I just found an e-mail from Joe that we failed to post before:


"Our Mom was very fond her of Aunt Molly, who lived in Springfield, out north in the vicinity of Doling Park. Among other things, she had lots of flowers & they raised raspberries & sold some of the berries. When we lived on the farm, they gave us several plants, which we set out in the small field just east of our house on the farm. The soil was mostly clay & the raspberries did not do very good & very few survived.

She & Grandma Madden must have been sisters? After Grandma Madden died, I think? we all met at her house sometime after the funeral?

Does anyone recall if her married name was Miller? Seems like it may have been?

bro Joe

Happy New Year"


Rose and I once went to see Aunt Molly and Uncle ?. Uncle ? had had his gallstones removed and had them in a jar. Without telling me what they were, he placed them in my hand. When he then told me they were his stones, it didn't take me long "to look at that horsehoe." [For those who don't the old joke, it is about a city slicker who visits a blacksmith in the country. The cityslicker knows everything. At some point he picks up a hot horseshoe and immediately drops it. The blacksmith says, "So, hot is it?" To which the cityslicker responds, "No. It just doesn't take me long to look at a horseshoe."]

We have a house full of company now. Shirley's friends, Dena and two children, are here. Dena leaves for Chicago and the children, Layla and Jamil, will stay with us until Monday. We also have Brayden and Jalen who stayed when their Dad and Sherry had to return to Louisville yesterday. The four children play well together, and three Old Ladies are worn out, resting at every opportunity. Mark and Karen are going with us this afternoon to the City Museum which is a gigantic playground to children AND adults. We will report in later, if able.