hi” to everybody along the way - we didn’t know them all, but they knew we were little Reeds, and would say hello. Uptown was only a block of buildings, but they were wonderful. The variety store had steps by the windows that we just had to go up and down each time, the barbershop sign really twirled its red and white stripes, the drug store had a pillars, and boardwalk doorway. Inside was everything - prescriptions, soda fountain, cards, hair ties, and shoe polish - they could even develop film.
The stores were known by their owners - Morhart’s Variety, Mable’s Five-n-dime, Root’s Drugstore, and Uncle Jerry’s Dry-cleaners (probably everybody didn’t call it “uncle” Jerry’s). across from Uncle Jerrys, was the library and community hall. The coolest thing was the entrance - it had an outside stairway - we’d race up, lean over the ledge to say “hi” to people walking by, and race down before they could get to the other side.
The names were even fun to say - Maurice Hecht, Robert Root, Sparky Burnside, Nadine Garner, - not everyday names, but when you say them, everybody knows who you’re talking about --- the Reed brothers were known too - some stories can’t be retold in front of the young, or timid… Ira, Bob, John, Ken and Clayton. Uncle Clayton went to college - guess he didn’t want to continue farming. Grandpa and a couple of the brothers owned a car dealership (that’s how mom and dad met - a whole story in itself). Uncle John changed the way the river runs thru Burr Oak, and developed a neighborhood. Grandpa and his girls started the school reunion and were the committee for the festival in the 70s.
Oh my, I’m getting old… I wonder what the kids today will remember about Burr Oak. Hopefully more than closed store fronts and people moving in and out of town before you know their name. Isn’t if funny after something is gone, you remember why you liked it in the first place. When I was young, I didn’t realize how special it was. I sure hope my kids smile when they think back on the days they went down the street to visit Grandpa and Grandma in Burr Oak.