Grandma's Porch
Makin' Moonshine
The late Anna Bosnyak loved to spend summer afternoons sitting on the front porch of her home in Lincoln Borough. Whenever her grandchildren came to visit, Anna always found herself entertaining them with a story or two about her childhood. It was on one such day that the gray headed woman spoke of 'growing up' in Dead Man's Hollow during the time of Prohibition. She told of bootleggers and the rumor of a still that was hidden somewhere in the woods. Of course, word of the illicit activity eventually found its way out of the hollow and it wasn't long before the police were performing random inspections of the area. Anna would recall being approached by two officers on one muggy afternoon in mid-July. When the police arrived, they found the six year old girl wading in the creek with the neighbors' youngest son. The men immediately noticed that the children had tied a few pieces of string to tree branches and stretched them across the gentle waters. Most curiously, each section of the sting had at least three or four empty tin cans dangling from it. As the officers looked on, Anna's friend began to tug on the end of the strings. The tin cans began to shake vigorously. The water that was inside each can splashed out as Anna used a larger can to pour more water from the creek back into the smaller cans. "Hey you two," boomed one of the policemen. "What are you up to?" Young Anna looked up from her work and grinned. "Makin' Moonshine!" she replied. Both of the lawmen started to laugh. One of the men then took the good Lord's name in vain before adding, "Even the damn kids know how to make it!" With smiles, the policemen went on their way. The elderly woman finished her story by laughing about how her innocent answer traveled quickly throughout the hollow that particular day. Funnier yet, was how two little words and a smile seemed to put her father, Michael under the watchful eye of the authorities afterward.
The late Anna Bosnyak loved to spend summer afternoons sitting on the front porch of her home in Lincoln Borough. Whenever her grandchildren came to visit, Anna always found herself entertaining them with a story or two about her childhood. It was on one such day that the gray headed woman spoke of 'growing up' in Dead Man's Hollow during the time of Prohibition. She told of bootleggers and the rumor of a still that was hidden somewhere in the woods. Of course, word of the illicit activity eventually found its way out of the hollow and it wasn't long before the police were performing random inspections of the area. Anna would recall being approached by two officers on one muggy afternoon in mid-July. When the police arrived, they found the six year old girl wading in the creek with the neighbors' youngest son. The men immediately noticed that the children had tied a few pieces of string to tree branches and stretched them across the gentle waters. Most curiously, each section of the sting had at least three or four empty tin cans dangling from it. As the officers looked on, Anna's friend began to tug on the end of the strings. The tin cans began to shake vigorously. The water that was inside each can splashed out as Anna used a larger can to pour more water from the creek back into the smaller cans. "Hey you two," boomed one of the policemen. "What are you up to?" Young Anna looked up from her work and grinned. "Makin' Moonshine!" she replied. Both of the lawmen started to laugh. One of the men then took the good Lord's name in vain before adding, "Even the damn kids know how to make it!" With smiles, the policemen went on their way. The elderly woman finished her story by laughing about how her innocent answer traveled quickly throughout the hollow that particular day. Funnier yet, was how two little words and a smile seemed to put her father, Michael under the watchful eye of the authorities afterward.
Mootzy The Pig
Anna beckoned her grandchildren to the porch. She asked them if they had ever heard the story of Mootzy the pig. The children began to grin while shaking their heads 'no'. Anna then motioned for them to find a seat. As the children made themselves comfortable, the elderly woman raised her hand and pointed to the spacious yard behind her home. She told of how their grandfather had planted an enormous garden that stretched from one side of the property to the other. Anna's aging voice began to name all of the fruits and vegetables that her late husband had grown throughout the years. She continued by telling her grandchildren about the time that the entire family went to a livestock auction to purchase a forty pound pig. Excitement was in the air; not to mention the foul odor of manure. Anna's son and oldest daughter watched with delight as the black and white spotted swine was loaded into the back of their father's pick-up truck. When the family returned to their home, everyone pitched in to help built a pen for their pig. That was when Anna smiled and said that they named the gentle animal Mootzy. She started to laugh when she remembered how her grandchildren's father would play with the pig as if it were a dog or a cat. It actually seemed like Mootzy had became a member of the family.
A few years later, in 1955, development of a new housing plan began not too far from the Bosnyak's property. It would eventually become known as the Taylor plan. By this time, Mootzy had grown to be close to two hundred pounds. Needless to say, the enclosure that was once able to contain the animal was no longer sufficient. Mootzy was constantly using his weight to force the stall's gate open. One sunny afternoon, the pig broke free from its confinement and wandered down into Dead Man's Hollow. About the very same time, a crew of bricklayers began working on a new home near the end of McClane Drive in the Taylor plan. A few of the men were positioned at the top of metal scaffolding. They were talking amongst themselves as they spread mortar and set bricks in place. On the ground below the framed structure, two other men worked at mixing the mortar and moving bricks with a wheelbarrow. At that very moment, Mootzy appeared from out of the woods. One of the masons on the platform spotted the animal and panicked. He began to shout 'WILD PIG! WILD PIG!' The sudden outburst startled the other laborers. One by one, they turned to see the massive beast advancing toward the jobsite. Without hesitation, the ground crew dropped what they were doing and hurried up the framework to safety. It wasn't long before the pig had reached the stack of bricks. Work on the house had ceased for the moment as the entire crew looked down upon the pig as it 'nosed' around the base of the temporary structure. Feeling trapped, the men began to wonder what they were going to do next. That was when a child's voice unexpectedly called out from across the open field. "Here Mootzy!" the voice cried. All of the construction workers directed their attention to the little boy that was sprinting toward the new house. "Watch out, kid!" exclaimed one of the men as he tried to warn the child of the apparent danger. Little Stevie Bosnyak displayed no sign of fear though. He rushed right up to the brute and began to rub its back. Confusion quickly replaced the anxiety of those hanging on the scaffolding. "Hey kid," barked one of the men. "What the hell is a 'Mootzy'?" The six year old squinted in the sunlight as he looked up at the man asking the question. "That's my Mootzy!" he replied and pointed to the pig. The laborer looked at his fellow coworkers and started to laugh. "Who knew? It's his gawd damn pet pig!" Relief set in as the crew gradually climbed back down to the ground. Then, with a slap of the hand against the animal's thick hind end, the little boy sent his pig trotting back to its enclosure. The bricklayers slowly returned to their work after laughing at themselves and poking fun at the man who first saw the pig.
The children could not get over how their father's pet pig caused such a commotion that day. They especially liked the idea of a six year old displaying more bravery than a group of grown men. Anna's grandson then asked why the construction workers would think that the pig was feral. The elderly woman offered an answer almost immediately. She said that when she was a little girl, she heard stories of wild boars roaming the heavily wooded hills of Pennsylvania back in the early 1800s. By the time she was born, the creatures were pushed out of the area by the first settlers. The young boy nodded his head and accepted her explanation. He then turned and asked another question. "Grandma, what ever happened to Mootzy?" His smile turned to a look of horror when his grandmother answered, "We eventually ate 'em!"
Anna beckoned her grandchildren to the porch. She asked them if they had ever heard the story of Mootzy the pig. The children began to grin while shaking their heads 'no'. Anna then motioned for them to find a seat. As the children made themselves comfortable, the elderly woman raised her hand and pointed to the spacious yard behind her home. She told of how their grandfather had planted an enormous garden that stretched from one side of the property to the other. Anna's aging voice began to name all of the fruits and vegetables that her late husband had grown throughout the years. She continued by telling her grandchildren about the time that the entire family went to a livestock auction to purchase a forty pound pig. Excitement was in the air; not to mention the foul odor of manure. Anna's son and oldest daughter watched with delight as the black and white spotted swine was loaded into the back of their father's pick-up truck. When the family returned to their home, everyone pitched in to help built a pen for their pig. That was when Anna smiled and said that they named the gentle animal Mootzy. She started to laugh when she remembered how her grandchildren's father would play with the pig as if it were a dog or a cat. It actually seemed like Mootzy had became a member of the family.
A few years later, in 1955, development of a new housing plan began not too far from the Bosnyak's property. It would eventually become known as the Taylor plan. By this time, Mootzy had grown to be close to two hundred pounds. Needless to say, the enclosure that was once able to contain the animal was no longer sufficient. Mootzy was constantly using his weight to force the stall's gate open. One sunny afternoon, the pig broke free from its confinement and wandered down into Dead Man's Hollow. About the very same time, a crew of bricklayers began working on a new home near the end of McClane Drive in the Taylor plan. A few of the men were positioned at the top of metal scaffolding. They were talking amongst themselves as they spread mortar and set bricks in place. On the ground below the framed structure, two other men worked at mixing the mortar and moving bricks with a wheelbarrow. At that very moment, Mootzy appeared from out of the woods. One of the masons on the platform spotted the animal and panicked. He began to shout 'WILD PIG! WILD PIG!' The sudden outburst startled the other laborers. One by one, they turned to see the massive beast advancing toward the jobsite. Without hesitation, the ground crew dropped what they were doing and hurried up the framework to safety. It wasn't long before the pig had reached the stack of bricks. Work on the house had ceased for the moment as the entire crew looked down upon the pig as it 'nosed' around the base of the temporary structure. Feeling trapped, the men began to wonder what they were going to do next. That was when a child's voice unexpectedly called out from across the open field. "Here Mootzy!" the voice cried. All of the construction workers directed their attention to the little boy that was sprinting toward the new house. "Watch out, kid!" exclaimed one of the men as he tried to warn the child of the apparent danger. Little Stevie Bosnyak displayed no sign of fear though. He rushed right up to the brute and began to rub its back. Confusion quickly replaced the anxiety of those hanging on the scaffolding. "Hey kid," barked one of the men. "What the hell is a 'Mootzy'?" The six year old squinted in the sunlight as he looked up at the man asking the question. "That's my Mootzy!" he replied and pointed to the pig. The laborer looked at his fellow coworkers and started to laugh. "Who knew? It's his gawd damn pet pig!" Relief set in as the crew gradually climbed back down to the ground. Then, with a slap of the hand against the animal's thick hind end, the little boy sent his pig trotting back to its enclosure. The bricklayers slowly returned to their work after laughing at themselves and poking fun at the man who first saw the pig.
The children could not get over how their father's pet pig caused such a commotion that day. They especially liked the idea of a six year old displaying more bravery than a group of grown men. Anna's grandson then asked why the construction workers would think that the pig was feral. The elderly woman offered an answer almost immediately. She said that when she was a little girl, she heard stories of wild boars roaming the heavily wooded hills of Pennsylvania back in the early 1800s. By the time she was born, the creatures were pushed out of the area by the first settlers. The young boy nodded his head and accepted her explanation. He then turned and asked another question. "Grandma, what ever happened to Mootzy?" His smile turned to a look of horror when his grandmother answered, "We eventually ate 'em!"
Anna Bosnyak
