Jimmy: A Son of Pioneers on the Western Prairies (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781722712815)

My Dad, Ken Stubbart grew up on a 1,000 acre sheep ranch in north-east Wyoming in the Black Hills. There was only one tree on all that property, the rest was all prairie - grassland. He told me that if he stood on tip-toe on the edge of his property, he could just barely see Devil's Tower. He later told me that he wasn't quite that tall, but they were still fairly close to it. My Dad lived a pioneer life. Riding everywhere in a wagon, attending a one-room schoolhouse, and using an outhouse were some of the luxuries he got to enjoy. My Dad wrote this story about his growing up years on that ranch out west. At 13, his parents sold the ranch for $1/acre and moved close to Kansas City, Missouri. Then my Dad had to get used to city life. My Dad was always interested in animals and plants. Every day on his way home from school, he would walk by a very nice house which had lots of very nice plants in the yard. There was a lady out in the yard, so he talked with her about the plants. Years, later, he found out that the lady was Bess Truman - former First Lady of the United States. My Dad met my Mom, Wanda Stubbart. And after working at a few youth camps together, they decided to get married. My Dad received his teaching degree and was able to teach for a year in Kansas, before he was drafted by the Army during the Korean War. The army moved them and my sister Bunni to Virginia. After he received his honorable discharge, the family moved to Columbus, OH where I and my sisters, Robin and Laura, were born. My Dad wrote this story for Laura's son Jay. My Dad taught high school and junior high until he retired. He also directed several youth camps. So he had plenty of experience with children and had a good idea of the things they'd be interested in reading. For a few days, I worked with my Dad in a florist shop. My Dad worked there as a second job, when they were very busy - holidays, weddings, etc. My Dad always made the nicest corsages. He also liked to garden, and at the age of 88 he still tries to go out in the yard every day to see how the plants are doing. My Dad is an artist. He drew the logo for my company - Yellow Bear Journeys. My Dad did ceramics. He also knitted and crocheted. He can look at pretty much any pattern and duplicate it. His latest and current hobby is raising birds. He started raising birds when I was a teen. At one point he was raising over 200 birds, canaries and parakeets. Now he is down to a handful of canaries. Dale Stubbart