March 17, 2019 at 07:39AM
Some of my readers already know that I now live in the home I grew up in - moving into my family home in 2015 after both of my parents passed away.
By Trish Morgan
For the News Tribune
Games. Lots of them!
Some of my readers already know that I now live in the home I grew up in - moving into my family home in 2015 after both of my parents passed away.
It was an overwhelming blessing - to have the opportunity to once again live here where there is a home full of memories. But first there were a lot of renovations and restorations that had to be accomplished to bring life back to the Baughman Street White House.
Today, I would like to share stories of the games that took place here at my home.
Kickball - our home was the place to be for neighborhood kickball games. Friends of my brother and sisters and me would gather out front of the house and set up the kickball bases on the street. We established the rules of what would be a home run, who would be the pitcher, and then we would choose our teams. Sometimes these kickball games would last until dusk! My dad, Mr. Cavin, served as the pitcher for all of our games. He just loved doing that! These kickball games were the most fun...trying to make it safely around the bases, trying not to strike out, trying to kick home runs, and trying to get the other team out...and of course, trying to WIN! Everyone in the neighborhood loved coming to play kickball at the Cavins. Even today, I will get messages from folks who remember those games and all of the fun we had!
Game Nights - my father was big on doing things as a family. One thing that we did once a week was have game night. I remember looking forward to this - time to pull out the game of Life or Monopoly. I have to admit I was an avid Monopoly player - I was a little competitive and my brother and sisters weren't crazy about playing with someone who "played for blood." We also played Yahtzee and dominos - to this day, I love all of these games, but I have to drag people to the game table to play. Dad also taught us how to play poker, and I found that very exciting! I love card games, but my family just is not into playing games. On occasion, I will convince them to play Monopoly or spades (my favorite game of all!)
Pinball - we kids were so lucky that my dad purchased a pinball machine for my mom one Christmas. It was an old pinball machine that an old friend had refurbished and sold to my dad. Mom always loved pinball when she was a teenager, and to get that Christmas present that one year - THE BEST! We kids were ecstatic that we had a pinball machine in our rec room! You didn't have to use money to play the pinball - just reset by opening the coin section. My family had hours and hours and hours of fun challenging each other. When the pinball machine finally bit the dust, Mom just could not part with it, so she covered it with some material and used it for Christmas decorations each season.
Volleyball - our backyard was set up for volleyball games from spring to fall. Just like kickball, we establish the rules and the boundaries and had some of the best backyard fun ever. There were usually picnics involved, with Dad working the grill and Mom preparing all of the side dishes that everyone liked. Our picnics usually consisted of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, assorted chips (my mom's favorite was crunchy Cheetos), pickles and olives and Mom's homemade cheese ball. There were always Little Debbie cakes (and we each had our own favorite ones), longhorn cheese, and some other favorites.
After the picnics, we would clear off the picnic tables and bag up the trash, and then get ready for the famous volleyball games. Sometimes we would divide teams boys versus girls, and sometimes we would just pick and choose to try to make the games fair. Sometimes there would be a little bickering as families can do, but the best thing about these volleyball games was just playing together as a family. There were times when a friend or two would join in, but mostly it was family. Of course, being the competitive person I am (and have been all of my life), I played to WIN. The games at times got heated and intense - especially if you missed the ball or hit it out of bounds. My favorite was serving, and I tried hard to rack up some points for my team. My mom and I also played volleyball at MYF at church on Sunday evenings, and she had the nickname of Cannonball! I just remembered that as I was writing this column LOL.
Gymnastics and Cheer - there is a side yard at my home where I spent hours and hours practicing my gymnastics and my cheers. Hours spent working on my cartwheels, backbends, round-offs, splits, front flips and backflips, running cartwheels and ending with round-offs. This yard was my private little gym - a place where I was all by myself, with no one watching. A place where I was focused and had goals set for myself to accomplish. I was a cheerleader in grades 7 and 8, but I was not selected as as a junior varsity cheerleader at Bruce High School after tryouts. There were about 60 of us hopeful candidates for ONE opening on the squad for freshman year - and Lois Brashear was the lucky and deserving one. Lois would continue cheerleading all through high school, being captain in our senior year.
These memories are so meaningful to me, and the good thing about memories - no one can take them from us. And, a hard lesson for me regarding goals and failures...and pulling yourself back up where you belong and moving forward to bigger and better things.
Now, though, there are no more volleyball games...no more kickball, no more pinball and no more gymnastics. These are bittersweet memories, but it's nice to remember all of the fun and competition of childhood. A time when life was simple and no adulting. All we had to do was get up in the morning, go to school, and come home to play games of one sort or another. Kids from all over the neighborhood came to our house to play. "Can Mr. Cavin come out to play? We want to play kickball!" I swear this is true!
My dad would work all day, come home to a hot supper, and then he would come out to play kickball upon request - and play for hours! When I look outside at the street out front, or the backyard or side yard - I can close my eyes and almost see children in and around our home so, so often. And, the most beautiful thing of all is watching my grandchildren love this home and the yards and the street while they play - experiencing the circle of life in full color.
And, I can see a happy Trish - full of hope and great expectations for a happy future. Sweet memories for life.
Some of my readers already know that I now live in the home I grew up in - moving into my family home in 2015 after both of my parents passed away.
By Trish Morgan
For the News Tribune
Games. Lots of them!
Some of my readers already know that I now live in the home I grew up in - moving into my family home in 2015 after both of my parents passed away.
It was an overwhelming blessing - to have the opportunity to once again live here where there is a home full of memories. But first there were a lot of renovations and restorations that had to be accomplished to bring life back to the Baughman Street White House.
Today, I would like to share stories of the games that took place here at my home.
Kickball - our home was the place to be for neighborhood kickball games. Friends of my brother and sisters and me would gather out front of the house and set up the kickball bases on the street. We established the rules of what would be a home run, who would be the pitcher, and then we would choose our teams. Sometimes these kickball games would last until dusk! My dad, Mr. Cavin, served as the pitcher for all of our games. He just loved doing that! These kickball games were the most fun...trying to make it safely around the bases, trying not to strike out, trying to kick home runs, and trying to get the other team out...and of course, trying to WIN! Everyone in the neighborhood loved coming to play kickball at the Cavins. Even today, I will get messages from folks who remember those games and all of the fun we had!
Game Nights - my father was big on doing things as a family. One thing that we did once a week was have game night. I remember looking forward to this - time to pull out the game of Life or Monopoly. I have to admit I was an avid Monopoly player - I was a little competitive and my brother and sisters weren't crazy about playing with someone who "played for blood." We also played Yahtzee and dominos - to this day, I love all of these games, but I have to drag people to the game table to play. Dad also taught us how to play poker, and I found that very exciting! I love card games, but my family just is not into playing games. On occasion, I will convince them to play Monopoly or spades (my favorite game of all!)
Pinball - we kids were so lucky that my dad purchased a pinball machine for my mom one Christmas. It was an old pinball machine that an old friend had refurbished and sold to my dad. Mom always loved pinball when she was a teenager, and to get that Christmas present that one year - THE BEST! We kids were ecstatic that we had a pinball machine in our rec room! You didn't have to use money to play the pinball - just reset by opening the coin section. My family had hours and hours and hours of fun challenging each other. When the pinball machine finally bit the dust, Mom just could not part with it, so she covered it with some material and used it for Christmas decorations each season.
Volleyball - our backyard was set up for volleyball games from spring to fall. Just like kickball, we establish the rules and the boundaries and had some of the best backyard fun ever. There were usually picnics involved, with Dad working the grill and Mom preparing all of the side dishes that everyone liked. Our picnics usually consisted of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, assorted chips (my mom's favorite was crunchy Cheetos), pickles and olives and Mom's homemade cheese ball. There were always Little Debbie cakes (and we each had our own favorite ones), longhorn cheese, and some other favorites.
After the picnics, we would clear off the picnic tables and bag up the trash, and then get ready for the famous volleyball games. Sometimes we would divide teams boys versus girls, and sometimes we would just pick and choose to try to make the games fair. Sometimes there would be a little bickering as families can do, but the best thing about these volleyball games was just playing together as a family. There were times when a friend or two would join in, but mostly it was family. Of course, being the competitive person I am (and have been all of my life), I played to WIN. The games at times got heated and intense - especially if you missed the ball or hit it out of bounds. My favorite was serving, and I tried hard to rack up some points for my team. My mom and I also played volleyball at MYF at church on Sunday evenings, and she had the nickname of Cannonball! I just remembered that as I was writing this column LOL.
Gymnastics and Cheer - there is a side yard at my home where I spent hours and hours practicing my gymnastics and my cheers. Hours spent working on my cartwheels, backbends, round-offs, splits, front flips and backflips, running cartwheels and ending with round-offs. This yard was my private little gym - a place where I was all by myself, with no one watching. A place where I was focused and had goals set for myself to accomplish. I was a cheerleader in grades 7 and 8, but I was not selected as as a junior varsity cheerleader at Bruce High School after tryouts. There were about 60 of us hopeful candidates for ONE opening on the squad for freshman year - and Lois Brashear was the lucky and deserving one. Lois would continue cheerleading all through high school, being captain in our senior year.
These memories are so meaningful to me, and the good thing about memories - no one can take them from us. And, a hard lesson for me regarding goals and failures...and pulling yourself back up where you belong and moving forward to bigger and better things.
Now, though, there are no more volleyball games...no more kickball, no more pinball and no more gymnastics. These are bittersweet memories, but it's nice to remember all of the fun and competition of childhood. A time when life was simple and no adulting. All we had to do was get up in the morning, go to school, and come home to play games of one sort or another. Kids from all over the neighborhood came to our house to play. "Can Mr. Cavin come out to play? We want to play kickball!" I swear this is true!
My dad would work all day, come home to a hot supper, and then he would come out to play kickball upon request - and play for hours! When I look outside at the street out front, or the backyard or side yard - I can close my eyes and almost see children in and around our home so, so often. And, the most beautiful thing of all is watching my grandchildren love this home and the yards and the street while they play - experiencing the circle of life in full color.
And, I can see a happy Trish - full of hope and great expectations for a happy future. Sweet memories for life.