By Teresa Scutt Lahti
Butch (aka Tess, Terri, Teresa) Scutt was born in Conesville, NY but came home by age 3 to Gilboa, the hometown of her Dad (her inspiration). Butch invites us to step back in time as this charming little girl sheds dress for jeans and shorts in order to explore her surroundings, her Gilboa. She looks back at ancestry, recounts stories of family secrets, brief local history, special moments and trouble spots all woven with love, reminding us of Norman Rockwell moments. We read fond recollections in her circle of life with family and cronies, the hills of the neighborhoods, farm living and school years. Butch tells us about the troubles that seemed to find her as we learn about nature, mechanical things, the lives and places of people that she met within her first 17 years. As we see and meet them all, we feel a kinship. We've read and seen from her memories how God continues to intercede. Yes, she was a tomboy, so those around her called her Butch. But, with much regret, she gave up life as a tomboy, ending the story of Butch, but opening new chapters elsewhere.