Lovely, John, as usual. The more you write the better I feel about my fellow humans. The doctor/uncle, though, makes me ashamed to be a member of the same species. Who throws their child out on a winter's night, especially Christmas Eve, because they aren't living the life you have planned for them? I wonder if he ever had any regret that he had been an asshole to his daughter. I cannot imagine a minute without my daughter in my life. What was he made of?
Welcome to the Farrs on their ancestral turf. Granny's father was a circuit-riding preacher with a mule in Parsons County, WV. Of the "shoutin' Methodist" variety. My grandad had the temerity to be a mild iconoclast and quit his railroad office clerking job to move them from WV to the Eastern Shore of MD and be a turnip farmer. No, really. Turnips must have been the NFTs of whatever time that was. Young Uncle Bob took them from the train station in Elkton, MD down to Queen Anne's County on a buckboard. That didn't work so they tried chickens. THAT didn't work so granddad opened up a little newsstand in Sudlersville, MD and sold ice cream cones on the side. Eventually he built his own house ("Granny's house in Chestertown") and lost both legs to gangrene. Uncle Bob grew out of all this during the early years of the Depression. He really did the things I talked about. The only things I ever saw him read were medical journals. He never took vacations or did anything the least bit fun. That usually means a man is scared, so maybe he was made of fear. It runs in the family, watered by guilt. Of course the family's almost extinct.
My lifetime arc has been to leave that all behind. We'll see. According to your leadoff, I may be making progress. 😎
Thanks John. Reminds me of my own lost cousins on both sides of my family. I wish now I could have a conversation with them as I have very little knowledge of my family history.
I Loved the pics. I just want to hug those babies.
Lovely, John, as usual. The more you write the better I feel about my fellow humans. The doctor/uncle, though, makes me ashamed to be a member of the same species. Who throws their child out on a winter's night, especially Christmas Eve, because they aren't living the life you have planned for them? I wonder if he ever had any regret that he had been an asshole to his daughter. I cannot imagine a minute without my daughter in my life. What was he made of?
Welcome to the Farrs on their ancestral turf. Granny's father was a circuit-riding preacher with a mule in Parsons County, WV. Of the "shoutin' Methodist" variety. My grandad had the temerity to be a mild iconoclast and quit his railroad office clerking job to move them from WV to the Eastern Shore of MD and be a turnip farmer. No, really. Turnips must have been the NFTs of whatever time that was. Young Uncle Bob took them from the train station in Elkton, MD down to Queen Anne's County on a buckboard. That didn't work so they tried chickens. THAT didn't work so granddad opened up a little newsstand in Sudlersville, MD and sold ice cream cones on the side. Eventually he built his own house ("Granny's house in Chestertown") and lost both legs to gangrene. Uncle Bob grew out of all this during the early years of the Depression. He really did the things I talked about. The only things I ever saw him read were medical journals. He never took vacations or did anything the least bit fun. That usually means a man is scared, so maybe he was made of fear. It runs in the family, watered by guilt. Of course the family's almost extinct.
My lifetime arc has been to leave that all behind. We'll see. According to your leadoff, I may be making progress. 😎
Thanks John. Reminds me of my own lost cousins on both sides of my family. I wish now I could have a conversation with them as I have very little knowledge of my family history.
I Loved the pics. I just want to hug those babies.