While we were visiting Grandpa he told us a little bit about his childhood while growing up in Watertown,South Dakota. "It was a simple life, peaceful and we were free there. Used to play in the creek {crik}and catch fish, also on the outskirts of the shelterbelt {trees} that blocked the house from the winter blizzards. I would take my shotgun out and hunt for pheasant and duck,often down by the creek. Aside from just playing was alot of hard work,things kids don't see now days. We raised our own crops barley,wheat,corn whatever we needed to provide for our family.I used to have to stand at the corn bin and shuck all the corn with my brothers and sisters there were 9 of us children. My friends lived over a mile away,didn't bother me none work on the farm and my siblings were enough for me. We also raised geese and had a cow named Blonde...she was a long horned milking cow,but she was a mean old thing! Dad did all the slaughtering of the meat,never made us kids do it...pigs,chickens and cows. We lived in a three bedroom house Mom & Dad had a room, the girls had a room and us boy's shared the other room,we had to walk about a mile and a half to school and when it snowed the older boys would pull us on the sled. It was tough sometimes but, I wouldn't have it any other way...i just felt free"...
