I never miss your column. Love it. Reminds me of my Grandfather Nicholas.
 A gentle hard working orderly person who never wasted a thing in
his life and could make me a whistle or a toy or a very useful item out of
something he knew the exact where-abouts-of. He went overseas during World
War I, and the only stories I remember him telling were in relation to the
kindly and appreciative people he met and the countryside. He raised a
wonderful family of 5 after his wife died in child-birth. Mom was the oldest
and had to quit school at the age of 13 to stay home with her siblings. You
are so right. It WAS a hard life, but those people will never be forgotten.
Thanks for keeping their memories alive.  Elva.
(Just read "It truly was a Family Tree")