Recalling a piece of childhood

To the editor:
Thanks so much for the kind words about “our house” at 503 N. Pleasant St.  Yes, I know Mr. Lombardo lived there last, but it was our house too. We lived there in the 1950s and 60s. I could write a book about the home where we grew up, but just know that it was filled with love and happiness when we were there. The house itself was warm, cozy, unique and beautiful inside. Now it’s gone in a blaze.
Genuine wood parquet floors, leaded glass windows, oak staircase, bay windows, stone fireplaces, wooden doors that pulled in and out of the walls ... I could go on and on. That was all true, but my parents, JK and Helen Wehrly, were the ones who made it home. It was always lovely inside, but we were never told to only eat in the kitchen, or don’t dance in the living room, or don’t play hide and seek in that room even though it was filled with antiques. They loved having our friends in the house and we had a lot of friends who were welcome anytime. Yes, Jack Ronald was one of them. I’m so pleased that he remembers. The Wehrly family was lively and fun and remembering the times we were all together there brings a smile.
One memory that remains with me is going to the basement with my Dad. Coal slid down a shut into a little room behind the coal-burning furnace.  Dad would shovel it into a bin and then into the furnace.  He would pick me up and let me look inside the furnace at the brightly glowing coal. I would stick my face into the bin and say, “I love the smell of coal.”  Isn’t that funny?  I loved it. 
The basement was also the place for the kittens. Our black cat, Zip, raised many litters down there in an old playpen. Dad would put me in there to play with them. I loved it.
We also had a bird, Chip, who lived in the kitchen in a cage, but he could fly around the house too. Sooner or later, he would land on your shoulder or finger and we’d place him back home. He would walk around the table during supper too. We had two dogs, Lindy Lou, a Scottie, and Tink, a Chihuahua. All the pets were treated like royalty in our house.
My little brother was a genius at making his room unique. The attic was just off his room and it became another world for him. I remember when he painted fluorescent stars on his ceiling without permission and he had me get on his bed and turned off the light. I loved it.
We had bats living in our walls too. My room had the most active family. I was never afraid. Instead, I just thought they belonged there and would hear them chatter away as I fell asleep. Every now and then, a bat would get into the house. Dad would grab a tennis racket and chase it until he won the match. Mom, Jeff and I would scream and watch. We all slept upstairs and in the summer when it was warm, the windows were open. I could hear the birds, especially the doves, cooing so close to me. I could also see the hoot owls that perched on top of the house across the street and hear them plainly at night.
There’s a brick in front of the fireplace that we were able to pry up with our fingers.  We left notes and treasures underneath. I wonder if there’s anything still there.
Well, I could go on forever. Since the house burned, I’ve found myself going from room to room in my mind, remembering the glorious home I grew up in. Jeff and I thank our folks and those of you who remember.
Cindy Wehrly Giltner
Portland

Disappointed
To the editor:
I’m terribly disappointed that Representative Stutzman voted for a bill that will open all 1.5 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s pristine coastal plain, and almost every acre of our coasts, including along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, protected areas of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Bristol Bay, to oil and gas drilling.
In a move the Competitive Enterprise Institute calls “myopic political gimmickry,” House leadership is pushing a shady plan to use speculative revenue from oil and gas drilling in the Arctic refuge and coastal waters to close the funding gap in the Transportation Bill.
What they aren’t saying is that even the most generous revenue estimates will not be enough, as any revenue from drilling will be drastically reduced by state-revenue sharing agreements and any Arctic production revenues would likely not be seen for at least ten years.
Sadly, our Representative fell for it.
There is still an opportunity to stop this extreme bill from moving forward. I hope Representative Stutzman will vote against final passage of the transportation package.
Sincerely,
Kelsey Lechner
Fort Wayne[[In-content Ad]]