Growing up,

my grandmother lived with us,

and my grandmother’s name was Nora.

Her husband was named David,

and my middle name is David.

She was very old to me at the time –

I remember sitting on her lap on the front porch –

We watched a neighbor boy walking to school –

He was two years older than me –

I asked her when I would go to school?

Doing the math –

I must have been four years old!

Both my parents worked –

so she raised me along with my sister –

who was fifteen years older.

I had a bed in my parent’s room –

and she had a side bedroom.

My older brother,

ten years older than me,

had the front bedroom.

Eventually – she went to live with my aunt Alice.

At that time my younger brother came along –

and we were too much for her to handle.

We were like water and oil –

cat and dog!

He would look at me –

and let out a high-pitched scream –

and then I was in trouble.

My childhood after she left-

was spent looking up to my older brother –

he was my idol –

and at 18 he went off to college –

I moved into his bedroom at the front of the house –

overlooking the main street.

The early morning sun came through the windows –

and woke me up.

Funny – later in life I still wake up before dawn.

I would fall asleep listening to the cars –

and trucks going past on the main street-

and behind the house were the railroad tracks –

I would listen for the train –

blowing its whistle –

and then the “CLICK-CLICK” from the wheels as it came along the tracks.

But – those early years came with me-

being really close to Grandma.

She would cook huge pots of bean soup –

and we would eat them for days!

In her early years –

she was Pa. Dutch –

she and her mother traveled with the logging people-

She would cook the meals –

breakfast – lunch and dinner.

That was in the late 1800s – I believe she was born in 1885!

I do not know much about that period of her life –

Just that her maiden name was Schick (SP) –

and she had a sister –

who we called Aunt Emma –

and a brother we called Uncle Frank.

There may have been more but I do not remember.

They – like my father –

were what we called “DOWN HOMERS”-

Downstate Pa.-

In the Brookview and Corsica area.

My early life was shaped by Grandma –

I regret that she came –

and went so fast in my life.

She was 64 or so when I was born –

And she and grandpa David-

had a large family –

ELEVEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

My mother –

was second from the youngest and Allen was the youngest.

My Aunt Alice was third from the youngest –

who she went and lived with.

Grandpa died before I was born

and I have always thought –

that my middle name came from him!

He was a tall man – of Irish descent – 6’3″ I was told.

A generous man –

during the great depression –

He would take flour and meat to the neighbors to help them out!

They had a large farm back then.

All those kids – three girls and eight boys worked the farm with Grandpa.

Grandma at that time was done with the cooking for the loggers and ran the household!

He died from a Heart Attack while stringing up a hog to butcher!

The line of the family all had heart problems –

me included –

and my older brother.

Mary – my mother – Aunt Kate – she was tall like her father – not sure? Grandma ( Nora) –

Grandpa David – Clark – Aunt Alice – Uncle Allen.

Back row to the left – Uncle Roy – a veteran of WWI –

The boy’s names –

Jim – Sid – Elmer -Everett-

I am not sure about the rest-

as they were gone when I was young.

And I had never seen them this young!

Uncle Roy always came to the house dressed in a suit –

vest and tie and a wide-brimmed hat in his hands,

He was the oldest and survived WWI!

He had a wife named Hazel –

and I believe still lived somewhere Down Home!

Most of the others –

made their way to WNY –

and the Wellsview area –

except Mom – Alice and Allen who lived near Eldred.

Aunt Kate and Uncle Clint also remained DOWN HOMERS –

and had a large farm.

My earliest memory of her is a HUGE BLACK BULL with horns in a barn stall!

Scared the crap out of me!

There were many cousins –

but I was like a second family that came along –

everyone was ten to twenty-five or more years older than I was.

I want to thank Jody Peterson –

my cousin’s son who posted this picture to FaceBook!

I had never seen it!

He is the grandson of my Aunt Alice.

I believe I take more after my mother’s side of the family – they all were broad chests –

curly hair –

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD-

my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog