It was 23 years ago today that we moved into our house in Mount Vernon. At, the time, it seemed so big and roomy to us. Now, hardly anyone can believe that we raised 6 kids in a house with only one bathroom. But I think it served us well and that our kids had a happy childhood in that house and neighborhood. One of the best things about it was the big yard. The kids spent lots of time playing outside. I remember tetherball, handball, sledding down the hill from the neighbors, rolling down the hill in the front yard, the playhouse and sandbox, the swingset that we bought with our first income tax return after moving there, some game the kids made up where they would ride their bikes up to the back door and hand paper "orders" of some kind through the door. We had apple trees, a grapevine, a big garden and the big pine tree in front. One of the best things was the neighborhood. When we first moved there, there were all kinds of kids, who pretty much all played together. Joanna and Rachel Varughese were inseparable for many years. By the time we moved, the character of the neighborhood had changed and there weren't many kids there anymore. I lived in that house longer than I have lived anywhere in my life. I think it was a blessing for our family.