Groh Street

From here we moved  to Groh Street. It was here that my mother surprised me the most in my life. I do not remember the details but she came home one day and told me that she had gotten married to a man who I'll call Bill.   From that moment I hated him. I was wrong and it took me many years to realize that. I thought Mom had done it so I would have a male influence. In reality I now think she needed companionship as much as anything. I did not realize this until it was too late. He worked for Murray Ohio Mfg Co. where they laid most men off in the winter. I would come home and see him laid back in his recliner and I knew my mother was working her fingers off and he was doing nothing. This really bothered me and I resented him. . 


One of my happiest moments happened while living here. We heated our house with a wood stove and it was my chore to bring in the wood for the stove. I had to carry it quite a distance to the back porch. Well Christmas came and I got a wodden wagon that had sideboards and I would load it up with wood and take it to the back porch.


My future boss and employer lived just down the street from us.  He was Mr. Taylor and managed the A&P store.  He had a son, Dennis, that was an all around pest.  Dennis was a year older than me and he always wanted to fight me.  We did fight one day and he whipped my ass.  I never liked him after that.

From Groh St. we moved to Weakley Creek Rd. and the Mars Hill community on a small farm.  I think Bill tried to win me over.  They bought me a calf that I was to raise and sell at the local slaughter house.  I thought he was a pet but boy was I wrong.  We also raised rabbits and sold them to anyone.  Most people bought them for meat I think. 

We also had some pigs.  One day the Vet came out to see the pigs and I wanted to watch him.  Little did I know that he was going to castrate the males. I was standing one moment watching them. The next thing I know the  men were laughing and picking me up from the ground.  I had blacked out from the sight of the blood.

I had a friend named Larry (from Mars Hill) that I used to shoot BB guns with.  We would kill pigeons off of the electric lines.  Larry was also the first person to show me how to go frog gigging. 

This was nice while it lasted but that was not long as it seemed we moved everytime I turned around.