Ruthie Rich’s feet felt cool and wet as the edge of a wave glided over them at the Pacific Ocean seashore in Los Angeles, CA. She was only five months old so her mother, Emma, held her tightly. Only her feet touched the ripple of the wave. What Fun!!!

Later that day, Ruthie’s mom and dad, Lowell, packed their things and the family moved to the Rich family grain farm in Martinsville, Indiana.

Ruthie’s Mom and Dad lived on Goss Ave. in Los Angeles, when Ruthie was born June

10th, 1921. The named her Ruth June Rich. To find just the right name, Emma looked in the Bible, and found the story of Ruth, who was good to her Mother-in-Law, and married a man who was an ancestor of Jesus’s human parents. It was a good name and Ruth liked it all her life. After she got married, she had a Mother-in-Law, Edith, to be nice to, and she was, but a lot of times Ruth had to be kind when she didn’t feel like it. In other stories, there are exciting adventures about Edith and Ruth. At the end, they loved each other very much.

June was picked for Ruth’s middle name because she was born in the month of June. Rich was her Dad’s last name (Lowell Glenwood Rich). The Rich family lived near Indianapolis, Indiana, and had farms (160 acres in size) – very large. There relatives had come from Germany and called themselves Pennsylvania Dutch.

In those days people were superstitious – afraid of some things. On one of the Rich farms, someone who lived in the farmhouse died and no one would live in that house because they were afraid they would die also. The house was “hexed,” they said. The farm was not being kept up so Lowell and Emma and Ruthie were asked to move into that house. If they ever left (and didn’t die there), then the farm and farmhouse could be rented to people again.

Ruthie loved to touch the cool water in the tiny brook near the farmhouse. It babbled happily along. The tall trees of the forest also made Ruthie feel cool in their shade. She loved to squat down and put her fingers in the water and watch it part and go together around her fingers. The dirt at the end of the brook was rich and Ruthie often ate some. Her mother scolded her severely each time, but Ruthie always forgot and ate more dirt.

After a year or so, Ruthie’s Daddy put her little coat and hat on, and they went for a walk outside. She held her Dad’s hand, but managed to step in a hole and fell “KERPLUNK” … right on her forehead. The bone on her eyebrow cut through the skin and blood ran down all over her face and clothes. Ruthie cried and Lowell took her back into the house, where Emma cared for it like a nurse.

In December (1922), the day after Christmas, December 26th, Ruthie was surprised to receive the best present of all – a baby brother. He was born in a hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.

What would they name him?  Emma’s name was Emma Clara Wolff before she married Lowell Rich. She decided to name the baby “Clarence” after her, and after a famous lawyer, named Clarence Darrow. Someone in the family was named “Edward” So the baby’s name became Clarence Edward Rich. But when Clarence was in school the children teased him and called him “Clara Bow” after a famous movie actress. After a while Clarence went by “C. E.” One day, when he was grown up a girl asked him his name. When he said “Clarence,” she said, “Oh, quit your kidding.” He went by “C.E.” again and for the rest of his life. Clarence went to live in Heaven August 8,1996.

One day Emma had a surprise for Ruthie and Clarence. She took each by the hand and they walked to the barn. Inside, near he back, they found lots of hay on the ground. Beside the hay was something they had never seen before. “This is a calf, – a baby cow.” Emma said. Its big brown eyes seemed so loving, and they liked looking at the calf. Suddenly the calf “ba-a-a-a-w-ed” loudly. Hoof beats sounded and all turned their heads toward the barn entrance. The mother cow came charging at them with her head down so that her horns would hurt them. She was trying to protect her baby calf! – The only way she knew how.

Emma grabbed a pitchfork standing near her. With her other hand she pushed Clarence and Ruthie in back of her and held out her dress and apron as wide as possible, while pointing the pitchfork at the cow.

“Stay behind me! Hang on to my skirt!” Emma said hurriedly.

Slowly she moved toward the front of the barn, turning to keep the children out of sight. The cow lowered her head even more as she charged forward; but the pitchfork made her stop short of hitting them. By then, Emma and the children were at the barn door entrance so the cow stayed where she was – in front of her calf! Once outside, they ran to the house. Emma fell into a chair with a sigh of relief, and Ruthie and Clarence both climbed onto Emma’s lap and held her tightly. Emma had been very brave! Had she not had the “Spunk” to face danger, all could have been hurt by the cow’s horns and feet. After that they waited for the calf to come outside with its mother and watched from a distance.

A strange looking tall “bucket” was in their large kitchen. Emma would pour milk into it, then put on the lid. There was a hole in the lid with a pole that Emma pulled up and down. She said she was churning milk to make butter. Ruthie got to help churn now and then, but since she was only 3 years old, she didn’t do it very long. The butter tasted so sweet, and the milk was warm and fresh. Sometimes Emma made the milk thick and called it Cottage cheese. She strained the water off the cheese and the water was called “whey” It was used in cooking and many other ways.

There was a great big hog on the farm and some little pigs- all in a pen. The hog was bigger than Ruthie, but she and Clarence liked to look through the fence and watch them eat and roll in the mud, and snort. .Emma told them not to ever play with the hog, so they didn’t.

One day Lowell and another man came into the kitchen and Ruthie heard them say that the horse had fallen in a hole and that his leg was broken.

“We’ll have to put him out of his misery,” the other man said. “Yes,” agreed Lowell,” but I’d rather you do it.”

“OK,” he replied.

In those days, no one could mend a horse’s leg and the horse had to be shot, rather than let it suffer for a long time. Ruthie and Emma felt so sad to hear that the horse had to be shot, but Emma reminded Ruthie that she would be out of pain and could never have recovered. It was the kindest thing to do for her sake. The men felt badly, also. Today, we have Veterinarian Doctors who mend hurt animals, so that we can continue to love and enjoy them. We have to take care of them, as God commanded Adam to do, and us, his descendants. So feed your pets, clean up any mess,. Wash them, and do whatever your pet especially needs in order to be happy and healthy. They are so loving! Take time to pet and love your pet. You’ll both be very happy then!.

Not long after that, Lowell, Emma, Ruthie, and Clarence moved to Florida, but that is another story..