An Answer to ConnieB’s Question “What decade did you enjoy the most

​This is in answer to ConnieB’s question “Which decade did I enjoy the most”?

     That is a hard question to answer.  Short answer, all of them, they were wonderful times to be alive. I was born in June, 1939 in our house on a farm owned by Mr Tucker located on old route 127 South of St John’s. Dad was working his farm on shares. Two shares for dad doing the work and one share to Mr Tucker, the farm owner. I remember that dad said he liked it there and Mr Tucker was a good fair man to work for and with. I was born in June 1939 and Dad and Mom were preparing to move that summer to a farm that they purchased on Nims Rd at the intersection with Meridian Rd. I could say I helped dad and mom move that summer but I was probably more of a hindrance. Dad told me that after he got everything moved he walked to the back of the farm to look every thing over and thought “what have I done?  Before he moved he came down and planted oats and corn to have feed for the horses and cows along with hay that was already growing there. 

     Our family consisted of mom, dad, Bill, Frank, Bob and me. My older sisters Maxine (Dede) and Bertha (Jean) were married. Jean to Stewart Diehm, a carpenter and Maxine to Gerald Salisbury a Methodist Minster. Dede being 22 years older than me and Jean was 20 years older than me.  Bill died from a farm accident when I was about 3 years old so I don’t remember too much about him except he used to ruff house with me and I know from talking with dad that he would have continued farming posibily taking over the farm from dad. None of the rest of us were interested in farming for a living. Frank was more interested in building and construction. Bob was into after market car products and I worked in the printing industry, instalation and repair. (Another story at a later date)

    Mom would send me down to whatever field dad was working with the horses to get him for lunch and he would put me up on one of the horses to ride back to the house so he could feed and water them.  About every other year dad would buy 100 new hatched chicks in the spring, they would be delivered in boxes with small holes so they could breath by the mail man and we had a small Brooder house to raise chicks in, it was on skids so dad could use the tractor to move it to deferent parts of the farm but not far from the buildings so they could scratch around the dirt and grass as they grew. Dad always kept them in the brooder house at night safe from the foxes and other critters. In the early fall they were ready to be put in with what was left of last years flock - the ones we didn’t eat or sold to the butcher. It was the kids job to feed the chickens gather eggs and see that they had water. We generally had 10 or 24 dozen eggs that we took to Olly the local grocer each week to trade for butter and kitchen stuff for mom. Those all had to be washed and cleaned and put in special egg boxes 2 1/2 dozen each layer.

    When I was about 4 years old I got really sick and mom and dad took me to the old Doc Kraft and he said to get me to the hospital. It seemed that I had appendicitis and they had to remove my appendix. The closest hospital was at Eaton Rapids, about 20 miles from home. We got there early evening and they had to keep me overnight so they could operate in the morning and they wouldn’t let mom stay with me, so they kissed me and said they would be back in the morning. In the morning they wheeled me to the operating room. I guess I fought them because I couldn’t breathe when they put a plastic cup over my nose and mouth to give me ether to put me to sleep.  When I woke up I was back in my room in a plastic tent. I tried to get out and the nurse came in and said they were giving me oxygen and to lay back down. I still felt like I couldn’t breath so I found an opening in the side and pulled it open and stuck my nose out so I could breathe. Then a nurse came in and said “ oh you poor dear” and she removed the plastic tent and I could breathe.   

     During that first 5 years of my life (a memory can’t put into a time line). Dad had a heart attack and he was setting in the living room unable to breathe.  Mom called the Dr. we hade a party line and I remember mom shouting “get off the phone I got to call the Dr) and the Dr. came racing out in his car and ran into the house. Mom said he gave dad a shot of something right into his heart. In a short time dad could breath again. The Dr told mom that dad should rest for 10 days. I vaguely remember during that time we had a sale. Mom I think was trying to take some of the pressure off dad. We raised hogs, chickens, calves, milk cows and a few sheep. We had 4 horses ( two teams). They sold the sheep and two of the horses. We had an Oliver tractor so the implements that were horse drawn were converted to fit behind the tractor. Bob did the milking and took care of the pigs while dad was recovering. I took care of the chickens gathered the eggs and made sure they were in the chicken coop at night and their door was closed so the varmints couldn’t get to them. 

Well, I will stop here. Next will be grade school.