The Odell Place

If ever there was an ideal setting for a house it was the Odell place west of Brooks.
The big old four square farm house sat on a rise up a long lane. The front yard sloped down to the curving drive. The small back yard rose to a timber. West of the house there was a pond. East of the house there was a small stream. A two car garage had been built between the house and the stream. A six foot retaining wall separated the yard from the parking area. A flight of steps led up to the walkway to the back (kitchen) door.
We moved to the Hanzie property in Brooks when Doug was just a few months old. We celebrated his first birthday there. When that property sold, we moved up the street and rented the Methodist Parsonage for a few months. Then Mom's cousin, Jim Haley, bought the Odell place. We asked if he was going to rent the house. He said we could live there rent free just so there would be someone there so it wasn't vandalized. I was ecstatic. My dream of living in a big house had finally come true.
Doug was two and a half that first winter there. One day after a big wet snow I bundled him up to go out and build a snowman. Then I decided to roll the biggest snowball I could. It was about three feet in diameter before I could no longer roll it. I packed some more snow on top then got my camera. I wanted a picture of my little boy standing on the big snow ball. I put him on top of it and he started crying. He was scared. He didn't want to stand up there. I kept insisting I wanted his picture atop the snowball and he kept crying. But I didn't want a picture of him crying. I told him he could get down as soon as he quit crying and I took his picture. Mean Mama. Doug finally won; the pictures show him standing on the huge snowball, crying.
Two rather traumatic incidents happened the following summer. The house had a wrap around porch on the south and east sides. Doug could play out there and I could keep an eye on him from the kitchen sink and from the living room. He had been outside quite awhile when I realized I hadn't seen nor heard him for some time. I went out to check on him but could not find him anywhere. I looked everywhere before thinking of the pond. I was frantic. I had myself convinced I would find him drowned. I was so relieved he wasn't there, but where could he be? I hollered and called for him; no answer.
There were some stray cats around when we moved there. We began feeding them and could eventually pet the two females but the tom cat wouldn't let us near him. Except for Doug. When I finally found the little scamp out in the garage, the tom cat was lying on the dirt floor and Douglas was scooping up the soft dirt and pouring it on him. The cat ran away as soon as he saw me. Doug got spanked for not answering me when I hollered for him.

As scary as that episode was for me the day Doug rode his tricycle over the retaining wall was much worse. I heard him screaming and crying. By the time I got him untangled from the trike and picked him up a knot was already forming above his eye. For some inane reason back then tricycle handlebar grips were pointed. Doug still has a scar in his eyebrow showing how close the handlebar came to his eye. And yes, I did take pictures of his first black eye.
One of Jim's daughters lives there now. They tore the big old house down and built a nice one story brick home on the same site. I often have dreams of moving back to the Odell Place; to the big old square white farmhouse with the wrap around porch.