House Memories . . . an era ends

While visiting Des Moines on our December 2008 trip, Bill and I drove by where I used to live. It is significant that I share this essay [written 1993] and the addendum at the bottom, written just now. This is for my family to know more about my life.

THE DINING ROOM - An essay about my home by Dianna Reynolds Neal

It was the largest room in our white, story-and-a-half, asphalt-shingled house. Over the years it contained many of the pieces of the put-together lives of my parents, three brothers and me.

I remember how big it must have been to hold two doilied buffets, one glass-faced china hutch, a coat rack, a photo gallery and a plate glass mirror, and the painting of the Last Supper. The upright piano and bench stood beneath a tier of three small windows on the east, framed by short, sheer curtains and mom’s shelf of African violets. The large, rectangular table surrounded by five matching Duncan Fife shield-back chairs was its centerpiece.

The sixth chair, the armchair, flanked one side of the doorway from the kitchen. That armchair, draped over the years by my brothers’ baseball shirts and football jerseys, welcomed helmets , caps, cleats, golf balls, bowling balls, basketballs, and other sports paraphernalia into its open arms, and dutifully served until my brothers were ready again to go out and play.

The table was a white-linened repository for school books, mail, clean laundry, school projects, doodads and gizmos, with a lush green philodendron at its center. I remember it served as the office at tax time, the term paper typing and assembling center at exam time, and the gift-wrapping and or cookie decorating center at Christmas time. It was the hub for extended family gatherings and those were the only occasions I can remember when we actually ate in there!

The sprawling legs of the table provided a twisted thoroughfare for toy cars and trucks, trains, road race sets and so on. They also served as the hills and dales for the battlegrounds of G.I. Joe and his buddies. The veil of the long tablecloth was a popular hideaway during a rainy-day game of hide and seek or provided a quiet place to be in this occasionally too-busy household. This room was the evidence of our living.

The dining room looks smaller to me now. I hear most things shrink with age. But almost everything there is still in its place, except for us. We’ve departed, taking all of the paraphernalia with us. But the armchair still faithfully sits in its place, this time holding all the memories it has kept for us through the years. And whenever we return it welcomes us again with its open arms.

The Reynolds family home was located at 705 Arthur Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa, just 3 blocks north of Union Park. It was sold in January of 2005, and after that it deteriorated and was leveled fall 2008. Glen, Elma [my parents], Bill, Mike, and Dan [my brothers] and I lived there from December 1957. My mother sold the home and moved in January 2005 following dad’s death in Nov. 2003. Other significant features of this home included the “R” on the aluminum screen front door for 47years, with an oval-windowed wooden door from the porch entry to the living room. A gingko tree grew on the front parking and a beautifully-shaped,scarlet oak tree filled the backyard with shade in summer. Rhubarb grew out behind the wooden garage, and Dianna cherished the fragrant, pink and white peony bushes near the garage on the east. She would pick a bunch of peonies on her birthday, each June 9. Lily of the Valley and a bleeding heart bush plus tulips or other flowers were also blooming in spring on the back and side of the house. Winter outdoors included games of “fox and geese” in the snow…with red foil JOYOUS NOEL as the window greeting on the enclosed front porch at Christmas time.