Who Is Teresa? Chapter 1

It would be too boring for anyone to read step-by-step about where I came from but I will give you a brief description.  I was born in Lewiston Idaho in 1954, a small mill town of about 30,000 people.  I call them hillbillies, or simple country folk.  My town is actually listed in a book about the worse places to visit in the USA.  It has a pulp mill and the smell makes it smell like an outhouse 24/7. 

I was raised in the little house down the hill from my Grandparents on a 1,000 acre wheat and cattle farm.  The closest neighbor was miles away so my childhood consisted of playing with my best friends the animals. 

I have many fond memories of growing up on the farm.  Some of my earliest memories were, one being washing the clothes in the dirt floored basement of my grandmother.  We had to walk on a wide board to keep our feet out of the mud.  My mother used to have me hold one end of the clothes as she fed it into the wringer washing maching, my job was to hold it while it fed out.

My father realized the farm life was not getting a now family of 2 adults and 4 children anyplace.  He took a job at the local paper mill and we moved down the hill off the farm 5 miles away. 

People!  Friends, things to go, places to see such a change from the quiet farm life.  I had friends and the shy girl was coming out of her shell and learning how to communicate with people. 

My father had to build our house himself, one board at a time, one dollar at a time as he had money to pay for supplies.  I being the oldest child, boy or girl it did not matter, found myself on the other end of a board all the time as my father's helper.  I used this knowledge all my life since I later became a realtor, contractor and landlord.  I know a house inside and out.

Being the oldest I was like a second mom to my younger siblings.  Cooking, cleaning, folding clothes, making beds, chasing and trying to make kids mind.  It made me grow up early and I feel I have been an adult since about 15 because of this. I had a lot of responsibility for a teenager.  This has made me a stronger adult I feel.