99 Years Ago

99 years ago today, my dad was born.  I woke up wondering what it was like in those days on the farm in Sardinia.  The big old white civil war era house, the barns that have burned down since, the buildings that dad has built since.  Chopping wood every day just to cook and eat, carrying water, the outhouse, the horses for horse power and on and on.

The world was ready for war and a disgruntled professor set off 3 sticks of dynamite in the Capitol building to get attention.  Like every year, tumultuous events occurred while people of the day just tried to survive.

Dad was the fifth child for George and Mamie Winkle on the old Bare Plantation farm in Brown County Ohio.  He had four older sisters who treated me like gold.  He would have 3 more sisters and a brother.  Uncle Roy is the last one of that family still alive to day.  His birthday was May 5 and I wish him many more.  He still tells me stories about that family.  Dad's family was very special to me.

Yesterday my grand daughter Caoilin celebrated her fifth birthday.  We called and performed our best act of LuAnn's family tradition of calling early and singing Happy Birthday to her.  She got her gift from us right on time and we saw the pictures of her celebration.  I can't believe the 100 or so years I know something about have passed so quickly.  The last 64 have been a blur to me!

On the home front, we got the wheat cut, the double crop beans planted and sprayed and fertilized and I mowed for miles around the new farm.  Grandpa is worn out today but happy.  We were on the edge of big storms last night but we got some rain to make the new crop take off and all of the products I applied work.

Life is not perfect but life is good down on the farm.

Happy birthday dad, Caoilin and America!

Ed Winkle