You can reach Sue at (314) 452-3685 or (314) 726-2032. You can write to her c/o Rose Holt, 905 Barnard College Lane, St. Louis, MO 63130


Rose and I sent an e-mail to Brother Joe with questions about our early life in Marshfield, specifically, did we have a cow when we moved from the farm to town. This is our list of questions with Joe's responses (in Bold):

Dear Joe,

Rose and I are trying to settle a question. Did we have a cow after we moved to town?
ANSWER: YES

Or, What! Stepped on What?! I thought we sold the cow. Just when did we get rid of the cow?
ANSWER: WHEN WE MOVED TO TOWN, WE TOOK ONE COW. LATER MOM TRADED HER TO BILL BERTHOLDIE FOR A SMALLER COW. MY GUESS IS WE SOLD THE LAST COW ABOUT 50-51?

Who milked?
ANSWER: MOST OF THE TIME I DID THE MILKING & CARING FOR THE COW. IN THE SUMMER, WE BOARDED THE COW ON ALEXANDER'S FARM, JUST WEST & SOUTH OF THE HOUSE. MOM LET BE DRIVE THE CAR TO & FROM MILKING, EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT YET 16.

What did we do with the milk?
ANSWER: WE USED THE MILK, MADE BUTTER AND ALSO SOLD SOME MILK TO THE RENTERS IN THE NORTH PORTION OF THE HOUSE. THE BOY DID NOT LIKE CREAM IN HIS MILK SO I TWISTED THE COWS HORN & TOLD HIM I HAD TURNED THE CREAM OFF. HE BELIEVED IT! ONE TIME PETE ASKED IT THE MILK IN THE REFRIGERATOR WAS HOT? (JUST MILKED) DONALD TOLD HIM NO. PETE TOOK A DRINK & SAID DONALD, THIS MILK IS HOT. DONALD REPLIED BACK & SAID IT WAS WARM BUT NOT HOT.

And what was the cow's name?
ANSWER: I DON'T REMEMBER BUT MARGE MAY BE CORRECT ON ONE OF THE COWS NAME?
Margaret thinks it was something like "Amelia."

And did mother rent a horse to plow the garden in the spring?
ANSWER: THE GUY THAT LIVED IN THE HOUSE IN MARSHFIELD THAT HE PURCHASED FROM BONNIE OSREDKER OWNED A TEAM & PLOWED THE GARDEN. HE REFERRED TO THE OSREDKER'S AS SOMETHING LIKE "OSENREADY'

You can see that we are dealing with weighty matters these days.

Love, Pe-Pe [For those who don't know, "Pe-Pe" is Joe's nickname for me from 50-plus years ago when ONE TIME I re-enacted something from a cartoon character about a skunk.]