On the morning of September 14, 1939, it being harvest time, the bells are to toll at 5:00 a.m. The man responsible for ringing the church bells somehow got his time mixed up this particular morning. He rang the bells at 4:00 a.m., intending only to announce the beginning of this new day; he also inadvertently announced the arrival of a new babe in their midst at that moment. This new one would be my vehicle of transport in this third dimensional school we call life. One day later, it seemed that my arrival would turn into a speedy departure. My body, that I was just becoming acquainted with, came down with pneumonia …
***
On Wednesday, a woman living on the next street came to Grandfather Bappert to ask about her son marrying his daughter. On Saturday, Grandfather Elsner came by with the same proposal for the younger of his two sons.
***
My parents' wedding day with their parents in the courtyard of her home where he would now live with his wife while her parents moved into the smaller house across the courtyard. She wore the first white wedding dress in the town's history. Everyone always wore black.
Notice the black dresses and scarves in July.
***
Knowing Bappert had money, the gamblers in the outfit started to request loans from him to tide them over. He saw this as an opportunity for a better future for his family. He loaned them money, but at the rate of six for five until payday. Short as he was, Grandfather had become a loan shark.
***
It was soon realized, however, that Peter wasn’t going to be a tailor—he had ants in his pants and couldn't sit still. To get out of sitting all day, sewing, he’d look for his mother when Grandfather wasn’t looking. “Please come and get me to do something around the house for you,” he always pleaded with his mother, who’d shortly come and get him.
Grandfather decided Peter should go to barber school for a year. This was an ideal choice for Peter since he had the gift of gab. He loved telling jokes, tales and fables, sometimes of his own creation, and as a barber, you might say he had a captive audience that was constantly changing.
***
Geese and ducks are wonderful farm animals for a number of reasons. They eat weeds growing around the property or field and the seeds of weeds lying on the ground. They will control the growth of grasses by snacking on it. Geese and ducks also love snails and slugs that might otherwise make a meal of the vegetable garden. In addition, kids love the antics of ducks and geese.
Geese, easily trained to find their way home, were led out to the field the farmer wanted them in that day. They stayed there until evening, when the mature geese led the way home with the goslings following.
***
Farmers didn’t process the hemp grown by them. They traded or sold the hemp to a processing plant and received or purchased the required materials for what they intended to make.
When I asked my mother if she knew what hemp was she said, "No.” Looking in the German-English dictionary, I found the German name. Now, Mother said, "It was a crop that was used for the making of cloth materials. You can use it for making anything from potato sacks to the very finest linens and curtains. It also was used for making rope and twine. It was used by everyone."When I told her that hemp was the official name for marijuana, she was flabbergasted and unbelieving.
***
When the oldest son got married, a lawyer drew up an agreement stipulating that the son and his wife would have to take care of the needs of both parents as long as they lived. If the son died before the parents then the estate was required to see to the parents needs as long as either lived. The parents may have given up control of the farm and land to the eldest son upon marriage, but they kept whatever money, if any, they had been able to put aside over the years. This gave them more control over their own lives.
To order book:
Use this Paypal link to Buy now from account riverofml@yahoo.com
Please e-mail me at the above e-mail address where the book is to be sent.
***
On Wednesday, a woman living on the next street came to Grandfather Bappert to ask about her son marrying his daughter. On Saturday, Grandfather Elsner came by with the same proposal for the younger of his two sons.
***
My parents' wedding day with their parents in the courtyard of her home where he would now live with his wife while her parents moved into the smaller house across the courtyard. She wore the first white wedding dress in the town's history. Everyone always wore black.
Notice the black dresses and scarves in July.
***
Knowing Bappert had money, the gamblers in the outfit started to request loans from him to tide them over. He saw this as an opportunity for a better future for his family. He loaned them money, but at the rate of six for five until payday. Short as he was, Grandfather had become a loan shark.
***
It was soon realized, however, that Peter wasn’t going to be a tailor—he had ants in his pants and couldn't sit still. To get out of sitting all day, sewing, he’d look for his mother when Grandfather wasn’t looking. “Please come and get me to do something around the house for you,” he always pleaded with his mother, who’d shortly come and get him.
Grandfather decided Peter should go to barber school for a year. This was an ideal choice for Peter since he had the gift of gab. He loved telling jokes, tales and fables, sometimes of his own creation, and as a barber, you might say he had a captive audience that was constantly changing.
***
Geese and ducks are wonderful farm animals for a number of reasons. They eat weeds growing around the property or field and the seeds of weeds lying on the ground. They will control the growth of grasses by snacking on it. Geese and ducks also love snails and slugs that might otherwise make a meal of the vegetable garden. In addition, kids love the antics of ducks and geese.
Geese, easily trained to find their way home, were led out to the field the farmer wanted them in that day. They stayed there until evening, when the mature geese led the way home with the goslings following.
***
Farmers didn’t process the hemp grown by them. They traded or sold the hemp to a processing plant and received or purchased the required materials for what they intended to make.
When I asked my mother if she knew what hemp was she said, "No.” Looking in the German-English dictionary, I found the German name. Now, Mother said, "It was a crop that was used for the making of cloth materials. You can use it for making anything from potato sacks to the very finest linens and curtains. It also was used for making rope and twine. It was used by everyone."When I told her that hemp was the official name for marijuana, she was flabbergasted and unbelieving.
***
When the oldest son got married, a lawyer drew up an agreement stipulating that the son and his wife would have to take care of the needs of both parents as long as they lived. If the son died before the parents then the estate was required to see to the parents needs as long as either lived. The parents may have given up control of the farm and land to the eldest son upon marriage, but they kept whatever money, if any, they had been able to put aside over the years. This gave them more control over their own lives.
To order book:
Use this Paypal link to Buy now from account riverofml@yahoo.com
Please e-mail me at the above e-mail address where the book is to be sent.
