For our first project in Making and Meaning, we were assigned to interview someone about our childhood home. I interviewed my mom, Anne Stark, on January 8, 2011.
Camila Stark: How did you find our house on 545 E Center St.?
Anne Stark: I was looking around at houses in Logan, and I drove by this one. I liked it from the outside, and I wanted to see more. Dad and I asked our realtor to show it to us.
CS: Why did you pick that house over any others?
AS: There are several reasons here. First of all, it was in our price range. Secondly, there were two things in particular that I was looking for in our first house to buy: 1) having a distinct style (I didn’t care what kind of style, but I didn’t want a ho-hum ranch house), and 2) being close to downtown so that I could walk to the library with you guys.
CS: How much did you buy the house for?
AS: We bought it for $69,000.
CS: What is your first memory of living in that house?
AS: Honestly, it was laying in bed the first night, listening to the street noise (which your dad had warned me about) and thinking, did we do the right thing? But in the morning, it was all okay for me. Not so much for your dad, but he sure gave it a college try (meaning he tried really hard to like it for my sake.)
CS: Did you enjoy living in there?
AS: Yes, very much. It was a great house for having little kids.
CS: What was your favorite thing or memory of the house?
AS: A few things come to mind. 1) Coming home from the hospital with new-born Will. You and Nate were so excited, and Mimi was there, too, to help with everything. 2) Will moving a rocking horse so that he could climb up into the loft. 3) The kitchen with the new white tile that dad and I put in. I loved that kitchen. 4) You and Cassidy painting on easels in the backyard and playing in the homemade puppet theatre that I made. 5) Nate and Vestre playing the cello and violin in the living room. 6) Dad being able to reach across the entire livingroom with his armspan. 7) Being able to vacuum the whole house from one plug. 8) Walking downtown with you and Will in the wagon and Nate on his bike (going to the People Place for borrowed toys or the library for books). 9) Walking to the skating rink at Central Park.
CS: What was your least favorite thing or memory about the house?
AS: Lying in bed late at night and listening to the cars drive by. Thinking about how your dad hated the noise of those cars.
CS: So it was a good place to raise children? Why?
AS: YES. The memories that I mentioned before, as well as: the loft, the walks and the canal were great for you guys. I had to watch you and Will very closely because of the canal, but I never minded it.
CS: What was one memorable moment (good or bad) you had with one of the neighbors?
AS: There were a couple of really funny memories with neighbors. 1) You, Nate, John and April finding the duck and chick in the canal. Those pets disappeared, but buying more ducks and raising them for three years was so much fun. It was hard to let them go. Nate could get them to eat out of his hand. One year the ducks didn’t fly away when it started to get cold, so we had to take them to First Dam, Nate had to lure them into a cardboard box with food. He was so sad after he did that because those ducks really trusted him. He felt he had betrayed their trust. 2) When I tied a bow around our neighbor’s tree so they wouldn’t cut it down. (They ended up cutting it anyway). 3) When we put our house up for sale, and we came home to find several of our Vietnamese neighbors swinging on the swing set. They told me that when we sold the house they were going to reclaim their property on our side of the canal. However, it never was their property—they just thought it was for all the time that we lived there.
CS: Why did you decide to move out of the house?
AS: Your dad wanted some land. He wanted some peace and quiet. Funny, huh, given the problems that we’ve had here? Fortunately, these problems have died down quite a bit. Sometimes I wonder, though, is it just us??
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