The house in the neighborhood, you know the ones where all the kids go, that's mine.

I never got to go to the house where all the kids went when I was a kid, because when we lived anywhere long enough to make friends and be stable, that was my house.  Plains was as close as I came to a home town as an older child, the Bitterroot was the home of my small childhood.  The between was a blur of lots of places with no time to make any real friends.  Plains gave us an opportunity to make friends and the 8 of us had lots, some more than others.  Two of my sisters were born in Plains, both at home.  I had a friend that the relationship endured our moving to and from Plains several times, we moved there four times and away four.  We did have the ability to step back into our friendships though so that did make for us have some good friends.  I had several but none that lasted into adulthood.  They just didn't have the roots to endure.  My sibling are much the same way but some of them do have relationships that are still connected there.  My parents have returned to the valley, they lived in our valley here almost 30 years and never really called it home, they are home now and I am glad they are but I don't think that they interact with all that many people.  They have became more isolated as they aged, maybe in the long term they were the ones that couldn't grow moss?  They have now, atleast, found a crevasse and are happy.  I digress.

I lived in the home where all the kids came.  My mom is really good with babies and young kids.  She has a difficulty with elementary kids but good again in my ways with junior high and high school kids.  There were lots of teens and pre-teens in and out of our lives at Plains.  So I always knew about the house everybody came to play at but I never really got to go to one.  My older kids were really little when all the neighborhood kids came to play at our house, they were much older than my kids though.  My kids aged and had places to go so my house was open but my kids weren't always here.  Mokie was at Sisters with Niece, Bug had his friends with the logger dads, Goofy was always in search of that special friend and never sure enough of herself to make the decision to have one in many ways.  She seemed to always make the wrong choices, and her sadness was something I could never really help.  I tried but I am not sure I had the skills to help her as I wasn't all the sure how to be a long time friend myself.  She eventually went on to boys and the choices didn't get any better but I think now she has come into her own and is happily married with two lovely little babies.

I have really worked hard to give my kids one school, and only a few moves in one town.  I was a work in progress with the older kids but I think I have figured it out for my little girls.  Booboo makes friend easily and has many.  Yogie struggles just a little but has a whole group of friends.  They both have kind of found that special friend in the last year so that is great.  This year my house has finally become the place the kids in the neighborhood go, I have always been the place that the grands come but now they and the girls bring their friends here.  My house is the chaotic place with the bikes thrown willy nilly, kids are sliding down the slide, petting goats, chasing chickens, catching rabbits, mauling kitties, and playing tag with the dog.  The little ones ooo and aw at the peacocks, spray water all over each other with a hose and are not allowed to track mud in.  Bubbles watches in delight as the others run past, she is trying her best to follow and has gotten those legs under her and is walking across the floor falls gets up and falls again over and over. Our home is the place where all the kids go, isn't that wonderful for a rolling stone?..... tomorrow.