This Old House

This is the house I lived in from the time I was 5 until my fathers death in 1982. The picture above is of an original painting that I own. It was done by my childhood friend's mom, Mrs Louise Guidry, who is a very well known south Louisiana artist. It is an excellent painting of the house I lived in. The house sits on the side of the highway on a working sugar cane (known as the Burton Plantation) farm on the outskirts of the town of St. Martinville, Louisiana. St. Martinville is an old Acadiana town that is rich in history. It was a wonderful town to grow up in. Physically, the house in my time was in bad shape. NO air conditioner, no central heating, old tin roof, rats and mice in the attic. Roaches galore. In winter, the wind would could come up through the cracks in the wooden floor. We had a wooden stove and heater for heat in the winter time, along with regular butane heaters in various rooms. In the summer, all we had was fans. Looking back, it was like living in the early 1900s as far as amenities were concerned. The house was surrounded by two large, old live oak trees, quite common in that part of Louisiana. There were also quite a few pecan trees, which provided me a little income during pecan season. All these trees also made for lots leaf raking! We had about an acre of land as our yard, divided up into two parts by a barb wire fence. Originally there were quite a few buildings on the property. In the end, we had two wooden sheds and one small barn. We raised chickens in the early years, and had a large garden behind the house for many years.

Despite the chaos, the house evokes some strong and cherished memories for me. I miss that time.

There is much more to write about this house. For now, I wanted to lay out the physical aspects of the house which is an important factor in my youth.

C'est finis.

Ron