6 Word Story

6 Word Story
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Written by Ernest Hemingway because he was challenged to create a six-word story. Try to write your story in 6 words or less. “The beginning, the end,” by our grand daughter Evvy. Her long story is “The beginning, the middle, the end.”


“Farm settled, families grow, memories fade” is a short story that describes our first farm family. The farm prospered, as did the whole fruit growing area. Henry and Sarah had 9 children (Grant died as an infant, George at almost 2 and Mary at age 18). The family was very active in helping establish and lead their local government, church and school. Henry was an active church member: 1865 Conservative U. B. Church Bd of Trustees (meetings held in Buys and later Hadaway Schools), 1877 superintendent of Sunday School (Attendance 48), and in 1880 helped build the first East Casco Methodist Church at 64th and 107th. He was Republican in polities and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. Henry served as Casco Township Treasurer 1869-75 and Supervisor 1877-78. His great-great-great-grand son Allan is now serving as the Township supervisor.

Henry secured considerable land in the county and worked as a carpenter in addition to running the Maple Ridge Fruit Farm. The original 100-acre farm was divided among the children with William Albert receiving 60 acres and the family home site. Sarah died in 1884 and Henry married Henrietta Warfield and moved to her farm in section 35. William Albert married Alta May Usher in 1886. The family farm torch had been passed for the first time. Henry out lived his second wife and spent some winters in Florida with the William Albert family. Henry died on September 3, 1917 at the home of his son Charles at the age of 82.


At The Farm (August 3, 2009)

The peach harvest is well underway. Allan is busy loading wholesale orders. First was the PF-1s then Rising Star. Redhaven peaches and nectarines will be ripe starting the weekend of August 8-9. By the weekend of August 15-16 pears, paula red apples and purple plums will be starting. If you are planning to do u-pick fruit be sure to visit the farm website, click on u-pick coupon and print it out for 10% off. http://www.overhiserorchards.com/

In spite of the coldest July on record, the fruit is only ripening a week or so later than "normal." The photo below was taken in July. Or was it January? I can not remember.

Remember - eat your fruit!