‘The Continuing Saga OF. ‘A couple of papers ago, J wrote about starting my education in a one- oom school. This time, I would like to pass along some of my adventures into the world of knowledge and growing up. Some say they're not sure about the growing part. We were living on the Aldous Farm near Granville, NEw York. One Wythe many places my family lived until we built our family home in Hudson Falls, in upstate New York. [started school at the ripe old age of seven. I think that age was picked because the school was across the road from our house. My other thought was that children started school later then they do now. Some of the highlights of my first year in school are things that are unusual today. Shortly after ‘school started the School Nurse showed up. First time to give us a hearing test. ‘That eliminated the excuse of “HUH”. The next visit was to check our vision. If you couldn’t see and were poor, the school district would supply some really ugly glasses. And then we were given a basic physical. You know, open wide, a peek in the ear, turns your head and cough-take a deep breath. ‘Along with the questions about what kid diseases have you had and what and when were your last shots. The last experience was a dental check up. Sounds like Managed Health Care. We had one teacher and six grades and twenty students. My Mom had taught us (There's that Tvvin again.) our numbers, letters, and counting, It was so much fun learning the 3 R’s. I wasn’t impressed then, but having a teacher that could teach six grades all atthe same time and maintains control, impresses the hell out of me now. A benefit for the younger kids was we were learning some of the other upper grade’s lessons while we were doing our class work, On the backside of the school was the Hicks Macintosh Apple Orchard. We thought we were Hotshot apple thieves. The Hicks Family were our guardian angels, watching over us so we didn’t break anything if and when we fell out of the trees. 1Next stop was the Brownell Farm near Hartford, New York. Once again, I was in a one-room school with grades one through six and about 25 children. I remember the teacher’s name was Mrs Suckett. ‘We continued to learn how to read and write and do arithmetic. When ‘Mrs. Juckett was teaching the other grades, she would write my class’s names on our desks with chalk. We would then cover the chalk line with kernels of corn. That's how I started to learn cursive and developed my corny humor. Years later, I started printing again, when I found out that [ also had to be able to read my writing and I was not planning on becoming a Doctor. If you were very good you would get the privilege of bringing in firewood and drinking water. We left Brownell’s when the barn burned down. ‘Next stop, the Newton Farm in Dunhams Basin, southeast of Hudson Falls. The new school was a parochial school, St. Paul’s Church and school. This was a BIG change from one room and Mrs. Juckett. I even got to ride in a real school bus. There were Nuns all over the place with clackers, bells, rosaries and tulers. . Never overlook the power of a NUN with aruler. I learned to say the Hail Mary while boxing the brick wall, after getting caught trying to prove who was the toughest kid in second grade. I skipped the most of the second grade to become a big time third grader. Looking back, this was my best experience in learning and personal development. By the way, I became an Altar boy. We started going to church on a frequent basis, I made my first communion and was confirmed at this church. My career as an Altar boy ended when we moved to the Maynard Farm near Hartford northeast of Hudson Falls.This farm had an interesting history. It was built during prohibition with the intent of hiding a big still inside the house. It worked. The house had sixteen rooms, with distillery pipes hidden in the walls. The boiler was installed in the cellar. The waste was piped down to the nearby creek. Hartford had a centralized school unified district. This was my first venture in a big school that was kindergarten through twelfth grade, ‘That year had whopping 13 students in the graduating class. The main school building was fairly new, and was constructed of red brick. First through third and sixth through twelfth grades were held in this building. Fourth and fifth grades were held in original school in the middle of town (Hartford), The only thing missing at that place was the condemnation sign. It looked like it was built during the civil war. The next move was to the Hathaway Farm. It was down the road and a left turn at Hartford High School. Close enough that we drove the cows down the road. My older brothers drove the cows. Don and I were the crossing guards, we stopped the traffic. Off to another one room school in Smith Basin between Hartford and Hudson Falls. The teacher’s name was Mrs. Ellsworth. If you go to enough of these schools you find out that they are very similar, The teachers were versatile, organized and dedicated, They had to be to keep that many kids busy learning and studying day after day. Not much out of the ordinary happened at this school. ‘Smith Basin was a nice little town. There was a country store that had everything from groceries to gasoline plus the post office. There was a dairy farm right in the middle of town across from the store. Nearby was the Barge Canal and the railroad spur line, used by the milk transfer station where we sold our milk. In the winter the milk company would hire the local farmers to harvest the ice from the canal. They used big ice handsaws to cut the ice into blocks, Then they would carry the ice to the icehouse by horse and wagon. The ice was covered with sawdust so that it would last through the summer. That's a cool idea. 3We moved again. This time to the Bishop Farm in Adamville which ‘was across the creek from the Hathaway Farm. We bought this farm. Tt wasn’t much but it had lots wooded land and a steam running through it. This place was great for horseback riding and goofing off. My brother Don and I built a lean-to and corral on the bank of the creek above the waterfalls. We spent a lot of time at the HIDEOUT during summer vacation. Back to Hartford Central School. Got another chance to attend that condemned building I mentioned earlier. Iwas in school during World War 2. Thad four brothers in the service. With so many men going to war, we had a woman coach for all of the boys and girls sports. It was a little strange to see Coach Harrington pacing the sidelines at a boy’s Varsity baseball game. Coach Liford returned at the end of the war. The guys didn’t get any better. Things were back to normal Lleamed to play soccer, tennis, and baseball. I was hell of a lot better on a horse than on first base. Istarted junior high school in Hartford. This was the first time I could pick a class, I picked Agriculture / Shop. We learned to use all type of tools. | learned how to use a forge, make horseshoes and work with wrought iron. Sang in the choir for awhile. Girls begin looking good and I had my first crush on a girl that wasn't ateacher. I went to my first school dance and I didn’t know how to dance. I tried. Dad sold the Bishop Farm after the barn burned down, Mom and Dad bought a place in Hudson Falls called the Round House (for the obvious reason). The Falling down Round House would have been more appropriate (for the obvious reason). This was to become our family home and my mother would never have to move again.My Unele Gus the carpenter came from Canada and my family tore the roundhouse down, They saved as much lumber as possible and pulled out all of the damned nails, I even had to straighten some of the damned nails. We built our home with salvaged lumber, some new lumber and a loan from the local banker. Iwas a freshman my first year in Hudson Falls schools. The middle school on School Street was called School Street School (that’s original). The high school was on Main Street several blocks away, called Hudson Falls High. The middle school was another old-old school with brick buildings, One favorite past time during study hall was for everyone to jiggle their feet against the hardwood floor and the desks that were bolted to the floor would start the whole room vibrating. Of course the teacher would give the whole room a lip lashing The high school was a good looking school made of tan brick with lots of windows and two stories. Fairly new as schools go. We had lockers, a gym and auditorium, this was a first for me. It was a good feeling to know I would be here until I graduated and with a lot of help and encouragement from my teachers, my principal, and my family. Idid. Marilyn, Don and I were the only children in the family to graduate. This was when I started to think about girls seriously and most of the time. There were so many of them. Girls still liked guys with horses. I dated a few girls, until I meet a girl named Norma Belden. She was beautiful, blonde, smart, and a great personality. We seemed to hit it off right away. I’m one of those guys lucky enough to marry his childhood sweetheart. This August tenth we will celebrate our forty- first anniversary. The best decision I ever made. Ljoined the Drama Club and did everything but act. Iwas on the Hermes Yearbook advertising staff. We out sold all prior years Worked after school in a grocery store and help Dad on the farm until he disposed of the dairy.I picked up a few bad habits after we moved to the big town of Hudson Falls. One I started smoking. The other I became sort of rebel (read smart-ass). I quit smoking about twenty years later. I have almost conquered being a smart-ass. Smoking was not issue in the past, but in this town many of school kids smoked. Being from the country we knew more about cows then we did about people, but we were fast learners. Today’s causation would be peer pressure. T was an average student. Had I not been a smart-ass kid, school would have been easier, more challenging and I would have acquired a better knowledge of the core subjects. In my senior year, I came to the conclusion that being a smart-ass was not the right approach. So as the saying goes “I got my crap together” and did as another saying goes “when the going get tough — the tough get going”. The principal, Homer Dearlove was a twin. I think that’s why he had a kind spot in his heart for Don and I, While taking a nap in study hall one afternoon, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Guess who it was? Mr, Dearlove, I felt like crawling under table, but much to my surprise he invited Don and I to be his guests at the wrestling matches in Saratoga Springs. We saw Gorgeous George and Lou Theas. I was thrilled and of course it was the real thing (yeah right) Mr. Dearlove’s concern and effort was a turning point for me, I became a student with a positive attitude and focus. One thing I regret above all and this is not paying attention in English writing classes. I finished school in June 1952 and joined the Army February 1953. A few years ago, I visited my hometown. I spent one day going to the many different schools I that attended and places | that lived during my younger days. While we were doing all of this moving, it felt like we were moving all over hell. It was surprising to discover that I was able to go to all of the farms and schools from first grade through twelfth grade in one long day about 12 hours. Here is a map of the area, Most of our roaming took place inside the circle.My first school house is now an art gallery. This is not for the locals but the tourists. This part of Upstate New York has become a vacation area for the Big Apple City people. ‘The art of interest to the locals is anew paint job on your truck. The school by the Brownell farm had fallen down. ‘Smith Basin is now someone's home and the store is deserted and fallen down, ‘The school is bigger and Hartford is smaller and hasn’t changed. Saint Paul’s Church burned down about 20 years ago and the school was closed. Senior citizen housing was built on the school site. My Mother in law and my sister lived there for awhile, All that is left is the parish house for the Roman Catholic Priest. He still has a small congregation and says mass at St. Mary’s church next door. Old Hudson Falls High became a union hall. They sold it to a drug store chain that tore it down. The town now has five drug stores. T should tell them about Healdsburg. A new school was built northeast of town. The cast iron doors from the central heating boiler in the high school are now a wall decoration in the Glens Falls Brew House in Glen Falls. Most of the small towns, villages and wide spots in the road have lost population throughout upstate New York. ‘This was and is caused by many of the large industries leaving and going south or out of the country. It has been hell on the people that still live there but great for the environment and the tourist industry. Norma and I went to our 40" Class Reunion in 1992. If you go to meet your high school friends it’s a great time. If you go to check resumes, stay home. Why some of these incidents are still in my mind is beyond me. Some were important. Some when you hear them your response should be, so what? Maybe it was hard drive crash, virus or overload.Streets Plus ouc's TRIP ‘Map Title 2 cogt 895 to ronan apts Alien