Old Selma Road

When Leyden was born, we lived on Old Selma Road, not far from Maxwell Air Force Base. There was a train track about 300 feet from our back door. About 150 feet beyond that was a highway. The end of the runway at the air force base was about 700 yards from our back fence. Needless to say, there wasn't much quiet time at our house.

It was a two bedroom house, with one bathroom, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The washer and dryer were in the kitchen, there was a fireplace in the living room, and it had one window unit air conditioner in the living room. I bought a window unit to go in my bedroom, because let's face it - being pregnant during the summer in the south is no joke. It wasn't a fancy house at all, but I made it our home, and it was cozy to me.

My marriage to my first husband was not ideal, and there are a lot of things about that time in my life I'd rather forget. However, I learned a whole lot about what love is all about, and what it isn't. So, I can't forget everything, or I won't appreciate what I have now. And I have a LOT. I'm rich, where marriage is concerned.

This little house on Old Selma Road holds lots of memories, even though we only lived there a few months. There are some sweet, sweet memories of bringing Leyden home from the hospital and carrying her in the house and taking her to her new room. Her nursery was decorated in a Noah's Ark theme, with cute bedding, and a matching mobile and wall hanging. Friends and family had gotten some Noah's Ark decorations, and a Noah's Ark lamp. I thought it was so cute! (Of course, Leyden once asked, "Mom, did you think I was a boy?" When I answered, "No," she asked, "Then why did you decorate my room with beige Noah's Ark stuff?" Honestly, I picked the Noah's Ark set because it was centered on a story in the Bible, and I wanted Leyden to grow up knowing the Bible.

One of the best things about that house is the noise. Because of that noise, Leyden can sleep through ANYTHING. I never put one of those cute signs on the door that said, "SHHH! Baby is sleeping!" It wouldn't have done any good, because the planes, trains and trucks wouldn't have paid any attention! One day, not long after we moved out of that house, I wrote this poem about the noises we heard while we lived there. It's kind of funny how I almost missed those noises when we moved!

Old Selma Road
by K. LaVera Hill
May 28, 1997

Every night at 10 p.m.,
    we would hear taps being played
    at the air force base across the highway.
Not long after taps, 
    we'd hear the late train
    thunder down the tracks, its whistle screaming.
We eventually grew accustomed 
    to the jets and C130s
    roaring overhead, hundreds of feet from our roof.
The steady rumble of eighteen wheelers
    rolling down the highway
    lulled us to sleep at night.

My First Memory

I was cleaning out a box in the guest room last night and found some poems and things I'd written years (and years) ago. I thought I'd share them with you.

My First Memory
by K. LaVera Hill
 
The very first memory I can recall is when I was but two,
when I was riding my big wheel in my favorite shoes.

We lived in a town called Elba, a small dot on the map,
and right in the middle of the churchyard is where our small house sat.

I remember watching Dad as he carefully shaved his face,
and lots of other little things about that special place.

Dad got a job in Montgomery, and we had to move away;
I remember very distinctly what our house looked like that day.

I sat in my "punkin seat" on the wood floor in the bare living room, 
watching my house growing empty because we were on the move.