It's gone... Changed so much I can hardly recognize my old neighborhood when I return.
I know you remember it.
Southbound Morgantown road intersected Smith Valley road and there was a stop sign. Smith Valley and Morgantown roads then joined Westbound for about 100 feet before Morgantown assumed its own identity again and headed South past CGHS, then on in the general direction of Morgantown. Our house was the fifth house on the East side of the road, South of that intersection. I sometimes wonder if the amount of time I spend reflecting on that house... on that neighborhood... is a mental illness. I try to convince myself that what I'm really doing is trying to revert back to a simpler, safer time, when everything seemed clearer... happier.
At this time of year, life would slow down. We'd be out of school for the Christmas break. Those that were traveling to be with family would be cocooned with those loved ones at their destinations. Businesses would close.
I can remember going outside on Christmas Eve and listening to the quiet. It'd be so quiet, you could hear the leafless branches in the trees complaining about being pushed around by the slight wind. A car, almost always headed South on Morgantown, could be heard coming long before you could see it... the sound of its approach louder, and taking longer, than the sound of its retreat. And if we had snow on the ground, the quiet was even more noticeable... the snow acting as a natural insulation and sound dampener.
"You can't go home again"...
Those days are gone, aren't they? We're separated from that place by time, and "progress".
The kink in Morgantown road has been straightened. The stop sign has been replaced with a stop light. The neighborhood has grown, and traffic has increased.
But our memories remain.
I remember the quiet.
And it brings a warm stillness to my heart.
Have a safe, happy Christmas everyone, and thank you for being a part of my life.
For that, and for so much more, I thank our Lord on his birthday.
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4 comments:
Just so you know, I miss the kink at Smith Valley and Morgantown too. I still feel like I'm sort of lost at that intersection. The intersection at Olive Branch and Morgantown is straightened out too. It needed to be done but sure is different!
Beautiful downtown Smith Valley certainly has changed. The new fancy gas station is nice but still looks strange to me on that southwest corner all lighted up at night.
MERRY CHRISTMAS DEAR ONES
Bo
Two years ago I was in a funeral procession coming down the Morgantown Road from the Mt. Pleaant Addition and I was thoroughtly lost, and further lost when we came to the Smith Valley Rd. With all the houses being built over the years where once stood fields I was bewildered by what I saw. My, how White Township has changed since I once taught there. I had a good friend that once lived in Smith Valley, and it was hard to find where he once lived.
And to Bo, Olive Branch Road sure has changed too.
Happy New Year,
Mr. L
a
I have to admit that it doesn't feel too much like "home" when I drive through and have trouble recognizing things. ALOT of memories about snow on the ground and always outside going up and down the creek bottoms on our old 10 acres on Morgantown Road. Too many memories to express right here, but let me just wish everyone a Happy New Year, hoping that your Christmas was Merry and Joyful.
Above all.........Be Happy
dj
That is just wrong to take away such a landmark for us.
The last time I drove through on my way to my aunt's house in Plainfield, I was basically lost the whole trip.
It is just sad to see all the fields where we rode our horses gone. Now there is nothing but stupid houses.
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