MOVE IN DAY

When I was 5 we moved into our new house on top of a hill.

It was the original farm house for all the property from the top of the hill and running down to the water.

It was old. Maybe 100 years old. Or more.

White with green shutters, 3 stories up.

It stood at the back of a long-ish driveway.

Maybe 60 feet from the road to the garage.

The grass on the property was so high when we moved in we had to hire a man with a tractor to come

And mow our lawn.

The grass was over my head.

When we moved in 3 boys from the Catholic family who lived adjacent to our yard came over

We played hide and go seek until we were bored.

We rolled each other in a garbage can down a small hill in the backyard.

Later, we would mix odd potions in the house when no one was home

In the hope of creating something original.

Or make up a band with tennis rackets and garbage cans,

One of the boys had drumsticks so I guess that made us legit.

Another time I pitched tennis balls at one of the boys

For an entire summer afternoon until he figured out how to hit a home run.

Which meant hitting the ball over a stone wall that bordered our yard.

We jumped and yelled and laughed and fell into each other’s arms

Just like they did on TV.

Who were we then?