Where do I begin to talk about the two people who had the most to do with preparing me for life. Auntie (as we called her) and Uncle John Patrick were people we were boarded out to from grade one through grade six with the exception of grade four that we were back with out parents. I think mom and dad fought so much they didn't want us to see it all the time is why we ended up at the Patricks.

What a great decision that was on their part. The Patrick's were both from Scotland and had a teenaged daughter named Jean. They were the hardest working people I have ever known. Uncle John owned this little 10 acre farm and I think he must have raised every fruit and vegtable that can be raised in Ohio except peaches. You name a fruit or vegtable, they grew it. Then, as a fifth grader, I had to go down to the roadside and sell them. Strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, potatoes, you name it, I had to sell it. I guess I was good at it and I kinda liked doing it cause it sure beat picking the strawberries and the other stuff.

These people were God fearing people. We had to go to church every Sunday. They went into Northfield to their church and Bill and I went into Macedonia to our church. We usually got home before they did but Sunday was their only day of rest. Our parents would also come out and visit us on Sundays. Always a big meal. Sadly, many times we would have chicken for dinner and I was usually the one who had to go out to the chicken coup and catch and kill a chicken. I hated cutting their throats but I had to do it.

I don't recall either of them ever cussing, drinking or smoking. They taught us manners, hard work ethic, and responsibility.

There were just too many experiences that took place over those years to list here. A couple I remember, with some pain, was having to get some hay during the winter for the two cows. In the fall, Uncle John would stack a big pile of hay outside and cover it with a tarp. We would have to pull out enough hay to feed the cows. The problem was it would get so cold in Macedonia, the entire hay pile would be frozen. You have no idea how hard it is to pull out clumps of frozen hay from the stack. We would sometimes get as little as only two or three strands of hay at a time. Our fingers would be numb from the cold. We would be crying but we knew we could not stop until we pulled enough to feed the cows. How I hated doing that.

They raised pure bred collie dogs and sold them in Cleveland. Uncle John had a full time job driving a streetcar in Cleveland. He would also take eggs into town with him and sell them. I had so much fun playing with all the dogs as they were growing up. I hated when they had to sell one of them though.

One incident I could never forget was when the bull from the farm next door got loose and came on to our property. I was in the third grade at the time. Between the house and where the bull came from, we had a small corn field and the stalks were fully grown. As that bull saw me, he came running at me. I was only able to get away from it by running into the field. Fortunately, Uncle John heard me yelling and came out. He and the neighbors were able to capture the bull but I was still so scared.

On and on with the stories I could go. I have always given them credit for my bing a good person. Just before going into the seventh grade, my smart mouth got me in trouble with Auntie though and they decided to send us back to my mother. I saw them one other time, in 1972, as I was driving back from San Diego to Washington D.C. for a school I had to attend. They were living in Georgia and poor auntie was so far gone, she couldn't remember me. Uncle John did and we had a nice conversation. I felt like I lost my dad when I found out he had passed away. Never did actually find out when Auntie passed but I was told she had to go to a home in her later years. Jean had left the farm after we had been there less than a year. Spoke to her once several years ago but not much really to talk about.

These were two marvelous people. Married almost 50 years. True traditional family life. Hard workers. Fair and honest people. They are indelible in my heart and I will always remember them with the deepest love. I have so much to thank them for. Great, great memories. Thank you so much folks.