First birthday of the New Year

Charlie holds the honorable position of 

First Potts/Dellon/Grimmius Birthday of 2015

Congratulations, Charlie, and Happy #36! 

Love, Mom and Dad

Ed's DX

This postcard is for sale on Ebay, and I want it. It belongs in my Spring Valley postcard collection. Ed's DX, owned by Ed Buss.

I'm not likely to get it because it's already been bid on, most probably by someone who collects old gas station postcards. I rarely have competition for Spring Valley postcards on eBay, except for the old First National Bank, which I have yet to win in several tries, and now this one. Dang it! But it's a kick to see this familiar building again, which has been replaced by a Kwik Trip.

I checked with a friend and with my brother Mark about what they remember about Ed's. We used to go to the DX to catch the bus to the elementary school, which was located on the other end of town. The walk to the DX was about a block, but seemed like a mile in cold winter weather. Maybe Dad used to drop us off there on his way to school, but since the high school and the elementary school were on the same property at that time, I don't think that happened because he could have just taken us with him. Sorry--I'll stop thinking about that detail now and ask Mark.

Waiting for the bus inside the first car bay--the one on the left in the picture--is a crystal clear memory. We waited inside in cold weather. When the weather was nice we could be outside, or else the door to the bay was opened up and we were inside, but had fresh air. And we needed fresh air. The guys who worked at the station all smoked, and back then no one gave a thought to polluting the lungs of the young kids waiting for the school bus.

This was a gas station, if I haven't made that clear enough, so of course there was a pin-up calendar on the back wall. For anyone who reads this who isn't familiar with the concept of a pin-up calendar from back in the old days, think Playboy swimsuit issue, but not as risqué. I remember averting my eyes the first time I noticed the calendar, but curiosity won out, and I took a look as often as I could as did all the other kids. My brother Mark claims his Catholic upbringing had convinced him it was sinful to look, so he didn't. Yeah, I believe him! 

Older kids of the high school variety used to openly smoke at the DX.  Mark reminded me that we called guys who smoked and defied the rules "hoods". We heard some off-color language (or at least I did; Mark probably covered his innocent ears) and Ed used to yell at the kids who messed with whatever greasy tools and rags were sitting around the car repair bays. I always had the feeling he wasn't too keen on being a holding tank for curious 5 to 12 year-olds five days a week. He shooed us outside whenever the weather was tolerable.

The gas station itself had a great candy selection inside the requisite glass display case. Mark says I sometimes bought him a treat in the morning on the way to school. I was a generous big sister. Apparently.  Mark and I and some of our neighborhood friends also made treks to Ed's DX in the summer time to buy candy.  It was a block from our house along the busy highway (not busy by today's measures), but we went through the empty lot that had a pile of sand or gravel stored there for road work. I remember walking through the grass around the sand pile, and it gave the feeling of trudging through sand dunes. 

Four of the cousins ride a bus to school. I hope they'll remember their experiences when they are older adults like Gma Jill. Of course, what I remember is about Ed's DX and not so much about riding the bus...
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Addendum on Sunday, January 25:  I am now the proud owner of the actual DX postcard shown above. Surprisingly, the other bidder didn't place a bid after mine. Maybe that's because I waited until there were just 30 seconds left until the end of the auction to place my one and only bid. Happy to have it!
 

Brownies, basketball, and beauty

Here's what everybody who is anybody was doing today...

Westy and Miles were in town to visit Grandma Doreen and Grandpa Dave, and took a break to help out with brownie-baking at my house this morning. Miles is an eggcellent egg-cracker, Westy pours with precision, and both are magntificent mix masters. The brownies were beautiful, baked to perfection.

This photo of two graceful girls giggling while aglow with green goop and goofy grins showed up on my phone a few minutes ago.

Immediately following, I checked again and found this picture of a dynamic duo of dribblers-- a double delight!

 Aren't they all adorable? Smooches all around. Happy week ahead.