Uncle Edward and Aunt Laura in the 1970's

 Uncle Edward Atwood and Aunt Laura ran the Atwood Hatchery in Comanche for almost 40 years.  They had a very nice house on Highway 16 at Wrights Avenue.  Their hatchery property was across the street on Pearl Street.

In 1976 they had a huge estate sale and loaded a moving van with all of their household goods and moved to Everett, Washington.  Aunt Laura's sister Nora lived in Seattle which was just a short drive away.

These photos were made on their moving day.  Aunt Laura took care of her gardens and trees right up until the last minute, and visited with folks who came by to see them off.

The big snowman when I was 5 years old

This is in the pasture at the Atwood Hatchery that belonged to Aunt Laura and Uncle Ed in Comanche.  The woman on the right of the snowman is my mom Anna Louise.  Bill and I are sitting on the home-made sled that Daddy made for the occasion.  I am sure he took this picture.

On the left you can see one of the chicken houses at the Atwood Hatchery where the hens laid eggs.

There is more about this special winter day on this blog at

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3801104567582240677#editor/target=post;postID=4242736856078910379

The Atwood clan at Christmas: 1962

An Atwood Christmas gathering at Uncle Ed and Aunt Laura's house in Comanche.  Back row:  Hipp Arthur, Joyce and Cecil Rambo, Cranford Lundy.  Second row:  Ed Atwood, Ann Atwood, Laura Atwood, Ruth Lundy, Alma Denny.  Seated:  Susan Lundy, TR Atwood, Ernestine Atwood, Harold Denny, Mama Atwood.  Mama passed in 1963 so this must have been 1962.

Below is a separate picture of my dad Thurston with my little brother Bob Atwood and mother with Mama Atwood in the center.  Same day of course.

Why I love chickens

Uncle Ed and Aunt Laura Atwood

I spent a lot of time with Aunt Laura looking after the chickens at the Atwood  Hatchery.  I remember watching her "grade" eggs with a machine that had a "candle" light to see if the egg was fertile. If it was fertile it had a  tiny drop of blood in it.  The machine sorted the eggs according to their weight.  Double yolk eggs were good to eat but not to hatch chicks from.

I went with her to feed the chickens in each chicken house.  She had to knock on the door so the silly things could get all excited and fluttery and settle down again before we could go in.  The egg boxes were along one wall.  I was allowed to help gather the eggs and put them in wire baskets that she carried.  I just had to be sure I counted how many I added.

Always I have loved to watch chickens, and to listen to them talking softly to each other, and see them turn from tiny balls of fluff to little ugly things with pinfeathers, to big bustling hens over the weeks.  I never cared to go near a rooster, although I think they are beautiful.  When you are a little person, a rooster will try to scare you and even attack sometime if he thinks you are after his hens.

Bill and me, 1949

Uncle Ed made this picture of Bill and me in his back yard at the Atwood Hatchery when we were almost 8 and 12 years old.  We sure had lots of good times there.  Often my dad and Uncle Ed and their  brothers-in-law went fishing together.  They brought back fish, usually bass and stripers, for the whole clan. We would eat supper out in the yard and then make home made ice cream. What good times we had! 

Bill Atwood my brother

My brother Bill (William Thurston) Atwood was born when I was four years and four days old. The first thing I remember about him was visiting in the hospital where he was born in Gorman, Texas and seeing his little feet with black ink on them where his footprints had been put on his birth certificate.

here's Bill at 2

Here"s a snapshot of my brother Bill Atwood taken by my Uncle Ed.  It was made in the little house that Uncle Ed and Aunt Laura had next door to their hatchery in Comanche.  I think Bill was 4 years old.