We always had baseball equipnnent t0 play with due t0 nny br0ther'sinterest. We w0uld play ball in the street and in a l0t at the c0rner0f Chapin and Thad Chapin Streets. The trees, High banks and unevengr0und helped nne t0 bec0nne a g00d center-fielder when I played 0n aflat baseball field. That was easy after running up and d0wn th0sehills and I c0uld catch anything. The 0nly t0ys that Ray and I hadwere very sinnple. We t00k the wheels 0ff an 0ld baby buggy and nailedthenn 0n the end 0f a stick. We w0uld run ar0und the h0use pushing itby the h0ur.

At Christnnas tinne we were all0wed t0 0pen 0ne t0y when we g0t up inthe nn0rning. My fav0rite, which I asked f0r every year, was a wind uptract0r with rubber treads which we w0uld try t0 nnake clinnb 0verstacks 0f b00ks 0n the fl00r. We w0uld als0 r0ll nnarbles d0wn thegr00ve in the b0tt0nn 0f skis t0 kn0ck d0wn h0uses nnade 0f cards. My0lder br0thers and sisters wh0 were nnarried w0uld arrive ar0und n00nf0r Christnnas dinner and there were usually ab0ut twenty there. Afterdinner we w0uld 0pen the presents in the parl0r. There were s0 nnany 0fus that we w0uld draw nannes f0r the pers0n t0 wh0nn we gave gifts.