Dear Cyndy,

It occurred to me, thinking about your reminiscences about The Farm,
that what you have written may also be considered as an example of
a literary genus of factual or fictitious accounts about childhood
life on a farm from which the authors have emigrated to a more urban
existence. I remembered that two such books were assigned reading for
the group of which Margaret has long been a member and in which I myself
transiently participated a few years ago. At the time I made notes on
the books that we read. I posted these notes on my web-site on the
Internet. Until now, I have never suggested that any one look at
them. I don't know if it's worth your while, but here is the URL:
http://home.earthlink.net/~ernstmeyer/bookgroup/oldfarms.html

Considering now only your reminiscences about The Farm,  - I'll leave
The War for another letter, the vignettes that you draw constitute a
mosaic of sorts, each item of which has its own significance and
charm, enhanced when one considers it as it were from a greater
distance, in the context in which it is presented, enhanced also
by ones familiarity with the author, with the landscape and with
with other characters that appear on the scene. If you want to
enlarge on or expand what you have written you have a number of
opportunities:

You can indulge in greater detail in describing in much greater
detail the personae dramatis, including yourself.

You can enhance the episodes you have sketched by providing
each with more explanation, detail and/or embroidery.

You can exhume memories of other scenes, other events to
supplement what you have already written.

You can amplify the meaning of what you have already written
by placing the items you present in a (different) order or
pattern. A chronological structure is the most obvious, but
you might also consider other patterns. Your account might
be organized around the persons involved: each of your sisters
individually, your mother, your father, your stepfather,
Jane, Ellen, Peter and the youngest Flanders child, about
to be remarried, whose name momentarily escapes me.

The ultimate issue with which you will have to deal is whether
you really want to maintain the Cyndy in Wonderland ambience,
or whether you want to open the gates to the broad and deep
comical and tragic panorama of (family) life in which this
particular rabbit hole is located. My own concern, as you may
have inferred from my comments is to try to explore in ever greater
depth and with ever greater intensity, "wie es eigentlich gewesen."
Such "history in depth" may in spots be arduous, embarrassing
and even painful. Arguably it also has value as (auto)therapy.
There is a point at which writing becomes art, and that juncture,
the text becomes biblical.

All but the preceding two paragraphs I wrote yesterday. This morning
I looked at the docket sheet of my case that is published on the
Internet and discovered that I have finally succeeded in rousing 
the Superior Court Clerk. He has posted a Notice of Assembly of
Record on Appeal. Tomorrow morning I will take $300 in cash to
the Appeals Court Clerk, have the appeal docketed, and ask for
preliminary approval of the documents that I have prepared. By
Thursday I should be ready to "serve" copies on Kimberly and on the AG.
Then on Friday I should be prepared to file my two motions, my Brief,
the two volume record appendix, seven copies of each, 35 volumes in all, -
how I'll transport them to the John Adams Courthouse at 1 Pemberton
Square in downtown Boston, I haven't figured out, - as well a 18 copies
of the twenty page application for direct review by the Supreme Judicial
Court.  (In this context it would help me to know whether your sister,
who I understand is driving Joanna from Heyshott will also take 
Joanna and her possions to Harvard, or whether Joanna expects to
accept my offer to do this for her. It isn't terribly important;
there's a forty day window for my filings with the Court
and whether I do so on Friday or Monday really doesn't matter.)

Of course Margaret and I look forward to your staying with us when
you come to visit Joanna. We wish Ned would consent to accompany you.
I will reread your essay about The Farm and I expect to have further
thoughts. But now I must get rerady for three patients, the first
of whom is scheduled at noon. Then I will plunge into the vortex of 
the law.

Jochen