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1938 Fr. Vincent's audience with the Pope
The merchant’s son

The merchant’s son

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Back when Farmer Gary and I announced our engagement (just-in-time-for-Christmas, 1981), so many of my relatives and college friends chimed in, “My grandparents were farmers!” or “My great-uncle grew up on a farm!” Suddenly, the world was one big farm. I’m experiencing the same with Gary’s family tree. Every ten years, the census report announces this ancestor or that was a farmer. Their children were “farm laborers.” Farmers everywhere! It took a half-second longer than it should have for me…

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A Clockwork Orange
Birth, death, survival

Birth, death, survival

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Book 1: A Midwife’s Story by Penny Armstrong Farmer Gary‘s fascination with all things Amish made this an easy choice at the bookstore years ago. This memoir traces Penny Armstrong’s initial interest in midwifery to her studies in multiple countries. She eventually settles in among the Amish. Lots of interesting stories, most of joyous survival but a few with heart-wrenching outcomes. She had every reason to criticize those-in-power who assumed she was inept, yet her harsh words for hospital deliveries…

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1952 Dad and a wheelbarrow
The wheelbarrow

The wheelbarrow

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Two years ago, as Gary and I finished clearing out Mom and Dad’s house in Connecticut, we set aside all kinds of mementos from their lives that we hoped would fit in the U-Box containers we’d rented. One entire section of the garage was filled with gardening tools. Some I remembered clearly from 50-something years prior. Dad loved to garden. It relaxed him after a long day in the office. A hoe, a rake, or a trowel was a piece…

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‘Off with you, then!’

‘Off with you, then!’

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This is the unofficial Year of the Groundhog. Poor Farmer Gary just had to re-plant the soybean field next to our house. Why? Not the usual reason of too much rain or not enough rain. Why, then? Our local groundhogs have apparently decided that Gary is their personal chef and the soybean field is their grand buffet. Deep down, though, surely they realize they’re in the wrong. After all, the rows closest to the woods are the first to be…

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2023 cactus from Mom & Dad's
Saint Patrick’s cactus

Saint Patrick’s cactus

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Exactly two years ago, almost to the minute, Farmer Gary and I were in the process of clearing out Mom and Dad’s house in Madison, Connecticut. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say the challenge of dividing up belongings among the siblings, the grandchildren, and friends was just the beginning. Some items were donated, others given to friends of friends. But the house still wasn’t empty. And we were running out of time. My cousin Suzanne lives not…

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Library chair
May the books be with you

May the books be with you

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Another month is coming to an end, along with another pile of satisfying reads. This May, there were new titles by familiar authors, stories from previously unknown writers, plus a cold-case treatment for the tragic betrayal of Anne Frank. Book 1: Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey Oh, this was a good one! When the author appears to give away the ending at the very beginning, you know you’re in for a ride. This particular ride was on a prized horse,…

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1959 Paula & Grandpa Vayo with Dave
Baby steps

Baby steps

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This really shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but one gratifying side benefit to building a family tree is “discovering” living relatives you didn’t even know existed. It’s an extra bonus when that person is also interested in discovering and sharing family information, stories, and photos. Since I joined a Facebook group for Ancestry.com members a few months back, it’s been amazing to see the many ways there are to delve into the past. Some use multiple platforms, others create…

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Say cheese

Say cheese

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“Oh, boy! Stinky cheese!” Dad sure knew how to clear a room. He was crazy about pungent cheese and all the drama his eating it entailed. Maybe it was the Frenchy-Frenchman side of him? We kids would run for cover while he all but inhaled chunks of Camembert, Munster, and Feta. Phew! As a child, I remember begging Mom to let me wait for her outside of a food shop in Pittsfield, a store that specialized (or so it seemed)…

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Sisters Athanasia and Vincentia Wigger
The Sisters

The Sisters

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Let me admit up front to taking more than a few minutes to decide whether to name this post “The Sisters” or “The sisters.” Because this is the story of two sisters who chose to live their lives as Sisters. The past month or so, I’ve dug in on Farmer Gary‘s side of the family. Specifically, after his godmother Stella’s funeral, her sister Marie gave us a packet of information Stella’s late husband, Arch, had collected over the decades. Arch…

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"The Dickens Encyclopaedia"
Is this a cheat?

Is this a cheat?

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Before we take a look at this month’s books, here’s an update regarding Bleak House. As you may recall from last month, I’m reading Dickens’ Bleak House as it was originally released – in installments. Each month, I’ll read the same chapters that were released in the original, serialized version that same month back in 1852. As I sat down last week to read chapters five through seven, some of the characters and situations were foggy. (That’s a tip of…

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