Where did you come from?

[bobm]

I was born on the other side of the pond in a far North country on my mother's farm ( she also owned a general strore in town . My dad was a Veterinarian and owned a farm too ). I came out of mah mommuh's tummy just a kikkin' an hollerin' for some vittles but she only giv me some white stuff and I had to work hard to get tiny sips at a time. As a toddler, I dodged some Commie ( land owners were rounded up and got a one way ticket in cattle cars to Siberia. We escaped on horseback with just the clothes on our backs and into the woods , living off the land) then Natzie bullits and exploding things then came within a breath's close to loosing the life spark in a concentration camp gas chamber. When we were liberated by the US army, we had to strip to nothing and were sprayed with DDT from top to bottom until soaking wet for decease and insect infestation. All of our clothes too. After a few years of the world scuffle we boarded a ship and first set foot in Boston, then a train ride through New England and Canada that ended in Central Michigan. Started my first day of formal schooling in the middle of third grade not knowing a word of English. NO tutor, special ed classes ... no nothin', just OK kid sink or swim. Learned English real quick in the school of hard knocks in the playground. Fast forward a few years when we moved to Stockton , Cal. , then to Davis, Cal. where I met my wife right after she graduated from UCD ( I also graduated from College ). We bought a small farm on the edge of Davis, Cal. ( we raised horses, sheep, rabbits, poultry, garden, and had orchard trees) and I worked at UCD Vet. Med. Teaching Hospital and our 3 kids were born there. Next , we moved to the "Big Valley" of Central Cal. (Clovis) were we owned and operated a horse breeding farm for 20 years (I raised horses for 37 years). We moved to a small town of 17,500 souls in S. Washington 4 years ago when I retired. World traveler I was , and now here I am spouting off.

 

[ninnymary]

Bobm, your story is amazing! I was raised in Fresno and am familar with Clovis. It sure has grown from when I was little. What made you settle/retire in S. Washington?

Mary

 

[Carol Dee]

Like SmartRed I have not moved far! I was born and raised in Eldridge, IA when it was a small town. (About 5 sq. blocks.) After getting married we live in Davenport, IA for about 1 year. Moved to rural Eldridge and rented the upstairs of a farmhouse 4 years. Then bought our current home in Long Grove, IA 33 years ago when #1 son was 1 month old. (Long Grove is 3 miles N. of Eldridge.)
No interesting travels like some of you. Guess I have DEEP Roots!
My Great Grandfather was the 1st Mayor of Eldridge. His son and grandson (my Dad) Where the rural mail carriers for MANY years.

 

[baymule]

Born in Texas.......what did ya'll expect?

Born on the border in a tiny town in the tip of Texas. Parents moved to Longview, Texas (northeast Texas) when I was 2, then moved to Houston when I was 8 years old. Graduated high school and left town. Lived in Baytown, Lufkin, back to Longview, back to the Lufkin area and for the past 28 years, right here.

 

[ninnymary]

Born in Texas.......what did ya'll expect?

Born on the border in a tiny town in the tip of Texas. Parents moved to Longview, Texas (northeast Texas) when I was 2, then moved to Houston when I was 8 years old. Graduated high school and left town. Lived in Baytown, Lufkin, back to Longview, back to the Lufkin area and for the past 28 years, right here.

Bay, could you be possibly referring to La Feria, Texas? I lived there many years ago. Had to go to Harlingen to shop.

Mary

 

[Lavender2]

I grew up in a small town (2 sq miles), about 15 miles north of St.Paul, MN. Back then it was really just a small development that popped up in an old corn field, not even a bar or a church. Lived in St. Paul close to my job, managing a small pharmacy, for a year after we were married, and searched for a place outside the city every day we were there. We ended up 5 miles north of where I grew up and still here 35 years later.

Mom and Dad still live in that old corn field.

 

[baymule]

Bay, could you be possibly referring to La Feria, Texas? I lived there many years ago. Had to go to Harlingen to shop.

Mary

I was born in San Benito. Both of my parents were raised in the valley, but neither were born there. My dad was the youngest of 7 kids, his father was a sharecropper, they were poor. My dad worked on crews of men, digging the irrigation canals that you see all over the valley, with shovels. No big equipment then! His father kept taking him out of school to work in the fields, he never finished school. He dropped out in 7th grade. When he was 10 years old, his father took him to work in cotton fields, chopping weeds out of the cotton with a hoe. The men in the crew made 50 cents a day, my Daddy only made 10 cents a day, because he was a child. He didn't like that, so when the men took a break, he kept chopping cotton. When the men took lunch, Daddy kept working. He got 2 rows ahead of the men and stayed there all day. At the end of the day, the foreman raised him to 50 cents, same as the men.

My mother's father worked for the Post Office. He had a good job. The Depression really didn't reach them, they lived in the valley, where food was grown. She remembered homeless people riding trains to the valley, hoping for jobs working in the fields, and something to eat. There was always plenty to eat and her father had a good job. Her first job was working in an office pool, typing. WW2 broke out and she went to Laredo to work on a military base. Since she had "experience" she was made office manager at the tender age of 18. She roomed with several other girls.

Just a few memories of some of the things my parents told me.

 

[Jared77]

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. I was working for the city and commuting home to the suburbs like everybody else in the area when I met my wife who was in nursing school at the time. Also in the suburbs. She was born & raised a small town country girl who went to the big city to get her education. Was set up by a mutual friend I had no idea I was being set up but those devious women sure did!!!

Part of us being together was my wife informed me when she graduated school she was going to move back to the Fowlerville/Howell area where her family grew up. I said I'll pack my bags now and we sure enough we moved back. It's about 1.5hr from where I grew up and is the next county NW of where I was raised.

Her family is 4 or 5 generations born/raised/buried in this area and I love it here too. Something about it gets under your skin and then you can't imagine living anywhere else. Family still farms the land and her uncle still has his dairy operation.

 

[Just-Moxie]

I started out in Kansas City MO, then went to Biloxi MS, then went to Indiana for a year. After that, I went to GTMO Cuba for 2 years. We also were in SC for 2 years,back to Biloxi/Gulfport, MS. After that, it was TX, MO, and then KS. I finally escaped KS after 13 years, and moved my self to SC again. I would have preferred going back to Biloxi...but Katrina blew it away.

 

[freedhardwoods]

I have lived 51 of my 53 years on the same property. I lived 2 miles away for 2 years when I got married until my mom moved into town.