Hubbard, Ne
Being young and impulsive, we decided to sell our house and move to a small town. We both had been reared in small, rural towns and it felt right.
We found a house that we could afford in Hubbard, Ne 16 miles south and west of Sioux City and moved in the spring of 1977. Kristy was 5 yr, Erica newly 4 yr and Craig about 15 months. We had the summer to meet other children and to get acquainted with our neighbors.
Nettie and Tom Parker lived north of us, with two teenagers, Gayleen and older brother Tim.
Houses were being build west of us, up the hill, tho we didn't have neighbors there yet. Our mailing address, while we lived there, was a Post Office Box so I couldn't even have told you the name of the street we lived on but looking now at maps, it was Iowa Street, the last block north, the second to last house at the north end of the block.
But Zenith announces plans to close the Radio Manufacturing Plant in Sioux City. Himself can transfer to Taiwan or Mexico. Oh, Sorry, can't accept that offer to see the world -- so let's see, what shall we do in our next life? lol Himself stays employed at Zenith, helping to finish up and close down. While he's doing that, we are looking for a grocery store to buy. We will be our bosses. We will be self-employed! We look at DeSota, Ia. We try to look at Humeston but illness one weekend and snow storm another and then we see the add for the Orient Grocery Store. Guess, I will have to the rest of that story for another day. And we put the house up for sale and make plans to move to Orient, Ia which is about the same distance from Afton, Ia as it is from Prescott, Ia and seems providential.
Teresa Groves lived south of us in an older small white house. She was a widow and a grandmotherly type. We didn't see a whole lot of her but she was friendly and neighborly.
That first summer, we sat a wading pool on the garage apron. You can see it there. I think muddy children must have washed their feet in that pool. It does not look very sanitary. This photo reminds me that I have a couple of cute pics with little girls in this pool, somewhere. I'll have to round them up and get them in here. I do not remember this puppy. Do you? I thought we had a cat?
The window (above) is the living room window. Himself hung up a rod the length of the window and we had house plants flourish there in the west window. Being the 70s and all, I made macrame plant hangers and also bought some and the window was full of pots and vines and leaves.
Looking south -- That is Teresa Groves house. She had houseplants in her back porch and she is the one that gave me the Snake Plant (or mother-in-laws tongue lol) that I still have -- any maybe you have a piece. Going on down that street, you arrive at the small business-district. We walked down to the Post Office about every day. That was a 3 ring circus, let me tell you. It was a good day when we didn't encounter any dogs running loose.
Main Street, Hubbard, Ne.
Post Office is the white building at left.
An aerial view.
The business district consisted of the Post Office, a small independent grocery store and a bar. I'm sure there must have been an elevator, maybe a feed and grain store. We were lucky to have the grocery store. And the bar too as every Friday night we'd order crisp chicken, french fries and beans and whoever picked up the order usually grabbed a bottle of Ancient Age or Southern Comfort to toast the weekend.
The Parkers lived to the left, Mrs. Groves to the right.
Himself and I put in the Ben Franklin woodburning stove.
You can see the smoke stack above the living room window.
To the right of the front door was the little bedroom, Craig's. Then at the end, that window was the "girls' room". The master bedroom was on the backside of the house across from the girls' room. The bathroom was opposite Craig's room.
I loved the deep maroon carpet in the master bedroom.
I'm not sure I could even call it maroon, more dark rich purple. I found a white bedspread and lace curtains and that east bedroom was just so cozy and inviting. Maybe I should try to recreate that feel in the cabin.
I loved those colors, fabrics and textures.
Our first spring at Hubbard was wet. The lot across the street from us set up higher than our house and had no grass. The bank was red clay. When it rained, the water ran down that bank and into our driveway. We had a paved apron in front of the garage but from the cement out, it was a mess! The girls were a mess! Those two houses were in the process of being finished. One of them might have sold by the time we up and left for Orient but I don't remember anyone living "up the hill" from us.
This little orphan boy was a mess!
Wonder who his mother is, to let him play in the mud?
(looking north - the pickup camper was the Parker's)
Oh what a good boy you are!
Climbing up into the kitchen sink to wash yourself up!
Craig's trick was to open the dishwasher, in the counter to the left of the sink, climb on the dishwasher door, pull himself up on the counter and scurry across to to plop his fanny neatly into the sink.
And, of course, the faucet was no mystery.
Yep, let's run a little water.
See. The sleeves of his shirt are wet.
Out the window over the sink, one looked into the back yard. To the left in this picture, was the door to the garage. If you turned 90 degrees to your left, you found the stairs to the basement. The basement had one room carved out in the south end but otherwise, was pretty much wide open. Cement block walls and cement floor. There was a bathroom down there ( I think!) and a laundry room with washer and dryer. We had an old couch and some furniture but you children didn't spend much time down there unless I was doing laundry or there was a tornado warning or something.
Kristy, how did you get to school? I can't believe I let you walk three or four blocks, summer and winter. Did you walk with neighbor children? Or . . . my gosh, I'm beating my chest and tearing my hair! I did that? I let you walk to school? OMgosh! I made you!
Just like I made you girls be in a Little Princess Contest at the Dakota County Fair. We washed you up, curled your hair and dragged you off to the contest. Well, to make a long story short, we didn't win and we didn't care and we didn't go back! lol
Here three little bottoms sit and fit on the fender of the Ben Franklin wood burning stove. It's okay tho! It's summer and no fire or hot coals in there and somewhere down the line I'll write about buying a grocery store and moving "home" to Orient, Iowa.
