When I was a child, we moved frequently. From my birth until I graduated from high school, I lived in nine different homes in four different Wisconsin communities.
The next 18 years were no different. I had 10 different homes, or living arrangements, including time spent in basking in the luxurious accommodations of U.S. Air Force barracks. Those were spread out over six different communities in five states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Indiana and New Mexico.
Perhaps that explains why I REALLY wanted to settle down and establish roots somewhere I could call home.
My all-time favorite home was one my ex-wife and I built in the small Norwegian community of Stoughton, Wis. It was a favorite because of all the wonderful memories connected to that house.
It was an absolute God-thing that we even found the property upon which to build. We stumbled upon it when I was canvassing neighborhoods while campaigning for a seat on the local school board.
I was told nobody could build on the land because it needed a septic system and previous tests showed the property would not perc, which meant an underground system was impossible. Fortunately, I learned of a new system which rested on the ground with dirt buried over it. A test for that type of tank was successful.
The current owner was more than happy to unload the property because he thought it was a useless piece of real estate. So we bought the parcel, a two-thirds acre corner lot in a subdivision with lots of kids and two parks.
Best of all, the property behind us was a corn field that was deed restricted from being developed for decades. The road formed a perfect one-mile oval, which was ideal for walking and biking. We were preapproved for a construction loan at an unheard of interest rate of 3%
Next, we checked out home shows and walked through dozens of houses before selecting a builder who had designed a tri-level that was perfect for us to raise our three daughters. On the evening of the day the excavation took place in August 1993, we photographed our girls digging the hole using tablespoons because they were so anxious to have rooms of their own.
We visited the construction site every day and could not contain our excitement once the frame was complete. To save money, we foolishly agreed to stain every piece of trim for the 2,000-square-foot house by ourselves. I can’t remember how many floorboards and doors we stained, but I have never applied stain to another piece of wood since then.
Our builder basically begged us to erect a three-car garage. A father of a large family himself, he told us we would never regret having the extra space. He described all the things we would be storing in that garage besides our cars.
Since the garage was being built from scratch, the initial cost would have only been about $1,000. Yet, we didn’t listen and kicked ourselves every summer when bikes and toys displaced at least one of our cars.
By staining the wood ourselves, we saved enough money to have a fireplace installed instead — which we used probably a dozen times during the 18 years we occupied the house. We should have listened to the wise and experienced builder.
Miracle provision
Since it was a new building, we needed all-new appliances. I was working for a non-profit organization at the time that was participating in a large agricultural trade show in Las Vegas that September. Again, the hand of providence smiled on us.
I had never been to Las Vegas. So, during a break from convention activity, I was playing a video poker machine at the legendary Stardust casino on the strip. I was playing quarters because that was all I could afford, and really couldn’t afford to spend that when building a home. That’s when I learned how tricky casinos are in getting people to bet more.
Back in the day, quarters had to be deposited for every play and I didn’t dare bet more than 75 cents at a time. But, if you won, you accumulated credits which could be used for additional plays. After depositing all my quarters, I was playing down the credits until I had to return to the conference.
The poker machine was built so the “bet one credit” button was right next to the “bet five credits” button. I must have been distracted because I was kicking myself when I heard the machine beep five times to indicate a maximum bet had been placed.
But, when I looked at the screen, I had the ace, king, jack and 10 of spades. I held those cards while holding my breath and pressed the deal/draw button. Immediately, a bell started ringing as the queen of spades was revealed. I had a royal flush, which paid out $1,250.
I never felt so rich in my life. Afraid to lose it, I drove to a nearby bank and converted the cash into a cashier’s check. We used the winnings to buy a new stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and laundry machine.
Santa’s sleigh tracks
Construction was completed and we moved into our new home a few weeks before Christmas. It was after we closed on the loan that we noticed the builder had not fully cleaned the skylight in our kitchen. There were still two half-inch strips of some type of residue on the outside glass.
I wish I had a photo of my daughters’ faces that Christmas morning when I pointed to the skylight and explained those must be tracks from Santa’s sleigh. They were age 7, 5 and 4 at the time.
Our home served us well for many years. And we have some fabulous memories, including:
- We planted a tree in the front yard that is now 30 feet tall.
- We buried two dogs under the big tree in the back yard.
- One of them, a black lab named Dreamer, loved to lie at the top of the stairs and nudge tennis balls down the steps in hopes someone would throw them back.
- The dead-end street next to our house was the ideal location to shoot off fireworks every Independence Day.
- The girls had to wear winter clothes and boots while trick-or-treating around the neighborhood in a snowstorm one year.
- On two occasions, I backed out of the garage without paying attention and hit two cars parked in the driveway belonging to my daughter and sister-in-law.
- At the start of school one year, all three girls wanted to have a sleepover so their classmates could get to know each other. We had 23 girls between the ages of 10 and 13 in our house that night. I learned that as much as they talk about wanting to control their figures, fathers should never stand between teenage girls and a pizza.
I’ve lived in five other homes since moving out of that special house in Stoughton, including a motorhome I used to travel around America full time for three years.
Yet, none of the living arrangements I have had during my life match the memories made between 1993 and 2009 in our corner castle on Cottonwood Drive.
Of all the places you’ve lived over the years, which homes hold special memories for you? Write them down so your children can remember them, too.