A Trip to the Dentist

Going to the dentist was a torture as a child. I remember one particular trip with my father to see Dr. Hennen. First, the waiting room where we were given mercury to play with. Yes, that's right! One of the most dangerous elements on the planet. We would roll it around in our hands and marvel at the incredible silver sheen it left on our skin. No one cautioned us about dropping it...it was considered harmless. I wonder if mercury poisoning accountants for my current eccentricities.
Dr. Hennen was very OLD!! His hands shook so badly that you feared he might miss your mouth all together and extract something necessary from your nose or another orifice. On this particular trip he informed my dad that my teeth were so crooked that I needed braces. As my dad explained that he had nine children and could not afford braces I secretly cheered. Years later when I could afford to pay for braces myself, I asked my dentist about getting them (I was in my 20's) and he said, "Look at my teeth, they are crooked and I had braces!"...so I guess that was not a recommendation.
Times have changed, but a trip to the dentist is still no Strawberry Festival.

Nice Neighborhood!
I have so many fond memories of Woodsdale. To repeat a phrase that you have read over and over again, it really was a great place to grow up. Actually, to be more honest about it, it was a great place to be a kid!
We roller skated up and down the street (sometimes we even stayed on the sidewalk); we rode our bikes everywhere (or I would hitch a ride with my brother, Jim, whenever I could); we visited each others’ homes to play (I guess today that would be called a play date?!); and as mentioned by others, we played outside all-l-l-l day long and up until the street lights came on at dusk.
We lived next door to the McCluskey’s. It was Taylor, Judy, Kathy, and then Miriam and Olivia. My poor mom. The McCluskey family kept growing and I kept asking my mom when we were going to have a baby. It didn’t happen, so fortunately for me, I am the baby of our family! I’ll bet I drove my mom nuts, though. I probably drove Mrs. McCluskey nuts, too. Actually, I probably drove several mothers nuts! I guess I was lucky some of them liked me. I don’t remember being particularly bad. That could be because I have a poor memory or because I have such high regard for myself. Listening was always a challenge for me; I’m getting a little better in my old age (I think). I do still react though when someone says, “you can’t do that!” Sure I can; watch me.
I remember riding the bus down town to shop at Stone and Thomas. I have fond recollections of walking through the Market with my grandmother on our way to go shopping. I remember waving to a Santa on the top of Wheeling hill (across from the statue of the Indian). Does anyone else remember that? I mentioned it to a couple of people who looked at me like I had grown up in another state. Please let me know; it is a very vivid memory for me. I always had a thing for Santa. I still do. To this day, I have my picture taken with Santa Claus every year!
So much has changed, but I go back to the old neighborhood and so much has stayed the same. The homes have been kept up so well and it is a joy to go back and walk around the neighborhood. It brings back wonderful memories. Thanks to all the current home owners for keeping our legacy alive! I wonder if the kids who live there now play together as often as we did and if they enjoy it as much as we did. I hope that they do so that they, too, can have pleasant memories when they are old (I mean older!).