10909 Tracy Ave.

Today is the 40th anniversary of my living at 10909 Tracy.
Bob Miller of J C Nichols showed several homes for sale to Rosemary and me in the Spring of 1968. His first stop was at 10909 Tracy--a wonderful house and yard. The only catch was the price--$39,500-- more than we could afford. We couldn't find a house that we really liked in our price range. About two weeks after our looking at 10909 I called Bob, mostly out of curiosity, to see what had happened to that house. To my surprise he said that it had not been sold, and suggested I make an offer. I offered to pay $35,000. He said he would pass it on. On a Sunday morning he called me back--Rosemary and my daughters were nearby in the kitchen. Bob said my offer was accepted. I still remember the ensuing loud shrieks from the kitchen. The dream house was to be ours. It has been a wonderful home. Among the many happenings here, I have witnessed all of my grandchildren and great grandson and Jan's grandchildren learn to crawl up the steps in our front hall. It seemed like my parents lived forever in my boyhood home at 309 East College in Paola, but they actualy lived in that house only 30 years. My uncle Charlie Smith lived in his house in Wellsville for over 30 years. But the winner of my relatives for longest living in a house is Della Hornbuckle--my brother's mother-in-law--who lived in her farmhouse near Louisburg--in the neighborhood of 65 years.