yard at 949 Berne Street

One thing I remember about 949 Berne Street is the concrete pit at the end of the driveway.  It seems the driveway widened toward the house about where the covered patio was at the bottom of the steps, on the left side was the pit.  I don't know if it was there when all six children were growing up or if it was added later.  I remember Uncle Bo in particular pulling the cars over the pit to change the oil or work on something he got to from under the car.  I wish I could remember if my Granddaddy Smith did that when I was very young or not.

At some point, Grandmother used it for her "Leaf Mold Pit".  I don't know if she put any garbage that would make good fertilizer in it, but definitely nothing that smelled bad.  I remember the way the right side of the yard was terraced with big rock steps so Grandmother could work in her flowers.  The flowers covered the whole back yard back to the garden area, which was in front of the fenced-in Chicken area and Small Hen House, which had an area just large enough to milk the cow.  I imagine (but don't know) that there was more yard and less flowers when the children were growing up.

At some point I remember Uncle Bo and Uncle Jarold and probably Granddaddy built Grandmother a Greenhouse that one went into from the basement.  At the bottom of the stairs you could turn right and go down a few more stairs (my memory is they were cement and not wood like the stairs coming down from the back porch) or you could go down one more step and open the door to the basement, which I remember as having a paved area where Grandmother killed the chickens.

I am trying to remember if the huge window facing the driveway was always there and if it opened to the side.  Grandmother loved to sit down there in a rocking chair in the winter and feel the sun coming in, during her older days.

Beverly