Bob Hirt As I write this story today, over 34 million families worldwide have been assisted in raising their standard of living from abject poverty to a semblance of reasonable wealth. I am referring to an organization that was started in 1944—over 75 years ago—by a very benevolent, forward-thinking dairy farmer in Indiana by the name…
Feet on New Soil Bob Hirt His wife had died less than a year earlier and the war in Europe was about to start. Shockingly, she and her baby both passed during childbirth of the fourth child. The man, my grandfather, still very much in grief, and with three little ones already under a housekeeper’s…
Bob Hirt “Hi…? Bob…?” the fellow offered, almost quizzically, as he stepped out of his 1995 Honda Accord sedan at the edge of my driveway and sidled slowly over to me: “My name’s Jake Jenkins and I talked a couple days ago to your brother, Tommy, back East. He mentioned your name… said you lived…
No Country Bumpkin Bob Hirt A few weeks ago we invited an old friend, Jerry, and his wife to join us for several days at a timeshare in Southern California. Despite the several days of cold, overcast and rainy weather in Escondido, we had a good time together, playing games by the fireplace, eating out…
Salt Anyone Bob Hirt We all use table salt, sometimes probably too much of it! It is virtually everywhere and it is plentiful throughout the world. In central New York State, the Retsof Salt Mine, in the Finger Lakes region provided salt for most of the northeastern states. As early as August 30, 1884,…
Germany, Reunion: Surprise and Warmth Bob Hirt In the early 1960s my parents went to Germany, their homeland, to visit their many remaining relatives for the first time since emigrating to America. My father, only three years old when they left Germany, lost his mother a year earlier during childbirth of a little brother,…
Character Building Bob Hirt On a trip to Colorado Springs to visit grandkids and friends we ran into an old friend, Johnny Schmitt, from back East. John is 84 years old now and in good health. In fact, of his 12 siblings, mostly boys, and all but one still living, 10 still reside in…
Those Clever Immigrants Bob Hirt Back East many years ago a tornado swept through the northern Hudson Valley of New York State wreaking havoc on buildings and field crops as well as causing several deaths in our county. We lost two huge barns as well as a silo in that tornado along with some…
Interest piqued? Sun Lakes New Horizons Writers Group is accepting new members who have a desire to write and share fiction, poetry or non-fiction with other committed writers and will commit to once or twice monthly meetings. We have a reserved space in the quiet environment of the Oakwood Library. Our meetings are on…
A Mind of Her Own Bob Hirt We had been traveling by van for several years from Arizona to Western New York, our original home, a distance of some 2200 miles. It is a daunting trip and usually takes between four and five days. Things were a little different this year. We got our…