…and say “thank you” to Rosemary.

There was an after-school care place in Lacy Lakeview (just north of Waco, TX) that created, formed and nurtured many happy memories for me. The place was called “The Gingerbread Hut” as far as I can remember. Conveniently located just a block from my elementary school, we’d go there after school until my parents were ready.

Rosemary was one of the main people who worked there and took care of us kids. I don’t know if she owned the place or just worked there, but she was simply incredible. I was very young when I went there — best I could tell, I must have been there from first through third grades or thereabouts.

I’m overcome with a wistful nostalgia when I remember The Gingerbread Hut. 

There are a few things that I associate with the place and have become ingrained into my psyche.

Cinnamon-sugar toast

I first discovered toast with butter and a cinnamon-sugar combination sprinkled on top during breakfast time at the Gingerbread Hut. As you can probably guess, it quickly became my favorite breakfast food.  It was always just-out-of-the-toaster-warm, and we would sit at the little tables inside and eat them up.  Now that I’m thinking more about it, this must have been during the summer or something because I’m pretty sure I didn’t go there before school.

Goulash!

Well, they told me it was goulash.  I ate it up like there was no tomorrow.  All I can remember is it had hamburger meat in it, and probably cheese, and maybe some pasta or something.  Once, in high school, I was trying to date a wonderful german girl named Sabina and her parents really liked me and asked me if I’d like to have dinner with them and if I liked goulash.  I beamed so bright I’m sure they thought I was on drugs because I hadn’t had goulash since before the 3rd grade and was excited to get some more!  However, the goulash they served me was nothing like what I had remembered, so I’m guessing the “goulash” I had when I was young deserved quotes around it, since I’m sure ze Germans would know how to make goulash.

The Black Hole

I can’t recall if it was a Saturday or a special day or anything like that, but Rosemary took me and maybe two or three other chillen to the movies, and we saw Disney’s The Black Hole.  That movie came out in December 1979, so I must have been in 3rd grade.  You can imagine what that kind of fantastic sci-fi movie does to the imagination of an obviously gifted and prodigious elementary student.  That day was one of my all-time favorite days ever.

G-force - Battle of the Planets

Battle of the Planets was a common show that everyone voted to watch in the afternoons after school.  You can watch a little on youtube, too, if you need a little nostalgia in a box.  Other shows that we’d watch included What’s Happening!!, Gilligan’s Island reruns, and Happy Days.  I also remember Mork & Mindy at night sometimes, although we didn’t watch much TV at home.

Maryann

Speaking of Maryann (Gilligan’s Island), I can also recall a really really pretty girl with brunette hair named MaryAnn.  I couldn’t pick her out from a lineup or anything, but I remember being enamored with her. 

Doing vs watching

So yes, we watched TV sometimes, and we ate sugar sometimes, and we went outside and played in the little boat they had and the treehouse, but the teachers also spent time with us making crafts or solving a puzzle or playing a game.  They were very involved with us and we created things.  We’d read stories together.  They were interactive with our learning process.  We weren’t plopped in front of the TV and ignored.  We had schedules and followed them diligently

Cheer

Most of all, what I remember from the Gingerbread Hut more than anything else was how happy I was and how cheerful the grown-ups were.  The women who took care of us were always positive, always in a good mood, and always showed cheer. They were excited to hear from us.  They were interested in what we had to say.  They always would add something positive to the conversation.  I can just imagine what a sour or pessimistic person would be to a kid, if they heard or experienced negativism all the time.  I feel so fortunate to have had my formative years at home, with family, at school and at the Gingerbread Hut to have been so positive.

Where are they now?

I drove through Lacy Lakeview a month or so ago and spent a good hour driving around looking at where I spent so many years of my childhood.  One of the places I just stopped and stared at was the Gingerbread Hut.  It was all grown over, not even a sign on the fence as to what it was.  Obviously run down and with no-one using it, the yard withstood my penetrating stare as I searched through and tried to fill in the gaps in my memories.  My throat stiffened and my eyes watered as I longed to thank Rosemary and maybe even recall some of my friends’ names and maybe reminisce.  With someone.

I checked Google Maps and it seems there’s no satellite detail for the entire area where I spent those years:

It’s almost as if they intentionally drew a line for my childhood area and decided to remove it from their scans.  The red box is where I walked, rode my bike, lived, went to school, went to church, and learned for 4 or 5 years.

So if anyone hears of a Rosemary who worked at Gingerbread Hut in Lacy Lakeview, TX, please tell her - Jeremy says Hi and says thank you for loving us.