Helen Street, Part 1

When I started this blog back in October I wrote that I might reveal the reasons behind our motivation to move out of a very comfortable rental situation. In simple terms, it became uncomfortable and we had to leave. The details are the story however, and any story starts at the beginning. Back in June of 1990 we were living in Cortland, NY in an ancient and interesting town house. Cindy had been working for the Cortland City Schools and I was commuting to the Binghamton Airport and my job at the NWS. Cindy was very worried about her job since they suddenly forced her to take a Civil Service test, so she began to look for other work. As it turns out, she found a job though BOCES working at East Middle School in Binghamton. She accepted the position, and with our lease up at the end of the month, we had to find a place quick in Binghamton. Ironically, we found out later that Cindy aced her test and would have kept her job, but we were past that and moving on.

A recent picture of our old place

Happy days for Boris and Natasha at Helen St.

I can't recall if our place on Helen St was advertised in the paper, or if we just saw a "For Rent" sign in the window but we somehow connected with Margaret and Charles Page. The elderly couple were living on the south side of the two family and renting the north side. They were less concerned about getting top dollar than getting agreeable and quiet tenants. We saw the apartment, were interviewed by them and were told they would let us know, Well, obviously we passed the test and given permission to move in. This began a wonderful friendship with the couple that became family for us. In the beginning, Margaret and Charlie did all of the work around the place, as well as the work at their six story apartment building in Binghamton that Charles nicknamed "the snake pit". As time went on, I began shoveling in the winter simply because it was the right thing to do, and I always enjoyed it. Unfortunately, age and health began to catch up to Charles and Margaret, so Cindy and I slowly began doing all the maintenance in the place, from yard work and snow shoveling to simple plumbing, electrical, and painting.

Then, on a snowy winter night at the snake pit, Margaret was hit by a car as she crossed the street leaving her essentially an invalid. Then, Charles was diagnosed with colon cancer and his health declined rapidly. After Charles passed away, we fully maintained the house, and helped care for Margaret. Margaret turned out to be stubborn and tough and lived for many years alone becoming blind and practically unable to walk. She kept her spirits up and was happy to have us with her, never raising the rent in deference to our help and company. From our perspective, we liked the place, but knew our time at Helen Street was coming to an end.

Choosing paint color for the dining room at Helen St.

We had become very comfortable at the place, collecting "Tchotchkes" and traveling easily, not having to worry about home ownership. When it became time to move, we realized how much we had loved the place, painting the rooms multiple times, repairing the ceilings, and filling the walk-up attic with memories and decorations.

The end of our time there came not from the passing of Margaret, but from a far more tragic death, That story is for another blog in the future. Next blog will be of far more pleasant experiences, including our fireplace and visitors from distant lands.