20 Comments

Slow and easy. Love this brief essay and the love of home and travel and, thank goodness for scholarships!

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Really! My mother could never have afforded college for me on her meager salary. My father passed when I was 8. Suicide.

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Oh my ... You came out as a warm hearted soul.

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My mother was wonderful at being all things to me❤️

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We didn't have a front porch, but we did have a screened in side porch. My dad planted a veggie garden bigger than our house every Spring and it kept us fed all year. My mom canned and stored the canned veggies in cellar. We were in a rural area, with our house and one other on a road that led down to the river. The road was dirt after our house. It was peaceful and quiet -- bliss.

Thanks so much for sharing your memories of growing up in the 50s and 60s. Such a different time, such a different lifestyle. Grateful to have lived that lifestyle.

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Thanks for your story. I always wanted a screened in porch by a river or lake. That way you can still hear the birds and crickets!

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The river was a ways off, perhaps a 1/4 - 1/2 mile. The house was nestled in woods and fields. We could definitely here the birds and crickets. It's in my head to write about it at some point. Thank you for jogging those memories.

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You should. I need to write some of those unforgettable experiences too!

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Lovely, Diane! I didn't grow up with a porch swing, but we have a double rocker on our porch now and when the weather is warm enough, we spend time out there many evenings enjoying the breeze, talking to the neighbors and feeling a part of the community. The tulips are coming up, so hopefully it's warm enough soon.

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Cherie, my grandparents had a glider and a double rocker too. All are so relaxing, and rockers help with leg circulation too!

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Love this peek into your life…how lucky for you to travel those early years! I loved growing up in the 50-60s … we turned out just fine living a in slow, outdoor, entertain ourselves times. I’ve had a full and busy like… love the slower pace today. 😊

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We are birds of a feather, Joan!

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Diane K24: Your experiences come to life in the photos and narrative that bring me there to the spirit of friends around you.

Your three years in Stenungsrund helped you open into the person you are and form friendships that gave you new insights. The loved ones around you now benefit from the touches left behind by good people in Stenungsrund.

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Marvellous story! Sweden is a slow lane… was rather. Whereabouts did you teach?

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Thanks. North of Gothenburg in Stenungsund.

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Great! Must’ve been an experience!

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Yes!

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A rotary dial phone and party line certainly spread the gossip in ears all a buzz. In summer times we’re free; stayed out way later then “come home when the street lights came on”. Free ways shortened distances flip flop phones rang in pockets. Computers got smaller. Conversations longer, but convoluted

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I had forgotten about party lines! We had no computers!

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