| Page 6 When David was ten days old (July 13), his father returned with the son he'd purloined away! What a relief and joy! They all remained in the region, and the Mojave Desert all winter, with the father working the cotton fields. He operated a huge cotton-picking machine which vacuumed the fluffs of cotton from the bolls. It was very cold those wintry days, with the frost and ice on the cotton each morning. The harvesting was often delayed until the morning sun came out to undo Jack Frost's night work! Extremes in the weather were quite common in that desert region; wind, and sand storms were frequent, and as the children walked to school across the barren fields of sand, it was sometimes necessary for them to walk backwards to avoid the stinging sand blowing in faces and hair, at rates of 45 to 60 miles per hour! When harvest was over, and little work was left in that area, the family moved north to Modesto, California, where William (Russ) was employed by cousin Art Clawson. Art had a trucking company, and one of his contracts was hauling wine from Gallo Winery in his tankers. Russ drove tanker for Art for several months before the family moved to Stockton, California. As October rolled around, another little one was added to the family group.....Linda Carol (10-3-57), a pretty baby girl, soon becoming a mischievous little toddler, now kept everyone on guard, and entertained the others with her antics! She would change from tears to smiles in an instant! She was born in French Camp, a small town near Manteca, where the family resided at the time. After living for a time in Willow, California, and in Lodi, the family moved to the gold discovery site of Coloma, CA., where Russ found employment in the pear orchards and working with the rock-crushers in the river bed near their home. The huge piles of rock being crushed were for stockpiles of gravel used in road maintenance and construction. This was a quiet, picturesque, country setting, with evergreen trees, river and rocks, and the family raised a prolific garden, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, two young goats, and had a milk cow. Another winter was coming on, and on December 8, 1958, dear little Mary Etta was born........She was a quiet, charming, happy baby girl, seeming always quite content and with a ready smile or laughter. Once more the family returned to the valley, residing in Willows, CA. It was springtime and Russ again planted a large, bounteous garden! He seemed to have a truly "green thumb", and the family always had more then enough fresh food from their garden, no matter where they lived. Orange trees in the yard were putting forth delicious, juicy fruit! The garden produced all summer, and with no available work for the man of the house, the family moved to Lodi, California for a time. Russ usually was able to find work on the farms in the valleys, so, with the gardens supplementing, they were never hungry. When the family, now numbering twelve, moved to Manteca, California, they managed to find a small but adequate house, and as another spring was in the offing, another precious little life was preparing to face the world......Penny Deanne was born on the 2nd day of March 1960. This tiny baby girl was welcomed into a family with love that was "twelve-fold"! She didn't want for attention and caring.......Having no crib or bassinet at this time, her mother fashioned a little bed in a dresser drawer (placed on chairs), and Penny was snug and cozy! Though all the children's personalities were quite different, Penny, like Mary, was a quiet, content infant.....and throughout childhood. It seemed there was never a need to cry or fuss, as there was plenty of love and attention always at hand. As planned, this baby girl was to be the last in the family, and as time went on, she and Mary became constant, contented playmates. Linda, at five started school, and with nine children attending school, the two youngest spent hours together, playing quietly or exploring the woods with mother, feeding the chickens, or playing in the snow. The snowfall was during their first winter in Northern California, at Adin, not far from Mt. Shasta. It was winter of 1961/1962, and at 5,000 ft. altitude, it was a beautiful winter wonderland! The children had a grand time playing in the snow, with sleds, snow ball fights, and building snow creatures! Not to mention "snow-cream"! The family remained in this forested homesite for two years, at which time they relocated to Corning, California. The family had a great many moves, changes in circumstances, ups and downs along life's road, but they are survivors! Russ' drinking problem escalated over the years, until after retirement he did not live long....dyingat the age of 66 years from alcoholism and smoking. He made life difficult for all the family, but was a hard-working man, and always managed to provide for those in his care. Etta May (Roberts) Lisifka |
 |
| To be continued........... |