Ken Schwartz's "Settling in at Lark Ellen Home" - Page 3

I walked home with a fellow 'Home Boy' I recognized from yesterday, changed into 'play clothes' and began to explore my new home and the surrounding grounds. The ground floor beneath the Little Boys' dorm was occupied by the kitchen and dining room; an interior playroom was located under my Middle Boys' dorm; and a small library and large parlor were located beneath the Big Boys' dorm. The end of each dorm had a sun- room with a door to an exterior stairway to the ground.

The Lark Ellen property encompassed an entire block. The back half was separated from the front half by a row of large walnut trees and a tall hedge. Boys were not allowed to go beyond the hedge so the back half of the property remained mysterious to us all. On the Big Boys' side of the Home was an old wooden bungalow that housed a small group of the oldest boys. These boys were in high school. The bungalow looked like it might have been a farmhouse at one time. On the far side of the bungalow was a large grassy play field. Behind the kitchen was a huge sandbox used primarily by 'little boys.' Hovering over the sandbox were two giant avocado trees that were great for climbing. It was scary if you climbed too high. Someone watching from the kitchen would usually stick their head out and tell us to "Get down!"

Stretching from behind the sandbox to the division hedge was a swath of land that was divided into small garden plots. Boys who wanted to grow vegetables to sell to the kitchen could be assigned a plot. I signed up for one. Use of these plots was supervised by an elderly caretaker/handyman who lived in a wooden shack-like building at the hedge line. He was guardian of the shovels and hoes and rakes and he would show us how to cultivate and care for our garden. This caretaker always wore faded blue bib coveralls and had a red bandana kerchief in his pocket. He was always well groomed. He smoked a corncob pipe and he had a wooden leg. Occasionally, he got cranky. It was said he lost his leg in World War One and the pain from the amputation caused him to be irritable at times. We boys learned to stay clear during those times. Incidentally, the first crop from my garden plot was string beans and Swiss chard. I remember receiving 8-cents for the string beans and 5-cents for the Swiss chard.