Trailing Spider Webs of Time
This is the real beginning of the story of our lives.
The story is about all of us but most of the memories are mine.
My earliest memory turns out to be not mine as I thought unless I was a super baby with super memory powers which I'm not.
Griffin’s Island
At one time we lived on a sort of an island. It was shaped like a finger in the
Hudson, at least I was told that by my mother. She called it Griffin's Island. I
think it was owned by Griffin who sold coal and lumber. Dad worked for him for a
time.
I remember Momma telling us how she had to put the kids in the rowboat and row
across the water to pick up Dad at night and leave him off in the morning. I of
course, do not remember this time, only what Mom told us for years. She said
that once Millie almost fell out of the boat and she had to put her foot on her
to keep her in the boat.
I don't think I was born yet but it is possible. There is no one alive to ask
about this.
Keech House
I thought I remembered a yellow house that we lived in. It was on one side of the River Road and belonged to someone named Keech. I don't think I was really old enough here to remember it. Mom would talk about it from time to time in our lives. Once she asked me to drive around there with her and I did. She pointed out the yellow house where we used to live and told us about Anna making us all "go to school". She was the teacher and she made us write on the wall with crayons. Of course we all caught hell for that. At least I did. I really don't remember this. It's only what Mom told us.
The next place I heard about but don't really remember is Griffins Island.
Linendoll’s
We moved out of there and went to Linendoll’s old house back on welfare and then we got a GI loan and bought the farm on the edge of Vermont. I had totally forgotten this when I was making the list and in the first draft of the story. I don't think I remember this place unless some of those early memories are mixed up.
While living at one of these places Mom said she had a beautiful garden that was just beginning to produce. I think it was this last place but only because Mom seemed to hate to even say the name. I do have a vague memory of her telling us this story but it was lost until I read some of her journal entries. Because they had to move from here before the garden was "put to bed" for the winter, Mom was really angry that the woman who owned it would benefit from all her hard work so she stripped the garden bare of every bit of vegetation whether food or flower. She was determined that the woman would get nothing from her.
The first place I really really remember living is on the farm so we will go there now.