THE FARM WHERE I LIVED MY FIRST 9 YEARS - THE BURNED BARN WAS REPLACED WITH THIS BARN.

This was one of 3 farms, Grandpa Reese Van Vranken owned - all about 2 or 3 miles from each other.

Mom kept beautiful gardens; 'Breezy' worked long hours to keep the flowers and vegetable gardens beautiful. We had some grapes that grew up the side of a huge old tree next to the vegetable garden.

My dad worked with grandpa for 9 years; they farmed nearly 1,000 acres of land - raised about 350 head of cattle a year - chickens; rabbits, sheep - a few dogs and cats - we were quite a family!

"Breezy" and pop rarely had time off - when they did, they'd head to Florida to visit Great Grandma Grace and Great Grandpa Charles - how we loved those trips way back then!

Here is where I enjoyed my pet rabbits; my dogs (Spot, Happy, and Stubby) - dad would take Spot hunting for Pheasant...each Thanksgiving, we'd have this 'dish' for part of our meal - it certainly was tasty.

Asparagus grew wild on the fence-rows; we ate it 'cheaply' - not expensive like it is in 2008.

Wild black-berries grew for our delight. Mom cultivated Black Raspberries and Red Raspberries as well as Strawberries. We ate well; we had no idea just how well - and mother preserved all of it at the end of the growing season - buying groceries was pretty simple since we raised our own chickens; beef, and pigs to round out our store-house of foods for the winter.