Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

While I was talking on the phone to my cousin Shirley Olbrysh, we reminded each other of a few memories in the past. Her parents, Melvin and Estella Strawderman lived in the house next door to my grandparents, Edson and Anna Beck. Their homes were located in the small town of Indian Head, Pennsylvania. My grandparents’ home was brown Insulbrick and the Shirley’s home was sided with red Insulbrick.

Both homes were constructed from a larger house that had been torn down. The lumber rescued to build the two. Estella and Shirley were caught in a flood and almost perished when their first home was destroyed by the rush of water.  Erecting the new one was necessary.

In the house Granddad Beck built was a short hallway connecting the kitchen to the “Parlor.” The parlor was a room that was only used when “company” came. I guess we were company, because that’s where we sat when visiting. The itchy maroon material of the sofa would make my legs itch and yet I was expected to sit quietly without fidgeting when visiting.

One redeeming quality with the visit was a pair of matching gilded ornate gold framed mirrors that hung on opposing walls of the short hallway. It was the only exciting thing about the visit to my grandparents’ home. Looking into one mirror, I could see an endless parade of receding reflections of myself.

My grandparents Ray and Rebecca Miner owned a farm. Grandma Miner had the same itchy material covering her sofa, but in blue. I was glad that we weren’t required to sit on it and could play elsewhere in the house. Here, I could roam more freely. Knickknacks and other immensely interesting drew me to check things out. Grandpa Miner was known to tussle with the grandkids…even in the parlor.

Their sitting room was supposedly off limits all kids, but entering the forbidden territory was tolerated if I was quiet and just looked around. Grandma had a large mirror that hung above the floor model wood case radio. The mirror had three connected sections. The center part was a normal silver reflecting mirror, while two blue beautiful mirrored panels flanked each side. I was in awe of the deep blue color and impressed that it reflected an image as well. On top of the radio sat a shiny black ceramic cat that peered into a globe shaped glass fish bowl. The bowl was always empty. It glistened when sunlight shone through it, dancing on the cat’s ebony surface.