I recall Christmases when we lived in the Great Stone House on my grandfather’s farm. We’d always have a Christmas tree, and I can still remember my father bringing one home (sometimes I’d go with him to pick it up) and we’d put it in the red and green stand, already filled with water to … Continue reading O Tannenbaum
The Farm
Spiders Dancing on My Pillow
One of my early memories is being very sick so that my mother was sleeping in my bedroom with me. It’s very strange, but I think I remember Reed being there as well, so I think he must have been sick also, otherwise why would he have been there? Or perhaps I’m just imagining that … Continue reading Spiders Dancing on My Pillow
Reed and Me
Although this photo is dated November 1953, I believe that’s when the roll of film was developed, not necessarily when this picture was taken. I have no memory of the photo, so I can’t say anything about it. Assuming that it was taken sometime in late 1953, I would have been four years old and … Continue reading Reed and Me
The Other Farm
John Jacob Troutman (1895 - 1965) and his wife Edna M Moyer (1894 - 1966) actually owned two farms. Unlike Twin Meadows Farm, the second one didn’t have a name, or if it did, I never knew it. We always called it The Other Farm. Satellite image of The Other Farm as it looks today. … Continue reading The Other Farm
I Couldn’t Go Home Again
The Great Stone House on my grandfather’s Twin Meadows Farm was my favorite of all the places I’ve lived. It had large rooms, and once the Gerharts moved out, I had my own bedroom and a year-round playroom. Add in a finished basement and a real spooky attic (I loved to go there during the … Continue reading I Couldn’t Go Home Again
The Dogs of Twin Meadows Farm
We lived in the Great Stone House, as I’m now dubbing it, on my grandfather’s Twin Meadows Farm from early in 1952 when I turned three to early in 1957 when I turned eight. Probably the best years of my life. It’s certainly my favorite house of any place I’ve ever lived. And the dogs! … Continue reading The Dogs of Twin Meadows Farm
The Moyer Connection
One of the minor lingering mysteries that I wanted to solve about my relatives was how I was related to high school classmate Suzanne Berger. When she and I first met back in eighth grade, she told me we were related, but other than we were cousins of some sort, I never knew just how. … Continue reading The Moyer Connection
The Sled
There’s another story involving my uncle Reed in the wintertime, but I’m not quite sure just when it occurred. We were living on the farm, of that I’m sure, because it takes place on the farm. I pulled up a satellite image of the farm as it looks today, and I barely recognize the place. … Continue reading The Sled