IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 35

There was one time when we were living in Arkansas out in the country and C decided to raise chicken so we could have fresh eggs and if we had too many we would sell some to friends. We did not have close neighbors.

Now C did not do anything hap hazard. He did research and read up on chickens and layers and knew exactly what he was going to buy and how to house them. First we built the chicken coop for the chickens and then we purchased a group of 50 chicks and had put them in a large cardboard box and kept them under a large light to keep them warm.


We had to wait until they got a little larger to find out what the sex was. This batch that he purchased had 2 roosters in it and we had to eliminate one and before we knew it we didn’t have to worry about which one. You cannot have more than one rooster in the roost. One rooster rules in the chicken coop. One morning Carl came out to feed the chickens and the hens made their own choice and eliminated one rooster by pecking him to death. I now can understand what they mean when they say, “ he’s hen pecked."

When Carl with my help built the coop he had to make it rodent proof, so he dug a trench three feet deep and two feet wide putting in the trench cement blocks against the chicken wire then coming up high enough to built the wooden structure above ground on the cinderblock base. To me it was like a fortress. It had large plexus glass windows that opened from the bottom by attaching the window to a chain hanging from the top in a way it couldn’t rain in and the screen on the inside kept everything out but air. We were never bother by rodents in our chicken coop. These windows were on three sides to give the inside light. There was no outside run for the chickens they just stayed in the coop that was a long rectangle.



Inside he built roosts where the hens laid their eggs. They were white and some brown. We ate fresh eggs every morning andthey really do taste different than the store bought. Our grandson loved to go in the coop to help collect the eggs.

On the inside of the coop the floor was a dirt base that was covered with straw that was very deep for the chickens to scratch and peck keeping their place clean. Believe me there was no odor at all and we never had to do any cleaning out of the coop. If I didn’t actually see it I would have had my doubts like I am sure some of you reading this are having. Like I said Carl always read up and planned before every undertaking.

Oh yes there was one hen that did not want me collecting her eggs and she actually chased me several times. She definitely liked Carl and when he got in the pen she strutted around like a peacock. It was one of the funniest things to see. People who know chickens I am sure have their own stories that are similar about the personality of chickens and how funny they can be.

We also had several dogs and cats because people use to drop off their unwanted pets in the country thinking they can fend for themselves. I can tell them that liters from domesticated pets cannot make it. One person dropped off a litter of newborn kittens and before we ever found them they we in bad shape that we had to have the vet dispose them. It is a shame what some people will do to animals. When I say we lived in the country it was really a place just out of the town’ business section on five acres near the access road. So the veterinary doctors were close bye and the people had the same access to them as we did. Those that just dropped off animals were I guess too cheap to donate to the Humane Society. You will have to excuse me I really get riled up about what some people do to discard their pet they no longer want. To us pets are members of the family.


We went to the Pennsylvania Amish to purchase a dog that was advertised it was just a mutt but C liked the dog because it reminded him of the dog he had in one of the foster homes he lived he called sport. So we gave fifty dollars for this dog he named Sport. It was suppose to be Australian shepherd and part mutt but Sport grew up and looked like a beautiful Collie with the sweetest and laziest disposition. It sure didn’t look like an Australian shepherd and C loved this dog.
At that time we had a smooth hair fox terrier that was one of the bossiest dogs ever. She led poor sport along like he was on a chain. He would wait to see what Perky would do then he did the same except get on the furniture. Love would be mighty dull with animals as part of the family.

I see I am getting lengthy so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 34

This is a continuation of our time Germany with M & K. Did you ever read something and didn’t grasp what it said. Some times that happens when my mind is working quicker than my what comes out of my mouth. I had a response to my last post that was offering me a way to send flowers to Germany. I am still pondering if they really understood that I am talking of the past and not the present. Really that is the only thing I am qualified to talk about is what C and I did together. The future only holds expectations of what the Lord has in store for me. The one thing I do know it is going to be better than I can ever imagine.

I wanted to mention that in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen was the home of the grandson of Johann Strauss. This is a picture of the family house that was large and stately. When we walked to town we always passed their lovely house.



KL had her first child we were there with M and K staying with them and C is putting sign on the door of the house in Germany saying it it’s a boy. Next picture is proud dad holding his son. Grandson J.M. was a delightful handful and it was great to be there to give my daughter the kind of help mothers do. This picture shows C and I at the table taking turns holding the baby.

I did forget how quickly babies grow up from the rock-a-bye-baby stage to the carriage stage and then to the stroller. C & I were definitely in our place at the right time. We thoroughly enjoyed being Opa and Oma walking pushing the carriage down to the square. This picture shows mother pushing the stroller.

The people would stop us to see the baby and say; “Opa, das good and of course C would enjoy the comments. C always pushed because he was the proud Opa. We never did get a chance to do this with our first grand child because they we live in a Mobil Home in the country that had dirt roads and grass plus it was dusty most of the time. We did have a nice large screened porch that we enjoyed with grandson number one.

If we happened to be down at the square at that time we would always planned to stop with the baby to have our tea and cake. It was a good and joyful time for us. We were truly living a life of many blessings with being able to be with our grandchildren growing up. We were not there in Germany for their 2nd child a little girl and just to enjoy seeing the pictures.

Here is a picture of their other grandmother enjoying their children. I am not sure if this was in Germany or the states.

When they received a transfer back to the states to the War College in Pennsylvania and had to wait some time before the family could settle in Pennsylvania. We came to help Kl with the children while waiting for their household goods to arrive. We stayed at the RED CABOOSE INN that was actually a caboose. We had quite a time with the kids and the train. I did find some pictures of that stay.

Our second daughter has 4 children that, includes twins one boy and one girl, and the other two boys. Now that’s a handful to say the least and to add to that they are all very tall. When standing next to them I am definitely short. I will tell more about them later.


I have a birthday coming up in June and my daughters are trying to plan a celebration from afar with the help of DIL from this end. They are trying to plan a trip to N.J. where my two older sisters live. One just turned 88 and the other will be 87 the same week I will be 80. All I can say at this point is we are from strong genes. As I said before I don’t know what the Lord has planned for me but I keep telling him I am eager and ready. C and I always talked of our passing so it wasn’t a shock when it actually happened to him being first to die. I know he is in a better place and I am waiting to join him.

Trying to stay busy is a new experience for me because I was always kept busy. I stop and look around in my home and say to myself junk and more junk as it accumulates. I am not a saver I throw out easily. Nothing, as far as I am concerned, is worth saving or holding on to for future use. If I am not using it maybe someone else can.

Some years back when we put everything we owned in a commercial storage warehouse the warehouse burned down to the ground and we got paid 5 cents on the pound for a grand total of $5,000 dollars. The furniture that was destroyed was valued much more than that but that is all the warehouse would pay us. On that note I will say what did survive the Lord multiplied many times over. So on that note until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 33

Our son-in-law was stationed in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, Germany in the Bavarian Alps that was beautiful here is a picture of it. Our stay in Germany was both good and not so good. We enjoyed being there for the birth of our grandson and seeing places of beauty we would not have ever been exposed to. This is a picture of Garmisch taken from our path to town we walked quite a bit and you can see the Zugspitz Mountain when it was clear, it’s a breath-taking site. He had several tours there and we were blessed to visit them on their first tour. Both of their children were born in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen.

The people love flowers and dressed up their houses like this one, up down the streets we never sa like this in our journey in Germany but Bavaria. Their houses were built on like postage stamps lots
compared to ours in the states and they used up every inch with a vegetable garden in the back and flowers in
the front. They enjoyed the color when they could because winter is long and cold with lots of snow. Not much color but white and dirty white from the traffic of street cleaning equipment.

We loved riding the trains in Germany and one day when we where going to a Volks March (like our 5-K walk) in a nearby town we rode the train there and the train stopped before our destination and the conductor came through and shouted off off. Before we new it we were stranded in a town we never heard of and C spoke very little German, just enough to get by and the people around us spoke no English. There were people in the train station that we asked for directions to no avail and then I yelled, “does anyone speak English and one man said he did. We explained our situation about the train dumping us because it didn’t go any further and we were trying to get to the Volks March in the area. Lots of Germans walk in these and he knew where we were going and helped us get the right train.
The people had cows and sheep that man would walk them out of town leading them up to the mountain to graze in the morning and then at the end of the day he would bring them back down and the lead animal always had a bell that all the cows and sheep would follow the leader. At that time traffic took a halt and as they approached the different houses the animals would peel off and go to where they belonged. It was fascinating to see.

We did a lot of train traveling to take part in the marches. C had a German hat that he would put the pins on that you were given when you completed the march. It usually took 2 or 3 hours for each march over hill and dale in the beautiful countryside. I still have his hat and will try to find a picture of him in it and us wearing our knee socks and knickers.

One of the customs we did enjoy was their 4 pm tea and pastries time in the bakari (bakery) shops. Some times at the marches at a halfway point they would have a place to stop so one can use the water closet (toilet) and buy a beer if you wanted one. You needed a Pfennig’s to use the water closet. The coin was little smaller than a penny in looks and we always made sure to have one for such stops when we were out.

They do not scrimp when serving beer. The first time C ordered a beer they brought a glass that I’m sure was a liter. With both of us sipping it we never could finish one. The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed was their large soft pretzel they would serve warm. I still like pretzels better than chips.
The Germans eat a lot of bratwurst and cabbage and their potato soup is delicious. They also use a lot of apples, veal and pork and I must say there wasn’t anything we didn’t like of all the food we tasted.

We also liked how the Germans treated their dogs that were welcomed in the restaurants with their masters. All the animals were well behaved and usually were large and alert. In one place we ate lunch the table next to us had a large black dog sitting under the table at his masters feet. We didn’t even know he was there until his master gave him some food off his plate. This dog ignored us and we were so close to his tail that was in the aisle next to us we could have stepped on it. When we were through eating we asked to pet the dog and the man gave a command to his dog and the animal moved closer to us and allowed us to touch him. We were certainly were impressed because the dog just scooted over without standing up. Also you never saw dog messes in the streets and walks. People picked up after their dogs.

Now the part of the visit that was not so good; one morning my daughter and I heard a loud thump from upstairs. We were in the kitchen just talking having our tea. I ran upstairs to see C flaked out on the floor sort of coming to his senses. He said he passed out and hit his head on the dresser. I helped him get dressed and took him to the military infirmary and he determined C had a mild heart attack. He suggested we go to the German hospital for a particular series of tests the military didn’t have the equipment to do. While in the German hospital C made himself known with the other retired military that were patients at the same time. C was about to be let out of the hospital when the doctor and an orderly came in on routine rounds. The
orderly had a beverage in his hand, and when the doctor asked C if there was anything he wanted and he said yah and pointing to the beverage. The doctor put in his request and before he left he had a beer he was enjoying a nice cold beer.

Well after a few months C felt fine and decided to come back to the states and check himself in at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. I stayed with my, the parents of 2nd daughter’ husband who lived in he area. They were very nice to me taking me back and forth to the hospital while C was a patient.

They couldn’t find anything that indicated he had a heart attack. When a doctor indicated they wanted to do invasive surgery C called a halt to that and said no. The head of that department came into his room to talked to him and said he didn’t blame him for saying no because if it were him he also would say no. He was cutting his career short because being a doctor in the military wasn’t what he wanted to do anymore.

We found out then they just wanted to make up their surgery quota. We enjoyed our stay in Germany and would do it again if the kids needed us. This is a good place to say to be continued, and until then I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 32

I am going to bring you stories of our immediate family. We have three children, one of which switched from loving God to becoming a lost soul. It hurts for a mother to see this happen but realizes it hurts our Savior more. One who has turned his back from right and doing wrong without a repentant heart is truly lost.

As I mentioned before I was the youngest and the first to give my dad his first grandchild that was given his name and C’ name that I will refer to as CT. As best as I can figure my dad was in his late 60’. He was truly a proud grandfather that was sort of afraid to hold him but it didn’t take long to get over that. CT had colic and cried quite a bit. The mid wife nurse that had the nursing home next door called me over and said leave the baby there and go home and get some sleep. She could hear all his crying and couldn’t stand it.

She switched my son from breast milk to a bottle using canned milk because he was hungry all the time. She said all my nursing was of no help because my milk was not nutritious enough. I was blessed to have her next door to tell me the things I needed to know about the baby. Not having a mom to tell me these things had me handicapped.

I had to learn many things by trial and error and I am sure I looked haggard from loss of sleep. Being just 20 years old allowed me to bounce back, and it’s a good thing because 11 months later our daughter KL arrived. Then three years after that 2nd daughter KA arrived with complications for me. In the last month of my pregnancy they discovered diabetics and was put in the hospital until delivery.

My 2nd sister took care of the kids for a month while I was in the hospital with a new baby learning how to give myself insulin injections. Back then they did not have the long lasting refined insulin as they do now and I had a rough time trying to get a good level from high to low. My oldest sister having it was not a very good example because she did not follow the rules and had many low blood sugar incidents. But then on the other hand my father developed diabetics and was a much better example. I need to tell you some of what I learned from my dad was: I was in charge of what I ate and drank and no one else. This disease will never, never go away so I had better learn to live with it.

I have lived with this for 56 years and while in the hospital last September with this hip replacement they were over medicating me with insulin and after listening to me complain and refusing injections the doctor threw up his hand and told the medication nurse to let me treat myself on when and how much insulin I would take. And before I was released from the hospital some of the nurses told me the doctor was impressed at how I was doing with my method. When diagnosed I was almost 24 years old and weighed about 122 pounds and in all those years I had stayed under 145 pounds. The nurses in the hospital encouraged me to write a book and I said no way each patient has to learn their own body and how it responds to their way of eating, living and exercise. The only thing I can tell a diabetic is stay regimented eating three meals a day and approximately the same time. If I miss a meal or eating late, believe me I am in trouble. I really miss C who just had to look at me and would say go eat something or just give me


a glass of orange juice and make me drink it because he use to tell me I sure could argue when my sugar was too low. Living by myself is scary sometimes. Lord does alert me especially in the middle of the night He will wake me and instills a thought in me to get up and check my blood and sure enough I need to eat. God is so good to me.

My girls worry about me being by myself since I moved down here in the country in Arkansas. I tell them I am not alone my Lord is with me all the time. My DIL calls me every morning to make sure I am awake and stops in the evening after work. I am so blessed having her and her dogs Chili and Scout that she wants me here.

I had dabbled in oil painting many years ago because C encouraged me to find a hobby. This is my first picture after a few lessons at the art center. I learned how to knit and made a turtleneck sweater without a pattern my waitress taught me, for my first project. I think my daughter still has it. It was red and white and I thought it looked nice. But that just wasn’t my thing.

Then I tried collecting Postage Stamps. I bought three very old stamp books albums from a girl that worked in the insurance office where I was the mangers’ secretary. She had received them from a family member and didn’t want them. The albums contained quite a few of early American U.S. stamps in them. After reading and learning more about saving stamps I found out the stamps I had in the albums I purchased for next to nothing were worth some money. The American Philatelic Foundation that offers quite a bit of free information about stamp collecting. I was fascinated and bought everything I needed. At one time I was offered several hundred dollars for one of the albums and refused.
Our daughters’ husband was in the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany. They were expecting their first child and invited us to come and stay with them. We were retired and it sounded great because it was opened ended. We could stay as long as they wanted us to. C wanted to go because he felt his ancestors were part German. C being retired from the military made it easy for us to travel at a reduced fare.

We packed up all our belongings and put them in a commercial storage facility. We packed a large trunk for shipping and a large suitcase with clothes for each of us to use while traveling until the trunks arrived at our destination.






They informed us to bring winter clothing because even their summers are not as warm as we were use to and would probably wear them year round. Fortunately we still had our winter coats, C a leather sheepskin and I had my sheared beaver and it’s a thing because it really was cold in Germany. The only thing we had to buy, were warm boots.

I see I am nearing the end and have so much more to say about our living in Germany for a while that I better wait until next time. Until then I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 31

Had a great day yesterday. The weather was and is beautiful, it’s the way I like it, not too cold and not too hot its just right as the little bear said as he ate the porridge.

I am finding eating alone has it’s drawbacks one of which it is hard to cook for just one and if you have left over’ you just never want to eat it and it gets freezer burn and out it goes. I use to love to cook because I was cooking for a good eater who would eat whatever I put in front of him and tell me it was delicious.

On Easter I ate at DIL’s, it is just down the driveway with her family. I always look forward to the Easter service and singing “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”. I am glad I was raised in a singing family who loved to sing. This probably won’t be posted until after Easter but my heart is singing now and I wanted to tell you.

C was always up with what is going on in the world and there was a time back in the 1990’ that they were promoting food shortages. Howard Ruff use to publish where to buy food that was stored in number 10 cans that was sold to people to have food on hand. We purchased one of those plans that would feed a family for six months. Well the time passed and we never had to use it for what it was intended, a shortage of food. We did eat it and gave most of it to mission project that fed the hungry and gave food to families that needed help.

Dried food and vacuum packed food loses it nutritional value after so many month of storage. The one food that lasted the longest and best was oats. I do like oatmeal and still eat it the morning, Quaker does a good job.

The Y2K push on the public prompted C to purchase a 4-wheel bicycle that we rode around the neighborhood, here is a picture of us many years ago. I was much younger then. We had lots of fun.



When C found his long lost family, in the information we came across something humorous and interesting. It seems that Aunt VM’ husband “the Colonel” was seventeen years older than she was, and she knew this before she married him. She was determined he was going to marry her like it or not. He was at one time a Gubernatorial Candidate for Indiana. He was called back to do duty in the Army to serve at the Mexican Border fighting for Prohibition. Here's Alfred's article:



At the same time my fathers’ brother Charles, back in Pennsylvania, was a private in the Army as an Engineer doing his duty fighting against Prohibition. In fact his flyer said “I plan to give my whole time to the campaign down there to the organizing bartenders in many places; to hit hard and make every lick count, at every train stop between Pennsylvania and the Border, and even in Mexico: He said he was doing his part with his comrades while being shot at.


I guess the Army put out a flyer “A Message From The Border” and it was from Camp Liano Grande, Texas. I have two flyers one for each man and the flyer indicated the same date September 15, 1916 for both men. I don’t know if they knew each other. The big difference being one was an Officer in the Army and one a Private and that were from different states. Pennsylvania and Indiana fighting on the Mexican Border. Talk about a small world. They had pictures of the men on the flyers and I would have recognized my uncle without seeing his name. He looked just like my dad cigar and all only much younger. I guess if we really knew all of our family history we would be amazed at how the Lord brings our lives together in some way.

C and I came to the conclusion that the Colonel was a stuffy sort of fellow that took the Army protocol seriously that officers didn’t associate with enlisted personnel. We came to this conclusion because C’s aunt was sort of snooty herself. She believed if you didn’t further your education you were low on the list of importance. She barely tolerated me because I hadn’t. She didn’t have much choice because she wanted to get to know my BIL better and she was C’s aunt. She lived to be 90 years old.

I want to get ready, to watch the final game of college basketball, I am rooting for Duke. I like all sports but the March Madness is top of the list.

I believe this is a good place to stop, until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.