AU2010-3156 -- Kenneth (Wild)

AU2010-3156 -- Kenneth (Wild)

Sound Recording Content
Interview:

Side A: Aging. The need to stay busy when retired. His pension. His reasons for still keeping livestock. 'It's something to do.' Shares opinions of local shop keepers.

Side B: Kenneth and Helen discuss maple sugaring. Kenneth tells a story about when he was 3 years old and fell through the ice on the farm pond (2:59-4:00). Kenneth reflects on aging and memory, and tells a nuber of stories from his early childhood 1911-12. Kenneth tells the story of the first car he saw in 1911 (4:24-5:10), story of the family moving back to VT to NH. Talks about book keeping on the farm. 'Well, they say an honest man don't get nowhere, and I think it's true. But if you was brought up honest it's kinda hard to be anything else.' Talks about social change and taxation. Church and religion: 'But my folks never went to church much too much. We could have gone if we wanted to, but we had more things we'd rather do than go to church' (11:10-12:40). Logging: tells stories about his father working in the woods. Talks about how his father used axes rather then a cross-cut saw. Describes his father's skill with an axe. Talks about using different kinds of tools (12:55-18:05). Talks about his father and discipline. Being hit with his father's belt, his mother hitting hi. (18:08-19:56). Free time with his brother. 'We used to do everything. We had homemade snowshoes. We traveled all over these hills on wooden snow shoes made out of pine boards. And then we had skis, even homemade skis. And we had snow jumpers. Take a tree it's got a crook in it and shave it down until about an inch thick. And then put a 4X4 on to that and then a seat on to it, and you ride down these hills--really go places' (20:00-21:08)

Richard Brick/Last Stand Farmer Collection -- VFC2003-0007. Vermont Folklife Center Archive, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.

Audio recordings copyright Richard Brick.

English

AU2010-3156