Good day everyone –

ever get a tune in your head

over and over again?

” I HAD A PAIR OF BRAND NEW ROLLER SKATES “

Before I had my new WESTERN FLYER BIKE

I had a pair of Roller Skates!

” AND YOU HAD A BRAND NEW KEY”

Now – I just know you won’t be singing that little song! LOL

I am dating myself here – but – when I was 6 or 7 –

that is what I had – Roller Skates

and I would strap them on

and up and down the sidewalk I would go

and believe me – those sidewalks were land mines!

Great big Maple trees grew alongside them

causing them to crack – become crooked

and you needed to be a expert to navigate them!

” I HAD A BRAND NEW PAIR OF ROLLER SKATES”

Growing up in a little town in NWPA called Eldred.

Hours and hours I would skate up and down the street.

We lived on main street

heading East and West through Pa.

Going West to the border of NYS

Or East toward the far reaches of Pa.

All through the Alleghany Mountains

Lands of the Senaca nation.

I was a skinny thing –

so skinny my Mom wouldn’t let me take off my T shirt!

The blue veins stood out among the bones

she was afraid people would think

she wasn’t feeding me !

But – I ate and ate – see where I am today! LOL

I had one destination I would skate to down town

It was a Service Station / Furniture store

Called SLAVIN’S!

And it had a huge open paved area in front!

That was as far as I was allowed to go.

The other direction was Prouty’s saw mill!

I would hit that big open black top and was in heaven

after the mine field of the sidewalks!

Right behind that car was the service bays

and “Jack” – he worked in those bays.

And he befriended me

If you look close – between the bays

was a glass bottled COKE MACHINE!

And he would motion me over

And put in I think 5 cents and buy me a Coke!

I had to drink it there and he did not do it all the time!

We never had ” POP” as I called it!

And it was a treat for me.

My sister and brother in law – Donna and Bill

lived upstairs in the building next door

My Mom would walk my brother Mike and me down the street

at 5:45 am. each week day as she worked and my father

worked on the oil fields as a supervisor for South Penn

My mother worked for Alcas known the world over today as

Cutco Knives –

she retired from there as did my dad ( who died from cancer in 1969)

My Mom lived to be almost 98 years old!

We walked down in the cold Winter mornings

and climbed up those long stairs

seemed like 30 steps to me!

We would lie down – my brother in law had already

gone to work at the White Hawk Beef Company in town.

He later became the chief of police and mayor

Drove semi truck for Viko

which became Ethan Allen at the far side of town.

My sister would get us up – and feed us breakfast

and then we would walk to school.

” AND YOU HAVE A BRAND NEW KEY”

Thank you for reading Papa’s World

A little bit about me

” I HAVE A BRAND NEW PAIR OF ROLLER SKATES –

AND YOU HAVE A BRAND NEW KEY”

” LA – LA – LA- LA———LA”

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