About the Author

School for Beatrice Stafford and her siblings depended on the “weather” and harvest time”. Although Beatrice went to school until age sixteen, Beatrice only achieved a third grade education. Still always believing in the power of education and hard work, Beatrice looked to her father for inspiration, who himself had no education, but he had common sense she remembered and was a good provider for the family. A proud moment for Beatrice came when she taught her father how to sign his own name shortly before he passed away. The family as a whole worked hard on the farm “living off the fat of their land” and enjoying “the fruits of their labor”. And in that, Beatrice wants to teach everyone, especially the children of this generation, how her generation, among social ills plaguing society back then, how hard her family worked just to eat and survive. Her family had no electricity, available assistance or technology. Beatrice’s family depended on each other, the sun, the rain and the good earth to take care of them. She stated “writing this book, is to bring awareness to all benefits of planting and raising your own fruits and vegetables.” After raising eleven children of her own, Beatrice followed in her father’s footsteps. Still in her memory, hearing her father say, the gold is in the land and perseverance and hard work Beatrice acquired land as well.