The marks moved incrementally up the door frame no more than a half inch or more at a time. To the side they were assigned the initials of the one being measured: REC, TCC, PJC, KIC, and DMC. Measurements were taken on no particular schedule, but probably after a fair amount of pestering had transpired. In resignation – perhaps curiosity, but mostly to satisfy – the yard stick would be brought out as one by each the subjects stood. Shoulders back, eyes forward, head level as that same yard stick served first as marking point and then was brought down the wall to measure the height of the subject. Inches were converted to feet and inches called out to the nearest quarter or eighth. Growth was noted, cheered, celebrated, and marked for all of posterity on the frame behind the door to our utility room. Those marks, perhaps under a layer or two of paint, still exist today.
As the youngest of the above identified initials, and therefore the shortest for quite some time, I took specific interest in the gains being made in my growth in stature. Was I gaining on my siblings? Continue reading
danielcash 