It was never called a living room.  The front room had sheer curtains on the one south-facing window; an upright piano until about 1951 when it was replaced by a studio piano; a maroon patterned rug (never called a carpet) with huge flowers in the print; and a floor model Hi-FI/radio in later years after we got electricity.

That Hi-Fi did amazing service.  We could and did stack twelve 78 RPMs on it and let ‘er rip (when the folks weren’t home) of music such as Her Royal Majesty’s Marine Band.  John Philip Sousa’s work got special use when I was approaching eighth grade and knew I would finally be allowed to try out to be a majorette for the high school band.  So I’d pile on the Sousa records, turn the volume up to the loudest setting, open all the doors and windows…go outside and march back and forth with abandon, working on the high throw-and-catch routines.

Two 5″ X 7″ photos hung on one wall: Natural Bridge, Virginia and Yosemite Falls had been visited and photographed. There was a magazine rack and one easy chair plus Dad’s old rocking chair where he sat and read in the evenings~~magazines, history books and, always, his King James Bible.  The longer winter evenings increased the time spent reading,  and singing around the piano.

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Over the davenport hung a plaque which is still in my home in 2011:

The CROWN of the HOME is GODLINESS

The BEAUTY of the Home is ORDER

The GLORY of the HOME is HOSPITALITY

The BLESSING of the HOME is CONTENTMENT