Life on Osmun street was great. Lowell and I managed to fit in and get accepted. This was a time free from drugs and  other social problems faced by kids today.  A kid was pretty much safe to go and do anything within reason. We walked to Murphy Park or hung out at summer school during the day and played around the neighborhood  until about nine o'clock at night.
Michigan had and still has a soft drink bottle law which meant every bottle had a return deposit value of ten cents. Going through the trash barrels at Murphy Park was usually good for a couple of dollars. Just like anywhere else, the more you hustle the better you do.