Editorial / Opinions

Born in 1912, my father was a young man during the Great Depression. Having only gone to school a few months and, in his words, “not much caring for it,” he had already farmed for several years when the financial and marketing crisis settled in on all of America. Looking back, I can only assume that this devastating era of our country’s past shaped both him and my mother into how they lived their lives.

I offer a few thankful thoughts to ponder as we approach the beginning of the holiday season.

The election of the year 2008 is over, thank God. The next president of the United States of America is a former Chicago lawyer and member of the U.S. Congress named Obama.

Born in 1912, my father was a young man during the Great Depression. Having only gone to school a few months and, in his words, “not much caring for it,” he had already farmed for several years when the financial and marketing crisis settled in on all of America.  Looking back, I can only assume that this devastating era of our country’s past shaped both him and my mother into how they lived their lives.

In the past few years, it seems I've only gone back to the farm for large projects like hay hauling, fencing and most recently, barn building. Dad has put up a quonset-style barn, and for our small family farm, this project meant all hands on deck. Eighty feet at a little over two feet at a time is quite the effort! The day I joined in, I was on the ground crew, breaking the slag off the welds my brother and dad had completed, and then polishing them ‘til they shined. I had on goggles, sparks were flying everywhere, but I was soaking up the stress-relief that comes with some good, hard manual labor.

Parker's Court History:
Part Two

If you’re like me, I’ll bet you’ve thought (at least once in your life) about your eventual funeral – at least in terms of who might come or offer condolences to the family. A friend of mine recently got that rare glimpse into what people would think of him after he’s gone.

In the past few years, it seems I've only gone back to the farm for large projects like hay hauling, fencing and most recently, barn building. Dad has put up a quonset-style barn, and for our small family farm, this project meant all hands on deck. Eighty feet at a little over two feet at a time is quite the effort! The day I joined in, I was on the ground crew, breaking the slag off the welds my brother and dad had completed, and then polishing them ‘til they shined. I had on goggles, sparks were flying everywhere, but I was soaking up the stress-relief that comes with some good, hard manual labor.

For nearly 50 years I have nurtured two tattered and faded documents in my collection of items that might someday be worth sharing with readers.

If you’re like me, I’ll bet you’ve thought (at least once in your life) about your eventual funeral – at least in terms of who might come or offer condolences to the family. A friend of mine recently got that rare glimpse into what people would think of him after he’s gone.