It was August 1, 1957 and it was raining cats and dogs. My husband, Richard, our 16 month old firstborn son, Andy, and I were moving from our tiny, crowded efficiency apartment on Mohegan Way, Palisades, NJ to our first home on Hemlock hill, Mt. Vision, New York. We loaded everything we owned on my brother’s pickup truck and a good friend’s dump truck and set out on the journey of our lives. That is the way it all started . . .

Our first home was nestled on a hillside cradled on three and a half acres, surrounded by trees and a pond and trout stream. It was built many years ago and had whole timbers as beams in the cellar. Jerry Buhr of Morris had refurbished the old house into what would be our dream home.... A lovely living room greeted you as you entered and a stairway, which lead you upstairs to three bedrooms and hall, with a tiny window at the front of the house. It had refinished hardwood floors, a huge picture window in the dining room, which looked out over the stream. It was large and inviting with a doorway leading to a tiny kitchen with room enough for a washing machine in the corner. Off the kitchen was another long narrow room which turned out to be a kitchen nook. Off the “Nook” were two doorways, one to the lovely backyard and the other to only small bathroom. We had all we needed for the family we hoped to have. Oh, yes, and it had a front porch, where I spent many hours. We were excited.

We sought to leave the expensive, hectic life of Palisades, New Jersey and were overjoyed with the prospect of raising our family in the country, but the first few years in “GOD”S COUNTRY” were not easy ones, but somehow we kept plugging along and seemed to got stronger with each time we conquered an obstacle . . .

Richard held any number of jobs in those first years. His first job was as a union painter on the Valleyview St. School in Oneonta, NY. After a number of paint jobs, work ran out and he sought any kind of work to provide for his family. He was a salesman, selling vacuum cleaners, Raleigh Products, encyclopedias, furniture and finally cars and trucks, which lasted for several years. These were quite a change of pace for an aspiring singer who gave up his career to seek a country life. His last job was portraying Clarabelle the Clown on the road for Vita Smith of the Howdy Dowdy Productions, New York City, more about that later on.

Besides raising two more children, I also added to our income by selling Avon Products door-to-door, boxed greeting cards and handmade shell jewelry from Florida. I cleaned houses and for several years I also taught ceramics in an adult education class in local schools. I remember walking Main Street, Oneonta, stopping at every business along the way to find work. I noticed that a number of store windows were dirty and without displays, sooo I did them for $1.50 an hour. One of these jobs lasted 3½ years. Every little bit paid some kind of bill. . .

It was the summer of 1966 that our lives changed again. We accomplished a long time dream-to own our own business. We purchased a roadside stand in Hartwick, NY from Tony and Phyllis Bonogovi, originally from Long Island, with living quarters large enough for all of us. By this time our family comprised of three children, 6,8,and 10. They thought it was great to live in a restaurant, inviting all their friends to come for treats.

We served breakfast, lunch and dinner in a room 12’ by 24’ with seating for about 20. Business began at 6:30am on July 9, 1966 with two bags of groceries, three pies and a lot of prayers. Our little enterprise was named “The Country Kitchen”. The years rolled by and we lived on what came in the door. We considered ourselves extremely fortunate especially when locals thought we wouldn’t last.

We did last and celebrated each time a year rolled by. First it was five and with it an opportunity, I starting writing for a local tabloid, the PIONEER. My column then was the same as now and, it too, lasted for years with other papers carrying my newsy column, like the Freeman’s Journal the and, Cooperstown Crier. I wrote for other papers, among them, the-Christian News, The Mt. Vision News, Pinecrest News and then a surprise came. .

Ed Goodpaster, owner and publisher of the Grit, America’s family newspaper, contacted me and offered me a job; ”I want your column for my newspaper”. That was a marvelous experience lasting several years. The added money made it possible to build a beautiful airy dining room and readers came from all over to meet us and to see where I was coming from.

The syndicate that purchased the 100-year-old family paper in 1982 dropped the column; I was devastated and gave up writing for a time with the exception of a newsletter I put out for readers until I could not afford to continue.

The years rolled by. We survived hard times. We were just a week away from celebrating our 30th Anniversary in business when Richard, who has been battling ALS, passed away at home with family near, on Valentine’s Day 1997. I later married again to a sweet Irishman, Irwin Curlis, who kept after me until I said yes to his many proposals over several years. We had a lovely wedding, which neither of us had before and it was wonderful. Irwin died of a massive stroke just two weeks from our First Anniversary in 2004. I must say that I was married to two wonderful men and they occupy a special place in my heart along with my Dad, Harry J. Holtje, Sr, who lived to be 98. . .

It is now 2006 and I am in the fall of my life. I am doing what I can to help anywhere I can. I have been blessed with another relationship for which I thank GOD everyday. More of that story as time goes on. . .In fact more on all of my life’s experience as they come to mind. . .

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