ELSANOR, Alabama — Jeanette Dyess Ryan never gave up on her dreams.

As a young girl growing up in the Rosinton community of Baldwin County, she had dreams of being a wife and mother.

Those dreams were fulfilled when she met John Ryan. The couple would marry in 1952 and together they raised three children, two boys and a girl, in nearby Elsanor.

She would follow her husband as they moved into a small, rural home, with dreams of one day building a larger home with more modern conveniences.

It would take over a decade with her husband working first as a pulp wood harvester, then later as a civilian aircraft mechanic for the Air Force, all the while saving money to build his dream as a farmer.

Jeanette Ryan would follow her husband around the country on trips dubbed T.D.Y. or Temporary Duty Yonder trips, and still did not give up on her dream.

In 1966, Jeanette Ryan thought her dreams would be put on hold when they found out that Brookley Field Air Force Base, where her husband had worked many years, was scheduled for closure, but he would eventually land a job at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, and after a year of hard work, much of which they did themselves, her dream of building a home became a reality.

As her kids grew up and had families of their own, Jeanette Ryan’s dreams turned to her children, raising them in a good Christian home with proper values. Her growing family would later expand to eventually include in-laws and seven grandchildren.

“I’m still waiting to see who will give me my first great-grandchild,” she said.

As years passed, Ryan had opportunities to write, first chronicling the history of Elsanor School where she worked for many years, later compiling a history of Bethel Baptist Church where her family served as longtime members.

Many years passed, but she would be in her 70s before her dream of having a book published would become a reality with the publishing of her first book, “Pig Trails and Open Roads: Stories of Central Baldwin County” in 2009.

Her second book, “Faces and Places That Live In My Heart,” would be published later that year and this past November, at the age of 78, she published her third book, “Dreams of a Farmer’s Wife,” Ryan chronicling those dreams beginning with life as a young wife and mother and all its triumphs and trials.

“I’ve always wanted to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren,” said Ryan. “I want them to know what life was like when we were coming up. We didn’t always have a lot, but we always made the best of what we had.”

This latest collection of stories contemplates life in rural Alabama, spanning more than five decades.

“There are a lot of things kids today take for granted that we simply didn’t have back then,” she said, including indoor plumbing, central air and heat and modern appliances. “We didn’t even have a phone in our home for the first several years.”

The book is available for sale on amazon.com. Copies are also available for sale at Racine’s Feed and Garden Supply in Robertsdale or call Ryan at 251-947-5198 for a copy.

Ryan will be giving a short presentation at the George P. Thames Senior Center’s pot-luck luncheon beginning at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18 and has a simple message to take away from her experiences.

“I don’t regret growing up poor and I don’t regret that we had to work for what we got,” she said. “I think we appreciate it more and are truly blessed. I guess if I had to give advice I would say, ‘don’t give up on your dreams.’ As long as you have dreams you have hope.”

While health problems have made writing more difficult, Ryan has not given up on her dream of continuing to write.

“Every time I finish a book, I say ‘never again,’ but I can’t really say never and there are still a few things in my head I would like to put down,” she said. “If I were to do another book it would probably be a reflection of life and my observations. At my age you come to realize that time is short and you have to take advantage of opportunities when you have them.”