Mom's Story - 1st. Installment

Here's the first edition of Mom's story. I have several pictures that I may try to include from time to time as well. I will be posting additional installments from time to time, so "stay tuned".
Joan

Times Remembered

My Life Story

By

Helen Gertrude Eleanor

Adler Howard

1917 - 2006

On December 19, 1917, I, Helen Gertrude Eleanor Adler, was born to Herbert George Adler and Margaret Croell Adler – the first of eight children. We lived in a small house on Adler Street in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and I went to St. Joseph's Catholic School for 1/2 year. In first grade I had to color a pumpkin and I wrote a number on each mark in the pumpkin. Sister Flata scolded me and spanked my fingers with a ruler.

Then in spring when I was 6 years old, my parents rented a farm in Granton. Grandpa Martin Adler helped move all of us and got us settled in. There was no electricity on the farm so we had to use kerosene lamps and lanterns.. We kids all stayed in the house when Ma and Dad did chores and milked cows. The milk was sold to have money to buy food from the grocery stores and pay the farm expenses.

One time the wood box that sat near the heating stove caught on fire and one of the boys ran to the barn to tell Dad that the house was on fire. Luckily, Dad got the fire put out and the house didn't burn.

We had 2 large horses named Rock and Pete who did all the farm work like making hay and cutting with a mower. We had a side rake to form it into rolls. The horses had to pull a hay wagon with sides and a hay loader behind to bring hay into the wagon. When the wagon was really full, they brought it to the hay barn to unload inside. This fed the cows downstairs all winter.

During the winter when the cows were kept in the barn, we used a manure spreader pulled by a big white horse to spread the manure on the field for fertilizer to make the hay grow for next year. Dad had a bronc to pull a small riding wagon and in the winter a sleigh to go to church or stores. All in all, Dad rented four different farms over the years.

Well,folks, that's it for this time. Will post the 2nd. installment soon. JB