Wishing all of you a Happy Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
My best guess is this image was taken in 1959 or 1960. Mom in her stylish glasses, from left to right, my middle brother Gary, me, my sister Karen, and my oldest brother Dale. Dad was behind the camera. Gary and Dale are living in Florida, my sister Karen is back living five miles from where it all began. Mom and Dad (and my paternal grandparents, and aunt and uncle) are buried a mile down the road from the farm.
To the right is the tiny 500 sq. ft. house we lived in when I was born. In the background, on the far left the white building with the green roof, is a honey extracting plant, to the right of that the old barn, beyond that to the right and behind it is the original farm house that my grandparents lived in, to the right of that the white structure with a green roof, was originally a chicken house, my grandfather finished it inside, and had a pool table there. My grandfather had bought this 80 acre farm, in the middle of the thumb of Michigan during World War II, for a song. He needed to move the bees and the extracting plant out of the city, and a co-worker needed to sell the farm to settle a family fight. It was a humble place, filled with love and possibilities.
I come from very modest means, I have come a long way from my beginnings. Origin is not destiny, but the fundamentals of taking care of money, of looking at what I need - not just what I want, has served me well.
Where we are today, does not have to be where we are tomorrow.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
A Happy New Year to you also. Isn't it amazing how little space so many families had to live in back in those days. Today is a good geography lesson as I now know where Michigan is, and I assume the thumb is the sticking out bit directly north of Detroit.
ReplyDeleteThe lower peninsula of Michigan, is shaped like the back of your hand, with the thumb on the right, surrounded by the Great Lakes.
Deleteamazing journeys; wonder where 2020 will take us?
ReplyDeleteOnward, always onward.
DeleteThat's a lot of people in a 500 square-foot house! Times were different then, for sure. You've done well for yourself and may 2020 bring you even more opportunities! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI was very young when we added another, slightly larger house next to this, I don't know how we all fit in the original little house. My parents retirement home, at about 1800 Sq Ft was the largest home they ever owned. Happy New Year to you and yours!
DeleteI grew up in a 1200 Sq Ft house with my parents and two sisters. My dad was a badly paid college professor and my mom stayed at home. Sometimes a meal for the five of us would be one normal-sized can of tomato soup made with milk with some cooked ground beef added to it for the five of us and a salad each of a canned pear half with cottage cheese. We probably couldn't have eaten so modestly, but well, if we'd been boys instead of girls.
ReplyDeleteMy mom would have been dressed almost exactly like your mom, down to the glasses!
Happy New Year!!
My hubby is a retired professor, sadly salaries outside of high demand fields, are going down again at most Universities. Happy new year
DeleteMay 2020 be marvelous for the three of you !
ReplyDeleteMe, myself, and I?
DeleteI so love your “the way we were” photos. So much better than studio shots! 500 sq ft house for a family of 6! Isn’t it amazing what we NEED now? Obviously that would have been tight but still...
ReplyDeleteI am re-reading Thoreau and his rant about the burden of wants vs needs, from the early 1800's.
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