December 24, 2007 - A week ago a man here in Owego, a man died that I thought a great deal of, for when he was a boy he had been one of our chore boys. One day Dr. Phelps who had been our veterinarian ever since we had moved on the hill in ‘31, he talked with Ag and wanted to know if we couldn't use their two older boys that summer. He said we didn't have to give them much money. But he wanted them to know what it was to have chores to do where you had animals to take care of no matter whether you felt like it or not. 

 So Gary and Craig lived and worked with us till school started and then Craig stayed on and went to school from there. So we got to know him and really enjoy his company. He was always good natured and never complained, even if we had to fix fence by flashlight. 

 Of course the work he did was not that hard and he had Pat's horse, Fleet, to ride. His brother, Rick, mentioned about Craig riding the horse to school one day. You see I worked eight hours a day in the tannery so probably didn't always know everything that went on. 

 Anyway, Craig showed that he didn't mind work for after we sold the farm to Pat and her husband, Charlie Toft, Craig stayed on and worked for them for a time. Then I lost track of him for a while. 

 Next thing I heard that after Viet Nam, he had gone to Hawaii and had gone to a school and learned to be a backer. The next I knew he and his wife, Cathy, had bought a building which contained a store called, Everybody's Country Store. Not long ago, the Sun-Bulletin ran a long story about what a thriving business they had built up. Each had their own specialties, he in his baking and Cathy with several goodies that would cause a waiting line on the days that she 
specialized in them. 

 But before this I had failed to mention, they had lost their only son, Peter. Their first child, daughter Keely, was married and moved away. Peter, from a boy up, had worked alongside his father, and Craig was teaching him to be a baker, too. He was going to college and rode a motorcycle, got into an accident, and was killed. This terrible loss must have almost stopped Cathy from caring about anything else for I know we didn't see her in the store for a while. 

 Craig made a big, round flat cookie which I missed very much if I couldn't get them and lately had been having Pat or Monica get for me so I hadn't seen Craig for a couple months and all at once a neighbor called me, "Did you know Craig Phelps is dead"

I just couldn't believe it. Another thing, believing was the huge number of people that came to his viewing. Rick told me they had found a tumor on his bronchial tube.

 Sister Luty and I are looking forward to her 92nd and my 102nd birthday party somewhere. Must give her a call tonight.

 Have another incident to account for the unpredictability of grouse, or as we always heard them called as kids in Pennsylvania, they called them pats or partridges. Mr. Rossie's story and beautiful photos account of the long ago performance of one with a tractor made me remember our experience with one in the Catskills made Fritz remember one that used to put on a display in the dirt road, Gary Hunt. He said that a cock bird would be strutting and preening himself on the curve at the top of the hill. He said that bird would act as though he wouldn't move and Fritz would have to drive around him.