William Max Seidel

June 24, 2012

Peg asked me to say something about my dad and I can do that.

This is Richard talking about William Max Seidel

He was like my grandson who is named after him.   He is smart and likes to talk.    Our grandson asks Leona…   “Lets talk awhile”….   “What do you want to talk about?” Leona says.   He says.   “Pick a category”.    So if he gets a category he can talk for a long time.    But my dad was pretty smart too.    He knew a lot of different categories to talk about.   

He never did go to the army but he did go to the CMTC which is the Civilian Military Training Corps.   It was in Battle Creek, Michigan.   It might have been 2 or 3 weeks.     He would talk about his experiences at CMTC till I got tired of it after a while.    

He started out as a chicken farmer.   He would send his chicken’s white eggs to a New York market.   We probably had 400 or 500 chickens.  Every chicken had a band on its leg and Dad kept track of which chicken was laying eggs.   He would write down the numbers and it took him a long time.   Even if it took him all day he would still do it.   But during the depression they couldn’t afford to send them to NY anymore so he went out of business as far as his chickens were concerned.    The depression was his business misfortune.

He was pretty handy.  He would rather work a half a day than go to town to fix something.    He was more handy with machinery and tools than I was cause he could do  things so quick that someone else wouldn’t even get started fixing it.    He was a hard worker.    Only problem was that he couldn’t utilize his time very easily.    I would want to go to the field to farm and he would still be working on the tractor or something or the other.  

I suppose most of my siblings remember him having this loud voice all over the neighborhood calling the cows or horses or when he got mad.  (at me).    But most of his tantrums were about his tools or his equipment.  He had a good hollering voice.     But he was nice to work with.  He was a hard worker and he knew how to do things faster, better and quicker than anybody else.    I would work pretty hard with him most of the time.    He never talked deep about anything with me except when he took me to the Y for me to go into the army and he wept before I was picked up.    He told me later when he was older and in Florida that he still remembered that and that he was afraid he wouldn’t see me again.    Lucky me,  I made it back.    Sometimes I used my intuition and sometimes I used my training but it got me back.        

This is Dick Seidel on Historic Railroad Avenue

Happy Fathers Day

June 17, 2012

This is Richard the honored patriarch of the week.   It has been a nice fathers day.   Patty is here,  Peggy called and Marty talked to me from Florida.   John is here too.  

This is my fathers day present…   a recliner, it’s new and I have been sitting in it ever since it got here.        It is a nice recliner.    It automatically shifts and does everything for me since I am too lazy to get up.   

Thank you Dan for the check I got yesterday from my wheat.    It was a nice fathers day gift too.   I hope you get  lots of good rain during July so we will have a good corn crop.   

It was good to hear from Dale and Ray on the phone today.   I have been kind of lonesome for them as they have been on the ship for quite a while.    

We got our first monsoon yesterday.   It didn’t amount to much but a little lightning and a little rain.    It is just a start.    

This is Dick   on historic railroad avenue.   The oldest father around.   

June

June 3, 2012

It’s hot here.   Warm Arizona.    It is cool inside though because the low humidity makes my swamp cooler really cold.   They work really good till it gets really hot and humid in July or August.  

My mom’s and my mom-in-laws birthdays are this week on the 6^th.  Thelma was born in 1905.   Martha was born in 1909 I think.

 Thelma   1905 - 1986

 Martha 1909 - 2001

I have to write something because I would like to hear from everybody.   First thing in the morning I read my email and hear my markets.  And Leona reads them to me every day.     Bless her heart.    I like to hear from everybody by usual and unusual methods such as somebody visiting in the store saying “Joe says hello Richard” from somebody in Atlanta whose kids were students of Joe.   That was good that I got to hear from him that way.   

Leona and I are content to just sit down and watch the TV and the computer.   We are getting older.   Someone on the street said ‘being old is in your mind’.   I am not sure of that… I think it is more in your body and bones than in your mind.   Maybe I have used my bones and body more because they are worn out and my mind is still good.  

I am bragging pretty much to say that.   

I may have to get a new recliner.    Me and my dog have about wore out the old one.   

This is Richard Seidel on historic Railroad Avenue