Mar. 08, 2003 - 20:27 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Ever End ?

In the packing today I found one of my books which was given me when I was in hospital and needed a lift. It is a book by Shel Silverstein, titled "Where The Sidewalk Ends."

The poem in the book by the same name is one that grabbed me then and did again today.

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There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

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A good part of my life I have lived near where the sidewalk ends, it is a place where cares slid from my shoulders and I now go back, back to a time where every thing was new to me, and the countryside not too far ahead and the big city the other way. New and interesting it was, out there on the edge of our formal city.

When we lived near where the sidewalk ends things were somewhat like this. Most every adult worked through the week and turned in early to be able to rise and do it again, kids went to school so bedtime came early for us too.

Of course on Sunday there was Sunday School and church. Later after lunch would come visiting friends and our relatives. Had to be clean and neat and wear uncomfortable clothes and have a boring time usually.

Somewhere in there would come reading the Sunday paper, Dad scanning the sports and business sections, Mom the front section catching the department store ads on the fly by, then she would read the Magazine section. The funnies were my sole possession. The Katzenjammer kids, Moon Mullins, Bringing Up Father with Maggie and Jiggs, Harold Teen, Boots and her Buddies and many other comics.

Friday nights many Dads would go to bed early so as to be able to go to work for a half day Saturday. We kids got to stay up late Friday nights most of the time, depending on our good behavior. That was time spent reading, playing with Lincoln Logs, Tootsie cars or Tinker Toys with our imagination flying full out.

So in my day that left Saturday afternoon and evening for family fun that sometimes lasted until midnight. Back then most churches seemed to have an evening service on Sunday which made late Saturdays amenable to all.

Back then most people rode street cars to town and back. Both to work and to recreate. Most everything was downtown. Shopping, Kresses, Woolworth's, movies, the library, window shopping. Oh gee, I remember window shopping with Mom and Dad downtown. That was about the only shopping I ever enjoyed. Then, the show window of the department stores were fully lit at night or on gloomy days. Totally gorgeous they were during the Christmas season with the moving displays of Santa's workshop. An evening stroll window shopping would set my mind on its imaginary trips. Some day I would be grown and could wear those clothes, and shoes and such shirts, and play golf, tennis and other things. I admired the women's clothing as well, it was much prettier than the men's although I could never imagine wearing any of them. There would be desultory talk between us as we went.

Usually a movie was ahead in the evening, or if we were downtown in the afternoon maybe a dinner in a nice restaurant that had tablecloths and cloth napkins. Then window shopping and the movie.

I had to be neat and clean but usually wasn't dressed up tight like on visits. I was acceptable clothing wise, but comfortable, even had my hair combed - did it myself too. Those evening movies were a wonderful time for me as I could ask Mom and Dad all my "why" questions about the movie we just saw.

I always thought Saturday afternoons and evenings were the very best part of the week. As they worked all week my parents were ready for some entertainment and the movies were cheap. At least the ones we went to were. Once in a while Dad would treat us to a show at The Denver, the big theater with the huge organ. Saturday evenings there would be organ music between features. Posh, plush and pretty that theater was.

After the evening out came the street car ride on our trolley car, rocking, swaying and creaking, me trying to see in the lighted windows as we passed. Then to our little house on the alley with the big front yard out near where the sidewalk ends.

Nowadays it seems as if the whole world is blacktop and cement with shopping malls scattered like sowed seed - to the four winds. About the only walks are from the car in the parking lot into the store. Businesses are are strewn helter skelter through the area, nothing seems centralized any more. If they ever laid sidewalks now, maybe they would go on forever 'cause I do wonder could they Ever End ? . . . . . . . . .

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