Our friend and neighbor Jane Keyes dropped off a rumored treasure, the memoirs of Florence Qua Walrath, who owned the farm before us and lived her for nearly 80 years. Her spirit and character drew us to the farm and infuse the 1840 farmhouse still. Her memoir begins in her no-nonsense style: “It all started four miles north of Salem, N.Y. it was a quaint old farmhouse…” Florence’s memoirs are neatly typed on good white paper and are in a neat red and green binder.

Jane, the long-time Jackson, N.Y., town clerk, was a close friend of Florence’s and was gracious and thoughtful enough to share the memoirs with us. I can’t wait to read Florence’s story and learn more about her remarkable life – she went swimming when she was 100 years old and when they took her license away, she drove her mower to the lake – and I’ll try and share some of it with you. Many people have been asking about it since I first mentioned it a week or so ago.

The history and feeling of the farmhouse are powerful. I write this in the formal parlor at the front of the house. Florence loved the farmhouse and many people have thanked us for not tearing it apart or changing it radically. We will never do that. I came to this house when I stopped to take a photo of Rocky and met Florence. Maria and I both plan to read this book over the weekend. As a writer, this document is even more precious to me.