Not to be Condemned

When the family moved back to Keego Harbor in the late '50's, we were excited. Since we left the farm, this was our latest, new hometown. We even had our own house. There was a snag of course. The man renting our homestead wasn't paying the rent, or choosing to move either. What was a mother to do? Hope, of course, was never at a loss of ideas. So we moved into the condemned house directly across the street. Some of the amenities, i.e. water, heat, and electricity, were missing, but again, pragmatic problem solvers come up with new ideas. The house had a huge fireplace, and Cass Lake was only a hundred feet away. So, with winter glee, we began dismantling, and burning the house from the outside, while we chopped holes in the ice and carried water inside. City officials frowned on all of our efforts! In fact, they were so dismayed with our violations of ordinances, that they threatened to have us thrown into the street. Hope, never intimidated, or at a loss of ideas, simply stated that she would have the Pontiac Press on site taking pictures of the whole event. Twelve kids on the winter street, not a pretty sight, if you're a party official. In time, we moved across the street to our empty house. Another winter adventure with a happy conclusion.