Holidays were shared with Rosa and Fred Watts and the children as they were the relatives living nearest to us. We always had a special Christmas dinner at our home or Fred's that ended with plum pudding. Sometimes Aunt Bess and Uncle Harry Loughmiller's family and sometimes the Ivan Clements or Clare Clements families or others joined us on this day. We usually celebrated the Fourth of July with evening fireworks. Relatives from cities usually brought a supply of fireworks to shoot off in the country. Rodney Loughmiller and Chet Bare (Hope's husband) and their children greatly enjoyed Fourth of July fireworks. We did, too, and looked forward to the brilliant display.
     Elsie always grew lots of flowers. She especially liked chrysanthemums and grew many new and large varieties. We usually had a strawberry patch and raspberries or blackberries. Some new fruit trees were set out nearly every year.
     We always had a horse to ride and had cattle, hogs, chickens, and sometimes ducks, geese or turkeys. The farm work was done with horses (until the last few years) which required long hours in the fields. We always had a lantern to carry when chores of feeding and caring for animals had to be done after dark. Power lines came to our farm carrying electricity in 1948. This made a big change in the farmer's way of living.
     Arch always enjoyed working in community projects. He was a charter member of the English Ridge Grange which was organized in 1910, and started with thirteen members. Arch has kept his membership through the years to this day (1964).
     Pauline lived at home until she went to Topeka to care for her cousin, Lucy Ellis. Lucy taught school, the first two years at English Ridge, several terms at other rural schools and 18 years at Havensville Grade School. Since living in Topeka, she helps care for three girls when their parents are away from home. The girls Becky, 12; MollY,7; and Jennie, 4; like to play school. Molly likes to be the teacher and is a good one, but one evening they insisted that Lucy should be their teacher. They have a basement playroom equipped with school desks, blackboard, and school equipment. Gladstone, the dog, had a front seat and the girls proved to be "A" students.
     Arch and Elsie held open house in celebration of their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary but observed their Sixtieth anniversary quietly July 28, 1963, at their home in Topeka. Friends and neighbors called during the day and lovely bouquets were received.

ARCH'S STORY OF OKLAHOMA TRIP
     When the Arapaho territory in western Oklahoma came in for homesteading, a number of young folks from English Ridge and Buck's Grove went there, some taking homesteads and others getting jobs.


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