June 2010

           "Grab it Grandpa!  Grab it!"

            "I've got it Ben!  I've got it!"

            Ben and Grandfather were laying the picnic tablecloth close to the creek banks for the celebration Mother had planned.  It was father's birthday.  The sun sparkled on the water and once in a while a swift breeze blew in from the west.  Grandfather rolled the tablecloth up into a bunch and stuck it under his arm.

            "Get a couple of those rocks, Ben."

            The tablecloth was securely held in place.  Ben got his wagon from the barn and brought the food down from the kitchen.  Marion, Ella and Luke came down to help.  Doris came down with Lily, who had just awakened from her nap.  John walked around the side of the house from Abiah Edwards' barn where he had been helping Mr. Edwards.  Mother came down with the birthday cake.  She carefully placed it under the near-by oak tree and placed one of her large napkins over it.  They all sat down around the picnic cloth and waited for father. It wasn't long before the horses and wagon appeared right in front of the barn.  He jumped off the wagon seat, apparently unaware of the very quiet group sitting around the picnic cloth just over the hill.  A bunch of noisy crows flew up and right over the picnic circle.  Father quickly glanced over at the raucous birds.  He spotted his very quiet family and he came jogging down the hill.  As they pointed to "his space", they all shouted "Happy Birthday".  He sat down and everyone began to enjoy the delicious food and then the beautiful cake Mother had made.  Suddenly Lily called out, "cake, cake!"  She had eaten her first piece and was now asking for more so mother cut a very small piece for her.

            Grandfather glanced around at his family's circle.  He had an unusual expression on his face.  Instead of a happy smile for this special occasion, he looked sad.

            "Grandpa, said Marion, what's the matter?  You look so sad."  Grandpa turned toward Marion.  "Well Marion, I guess it is the memories filling up my head which are causing my sad face."

            Ben spoke quickly.  "Grandpa, don't feel sad.  You know we all love you."

            "Well then, what is it which has saddened you?"  Mother's question seemed to put a look of sadness on her face.

            Grandpa boosted himself up on his knees so he could easily see everyone and they could easily see him.

            "Come on, Dad. Tell us.  Where is all this sadness coming from?"

            The children had never heard their father call their grandfather, Dad.

            Grandfather pulled himself up a bit straighter on his knees.  "It's the Creek.  This beautiful, sparkling Creek in which my two brothers and four sisters and I had such happy times so many years ago.  And now those happy times are gone.  He lowered his head for a moment and it looked as if a tear was slowly sliding down his cheek.  He quickly raised his head ad the smile on his fact stretched from ear to ear.

            "Grandpa, come on!  Tell us!  What made you sad and then so happy?"

            "All right.  But first, let's clean all of our picnic things up and take everything back up to the house."

            Everyone got up and picked up the things on the picnic cloth.  Just as they were all about to start up toward the house, Grandpa said, "Let's all come right back down here and sit right over there in the shade of the tree."  He looked around at all of them from fact to face, and began to talk.

            "Well......most of you know that the Kayadrosseras country was always called the "country of the lakes and the crooked stream," and there it is - the crooked stream, flowing along in the sunlight.  I was five years old when we moved here and I first saw the crooked stream.   Shortly after we came to this farm, I fell in and my father jumped in and pulled me out."

            Every other family member was looking right at Grandpa and listening to every word he spoke.

            "Let me tell you some of the things I learned in the many long years I've spent on this farm."

            "Before the first settlers arrived, the Mohawk Indians lived here.  They used all of this land for hunting in these deep woods and fishing in the Kayadrosseras Creek.  But from 1708 until 1770, it was a very dangerous place to live because of the French and Indian War and then the Revolutionary War which ended in 1783."

            "Ben, you and Marion have studied our Greenfield history with Mr. Steele. What very, very important event happened ten years later?"

            Both Ben and Marion were waving their hands.

            "All right, Marion, tell us."

            "We had the Town of Greenfield."

            "Excellent Marion. Very good."

            "Yes," said Grandfather, "we then had enough people to make a Town and events began to happen, many events like large farms getting started, John James arriving to build two paper mills, George West taking over one of these mills and Oscar Granger starting glassmaking.  Other early industries like shoemakers, harness makers, wagon builders and barrel makers began.  And how did all of these workers get the power to run the machines they used?"

            Surprisingly, John knew the answer to this question.  he shouted, "The Kayadrosseras Creek."

            "Yes, said Grandfather, right here beside us, this powerful, fast flowing stream turned the water wheels for all of these mills where certain objects, needed by many people, were made."

            "Our Town kept right on growing as you have seen.  When my family got here there was just beginning to be a good mix of land and waterforms like valleys with fine soil, mountains and places where graphite was mined.  And I saved the best for last."  So just before Grandfather could name the best, both Ben and Marion shouted, "The Kayadrosseras Creek."  Everyone laughed and looked down the knoll, where the sun, now a bit lower in the sky, caused the water to glisten like diamonds.

            "Come on.  Let's go."  Father motioned for everyone to follow him.  He led them down to the very edge of the Creek.  Everyone of them stood quietly as the water flowed just a short distance from their toes.

            Father took several short steps and turned to face his family.  He was smiling happily as he pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and began to read.

        We see our Kayadrosseras when the sun is bright,

                But what fun it is to come here at night.

        The crickets are chirping, the trees softly sway.

                We love our Kayadrosseras, whether it's night or day.

        But whenever we stand on the edge of this stream,

                We never, ever forget our favorite dream.

        To swim in the Creek and paddle our boat up and down.

                And we'll always remember what it's done for our Town.

        The water wheels turn, many things come out.

                We're so happy we all give a great big shout.

        Come see our stream, Come see our Creek.

                It's the best place ever, for anyone to seek.

        But no matter how much we swim and play

                We'll never forget our Kayadrosseras each day.

        Without the Creek, without the stream,

                None of us could reach our special dream.

        To live a life that is happy and good,

                Great food, nice home, and then we should -

        Be thankful and be especially glad.

                Our Kayadrosseras is the best Creek anyone ever had.