"WELCOME TO MY HUMBLE ABODE"
I had many mixed feelings of reliving my past and going back to my old neighborhood that I knew was always considered the poor part of town, before East Providece became a city. This was called Watchemoket Point, the start of Warren Avenue right after you crossed the Washington Bridge from Providence. This area had gone through many changes to become the worst part of the city. As I traveled across the George Washington Bridge and took the first exit. I realized that I had not taken this exit for a very long time, because I prefered to get off the Broadway exit further up I-195 to get to my second home for 17 years at 413 Warren Avenue.
As I parked the car on Fifth Street across from the common driveway to my apartment I saw that there was now an Asian takeout at the corner where there use to be a drugstore and next to the building a small a tattoo parlor. Across the street on the same side as my apartment to the left was another Japanese and Korean market and a pizza place, where there was a variety market with great penny candy.Then to the right where there used to be a welding shop is now a jersey promotions warehouse.
As I walked up the long common drive way from the street of Warren Avenue across from Fifth Street, to see where I lived 8 years of my life I had an AHA moment of disbelief and astonishment. I had not been down this section of Warren Avenue for decades.
The side of the property facing me as I walked up the driveway that seemed very long, was Ethel Hewes and her son, Timothy's apartment, she had the whole left front corner. She and the tenant upstairs, Louise Castro were my Mom's best friends as well as Marion Buoanno in the back of our home. I remember days that they talked and played cards while smoking and drinking at the kitchen dinette formica red chrome table while I played with Timothy and little Louise.
My apartment may have been small; and maybe not so pretty, but it was my home for 8 years, and I do remember that my mom kept those 3 rooms always very clean. She actually was a fanactic about cleanliness.We had steam heat as you can see the radiator behind me as I sit on my mom's cedar chest.
My greatest memories is having so many friends to play with, and we played outdoors until it was dark. the Buoannos in the back had 10 children all ages. My friends were Francine and Gerry as well as little Louise. We would play and have fun on the swing sets and the see-saw and always would make believe dirt pies and of course we had to sample them. We love playing make believe, like Necco Wafers were holy communion and the Candy cigarettes we pretended to be our mommys smoking. All the kids would mingle of all ages and play jacks, baseball, basketball, hopscotch, Red Rover, Red light, string games, rope-jumping, charades, and "Last one to the corner is a rotten egg" and of course school.
We lived in this apartment after my Dad returned from the Army in 1945 until with moved in 1952 to my Paternal grandparent's house further up Warren Avenue at 413 and lived there until I was married in 1969.
Do you remember the hand game rhymes from childhood?
Miss Susie had a baby,
She named him Tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim,
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub,
But it got stuck in his throat.
Miss Susie called the Doctor,
The Doctor called the Nurse.
The Nurse called the Lady,
With the Alligator Purse.
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Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
All down her back, back, back
She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For fifty cents, cents, cents,
To see the elephant, elephant, elephant.
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
He jumped so high, high, high,
He reached the sky, sky, sky,
And he never came back, back, back,
‘Till the end of July, July, July
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Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Turn around (turn around)
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Touch the ground (touch the ground)
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Tie your shoe (hit your shoe)
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
How old are you?
1-2-3-4........... (etc)
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Copyright photo by Kathleen Ann Pacheco-Corbett, all rights reserved and may not be reproduced without the written permission of Kathleen Ann Pacheco-Corbett, The Buyer's Choice, Lincoln, RI. Permission granted with a link back to my website and/or blog providing site is appropriate for all ages. Thank you.
We want to be your "Personal Realtors for Life"
http://www.thebuyerschoice.com
KATHLEEN ANN PACHECO-CORBETT
Office 401-725-5608 Cell 401-556-6911 Fax 401-423-4377
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THIS WEEK'S POSTINGS Week of August 2, 2009 throughAugust 8, 2009
08/02/2009 Speechless Sunday August 2, 2009-Lion for August -Leo
POSTINGS Week of July 26,2009 through August 1, 2009
07/26/2009 NATURE AND MARKETING contest - LOOK FOR FURTHER
07/26/2009 SPEECHLESS SUNDAY - 7-26-09 "Parachuting Fun"
07/27/2009 WORDLESS WEDNESDAY 07-29-09 FAITH
07/28/09 Lonsdale, Lincoln, RI -A great HOMETOWN in the ocean state
07/29/09 A place to live, work and play RIVERSIDE,East Providence, RI 02915
07/31/09 Friday's Foto What am I?
POSTINGS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 19,2009 through JULY 25, 2009
07/19/2009 SPEECHLESS SUNDAY - 07-19-2009- LACECAP HYDRANGEAS
07/19/2009 SPEECHLESS SUNDAY - 7-19-09 Leaving Falmouth, Ma dock
07/19/2009 SPEECHLESS SUNDAY - 07-19-09 "let sleeping dogs lie"
07/21/2009 NATURE AND MARKETING contest - EWE NEED US
07/22/2009 Wordless Wednesday - TIRED SOLDIER
07/26/2009 Friday's Foto -What am I?
POSTING FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 12, 2009 through JULY 18,2009
07/12/2009 Where do I begin? VIRAL REQUEST
07/13/2009 19 RE-BLOGS - 86,400 seconds
07/15/2009 Wordless Wednesday 07-15-09 Welcoming seagull
07/15/2009 Wordless Wednesday - Hilda's Entourage
"Mommy, Daddy and me are a happy family. We live in an apartment house at 94 Warren Avenue in East Providence, RI. When my Daddy gets out of the Army he says we are moving to 413 Warren Avenue, way down the street at Nana's house. We will all be together there, and I will have my own bedroom.Wow!"
