80 Years Gone in Five Minutes

--A couple sobbed as they watched the 310-acre farm that had been in their family for more than 80 years sold at a foreclosure auction in five minutes. Sue and Ken Massey, whose letter about the family’s plight brought the farm crisis home to millions when it was read last fall at the nationally televised FarmAid concert, stood with their five children during the sale on the steps of the Iowa County sheriff’s office in Dodgeville, Wis. Raphael Peterson, a feed supplier who said the Masseys owed him about $65,000, was the successful bidder for the Hollandale egg farm. His $45,000 bid topped a $41,965 offer from the Farmers Savings Bank of Mineral Point, the only other bidder. “I’m feeling a tremendous void,” said Sue Massey, 29. “There’s an emptiness like we’ve lost one of our best friends. Hopefully, we’ll have some weeks of well-deserved healing.” Massey said the ordeal had strained family bonds, but that love and communication had held them together. “I’ve been so low, it’s been terrible,” said Massey, 34, choking back sobs. “I just want to say to all the farmers who have considered suicide: You’ve got to make it. You’ve got to stay with your family.”

--Dr. Seuss, whose Grinch and other characters are beloved by children, has turned his attention to a new group of readers--former children. The result, published to coincide with the author’s 82nd birthday Sunday, is “You’re Only Old Once.” The outgrowth of Theodore (Dr.) Seuss Geisel’s trips to the hospital for heart problems and other ailments, it tells the woeful tale of an elderly patient’s trip to a typically Seuss-like hospital, the “Golden Years Clinic on Century Square for Spleen Readjustment and Muffler Repair.”

--Singer-actress Connie Francis, suffering from what psychiatrists described as a manic-depressive psychosis, has been declared incompetent to manage her own affairs. A judge in Newark, N.J., appointed a legal guardian to handle her business and personal interests during her hospitalization. Francis, 47, who broke into show business as a child singing sensation and later starred in the 1960s film “Where the Boys Are,” is receiving lithium treatments.

--First Lady Nancy Reagan’s review of daughter Patti Davis’ book, “Home Front,” is in and it’s a terse one. “As my husband said, it’s a novel piece of fiction,” she said, according to her press secretary, Elaine Crispen. The book is about a man who becomes governor and President, his fashion-conscious wife and two alienated children.