While we lived on my grandparents’ farm, I attended first and second grades in Womelsdorf. As best as I recall, my mother would drive me into school in the morning and pick me up in the afternoon, but for some reason she couldn’t necessarily be there right when school let out. So I would go … Continue reading “Charlie”
Womelsdorf
Kenneth Riegel
Quote of the day: Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.—Proverbs 17:5 New International Edition[Authorized or King James Version: Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.] I’m not sure when I became aware of … Continue reading Kenneth Riegel
Clarence and Elsie
I believe I’ve mentioned before that when I was growing up we didn’t socialize very much with the Troutman side of the family. I think this was mainly because we spent so much time socializing with my mother’s side, the Zellers side of the family, that there just really wasn’t much time left to spend … Continue reading Clarence and Elsie
What I Learned from Writing This Blog
Writing this blog has been an educational experience for me in several ways, not the least of which is that I’ve learned a lot about my family. And by that I mean the simple act of writing about the events of the past has led to new insights at times. Now those insights may or … Continue reading What I Learned from Writing This Blog
Food Fair
When we lived on the farm just outside Womelsdorf, PA, there were two grocery stores where we could conveniently shop. One of them was on the main street, called High Street, and while it was definitely the larger of the two stores, it didn’t offer its own parking lot, so you had to find a … Continue reading Food Fair
A Few More Words About Suzanne’s Family
I decided to look up a few details about Suzanne Wells, the birthday girl of the previous story. As it turns out, she was born in January of 1950, so that means that her birthday party was in January of 1957. Also, when I checked the 1950 census, I saw that she was only child, … Continue reading A Few More Words About Suzanne’s Family
My First Frenemy
While we were still living on my grandparents’ farm, I attended first and second grades in Womelsdorf, PA. The photo above is of my first grade class from the 1956 yearbook. The green circle is me. Yeah, I know, I look like I’m lost. I don’t know why I’m dressed in what looks like a … Continue reading My First Frenemy
The Farm Can Be Dangerous
My sister reminded me that there might have been another reason for my parents’ decision to move from the farm and in particular to move so precipitously. There was, of course, the incident of my excellent adventure of traveling by foot into Womelsdorf to meet up with a school mate. As I said, I think … Continue reading The Farm Can Be Dangerous
This Can Be Made Livable
This is sort of a grab bag of memories, none of which is quite substantial enough for its own post. I remember being perfectly happy living on the farm. Well, most of the time, that is. One of the meadows where the cows grazed during the day was surrounded by barbed wire, but I guess … Continue reading This Can Be Made Livable
Portrait of the Blogger as an Infant
If the infant in that painting looks familiar, that’s because it’s me at around six months of age. It’s a painting that was always hanging in our living room as I was growing up, and a few years ago I decided to have it reframed. There’s a story to go with it, of course, but … Continue reading Portrait of the Blogger as an Infant