Hello all; Just came back from a trip to Greeley, Colorado to pick-up some our great farm grown Colorado produce with my Mom. Being raised in Brighton, Colorado on a farm they raised sugar beets. During the drive Mom reminisced about her adventures working in the fields topping beets with her brothers and sisters. Guess it was pretty hard work all hand labour working in the hot sun. Anyone out there have some good ol' sugar beet topping stories? Dennis Sewald

Dennis, My story is probably a sad one about sugar beets. I was born in Platteville, Colorado and grew up in that sugar beet country because my dad was a farmer. My mother along with her 9 brothers and sisters all had to work the "beet fields" from Nebraska to Sugar City to the Greeley area during their growing up years. Those were not pleasant memories for her. As she aged and dementia began to set in I watched her regress back into childhood and beyond. One of the saddest parts of it was hearing her over and over reliving those hot, miserable days in the "beet fields" and how hard the work was. She would tell anyone that crossed her path about the hard work. It was almost a blessing when she finally regressed beyond the beet fields". My dad's sister did about the same thing. This brings me to a question for the list. Years ago I seem to recall hearing that a study had been done about Alzheimer's (dementia) with the Germans from Russia. The villages of Walter and Frank had an unusually high ratio of it as I recall. Any one have any more information about this? Joan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dennis L. Sewald" <dennis@sewald.name> To: <ger-volga@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2007 11:56 AM Subject: [GV] Beet topping season > Hello all; > > Just came back from a trip to Greeley, Colorado to pick-up some our great > farm grown Colorado produce with my Mom. Being raised in Brighton, > Colorado > on a farm they raised sugar beets. During the drive Mom reminisced about > her adventures working in the fields topping beets with her brothers and > sisters. Guess it was pretty hard work all hand labour working in the hot > sun. Anyone out there have some good ol' sugar beet topping stories? > > > > Dennis Sewald > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.11/944 - Release Date: 8/9/2007 > 2:44 PM > >

Hello all, I have been off line for some time, and find the sayings and beet field info interesting, in that two of my older sisters were born in Sugar City. My parents, grandparents and aunt & uncle worked the beet fields. It was back breaking, hard work. My mother told how she was hoeing a row of beets, felt labor cramps come on, and since she was just a few weeks pregnant, went to the outhouse, where she aborted a miscarriage. She cleaned herself up and went right back to the field. It's a wonder more of these women didn't die a lot younger than they did. The question about alzheimers. I would also like to know the outcome of that study, since I have three first cousins who died of Alzheimers, and now have both a brother and sister who are afflicted with it. We are first generation US. Suzanne, VC for Eckheim J Welch <jwelch3@verizon.net> wrote: Dennis, My story is probably a sad one about sugar beets. I was born in Platteville, Colorado and grew up in that sugar beet country because my dad was a farmer. My mother along with her 9 brothers and sisters all had to work the "beet fields" from Nebraska to Sugar City to the Greeley area during their growing up years. Those were not pleasant memories for her. As she aged and dementia began to set in I watched her regress back into childhood and beyond. One of the saddest parts of it was hearing her over and over reliving those hot, miserable days in the "beet fields" and how hard the work was. She would tell anyone that crossed her path about the hard work. It was almost a blessing when she finally regressed beyond the beet fields". My dad's sister did about the same thing. This brings me to a question for the list. Years ago I seem to recall hearing that a study had been done about Alzheimer's (dementia) with the Germans from Russia. The villages of Walter and Frank had an unusually high ratio of it as I recall. Any one have any more information about this? Joan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dennis L. Sewald" To: Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2007 11:56 AM Subject: [GV] Beet topping season > Hello all; > > Just came back from a trip to Greeley, Colorado to pick-up some our great > farm grown Colorado produce with my Mom. Being raised in Brighton, > Colorado > on a farm they raised sugar beets. During the drive Mom reminisced about > her adventures working in the fields topping beets with her brothers and > sisters. Guess it was pretty hard work all hand labour working in the hot > sun. Anyone out there have some good ol' sugar beet topping stories? > > > > Dennis Sewald > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.11/944 - Release Date: 8/9/2007 > 2:44 PM > > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message --------------------------------- Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids.