Part V “A man is entitled to one good dog and one good woman in his life,” Charlie was known to say. After pausing, he then said, “Well, I had me a good dog once.” His bright blue eyes would sparkle and he would smile as those around him laughed. I would be willing to [...]
(Part Four)As members of what was known as the Eckley community in the 1920s, the energetic couple farming the old Schuck farm was known to everyone as Charlie and Mrs. Myers. I find this description very telling, as Charlie was a jovial friend to all, and by every description I have ever heard, his wife [...]
“It sure beat starving,” Charlie would often say of the many ‘room and board’ deals he struck for himself and his brothers over the years of their hard-scrabble childhood.
Part III Charlie was only 12 when his life changed dramatically. He recalled years later the somber train ride from the city he had called home, leaving the bustling business his family owned in Pittsburgh for a farm in the middle of no where in Ohio with an uncle who was a taskmaster. Before boarding [...]
Sometimes the most impressive lives bear unspeakable sorrow but the story is told with a glow of perseverance, or simply never told at all. — Margaret Allenwood, 1902 Part II (See Part I) Anna Chloe spent her life with a steely determination to accomplish farm and house work. Her somber presence stood in stark contrast [...]
“She would gather the eggs in her apron, studying each one, deciding whether this one was a keeper egg or one she would take to town to sell for pennies. Her husband, fortunately, was blessed with the patience of Job, remaining quiet as his wife pinched a nickel until it turned in to a dime.” [...]
When the calendar turns to May, every farmer I know comes down with the fever to turn wheels and kick it in to high gear. Spring weather One day last week, I had the good fortune to enjoy lunch with several farmers I’ve known all my life. It was a gloomy, rainy day with such [...]
By JUDITH SUTHERLAND Farm and Dairy columnist With the birth of a beautiful Haflinger colt, the farm is coming alive again. This sturdy little fellow arrived on his own time, though Doug had been staying close to the mare in case assistance might be needed. He came in the house to eat a quick bite [...]
BY JUDITH SUTHERLAND Farm and Dairy columnist Celebrating a birthday in the church of our childhood included a simple but memorable tradition. Sitting on a post near the altar was a little white church that looked like a perfect replica of the one in which we gathered. On the Sunday closest to a child’s birthday, [...]
“Farmers. You have to love them to like them. You have to live among them to understand them, and even then you can’t be sure. Even now when I see Dick and Carr out in the yard talking earnestly and Carr picking up some stick to whittle, I expect to learn that someone’s wife has [...]
“A wise gamester ought to take the dice even as they fall and pay down quietly, rather than grumble at his luck.” — Sophocles, 403 B.C. You’ve heard of beginner’s luck and dumb luck, but are you familiar with farmer’s luck? It falls somewhere in between the other two. Farmer’s luck ought to be defined [...]
I have often thought that some of the best stories are the ones that are never told. There are likely many such tales in each one of our family histories, and knowing this makes me wish I could interview the so-called average Joe and spend each day writing someone’s life story. Stories I was thrilled [...]
“We need another and a wiser and perhaps more mystical concept of animals. In a world older and more complete than ours they moved, finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the sense we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they [...]
Native Americans are credited with originating the making of maple syrup, which was then shared and passed down to the delight of anyone who has ever been a part of the process. Learning life skills A woman I work with told me that when her older brother was in elementary school, an annual tradition was [...]
“Death is to lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth.” — Thomas Wolfe‘You Can’t Go Home Again’ They are all gone now; we have watched [...]
“Walking, I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly, all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.”— Linda Hogan, born 1947, Native American writer Years ago, I met a man whose ancestry was often mentioned in general conversation. Each story, interesting [...]
By JUDITH SUTHERLAND Farm and Dairy columnist Once again, we find ourselves in the dead of winter, and for far too many of us, this is also the sick season. Tips for life Reaching for a tea bag to help soothe my sore throat on this chilly morning, I found The Wisdom Of Daily Life [...]
(Part III of a series) Part 1- The strong survive and succeed Part 2- The ‘doctors of old’ started as farm children from simple backgrounds The writings of Dr. Arthur E. Hertzler, a Kansas farm boy turned country physician who earned his living by making house calls in the early 1900s, provide a remarkable glimpse [...]