Sept. 3, 2010

Back-to-school-days... What do you remember about that big yearly "First Day of School"?

I remember the wearing of our new clothes that came once a year also and it was at school beginning each year. We might get some at Christmas but it was pretty much very scant compared to the beginning of school. I really didn't get that much then either because I got mostly hand-me-downs instead but I did get some and that was good.

The other memories included the first ride to school on the bus that made the whole summer seem to just vanish with the familiar ride that we had 9 of the 12 months of the year. I also remember the last three or so years sitting on the flower bench that was across at the end of the hall and watching Marie walk to school that first day. That was always fun for me no matter which day but especially the first day because I knew there were many more to come.

Sept. 2, 2010

VJ Day ... Do you have a memory involving the end of World War 2?

If not, then share a memory of Vietnam.

I grew up in the era of the Viet Nam war. I had a high draft number so I wasn't going to likely be drafted but the war was still plenty close to home. Clair joined the army so he would have a better chance of choosing where he would go and Stan was drafted and went to Nam. His experiences over there he hasn't really talked about too much but we were all very aware of the blessings from the Lord that he had which brought him home early. He awoke one day seeing double and it wouldn't go away. They finally sent to a hospital in Japan and then when they couldn't determine the cause of the problem sent him to the Denver VA hospital where he woke up one morning seeing fine again and he told me several years ago he has only had about a five minute occurrence of it since that time but he was discharged honorably from the military due to that problem. Other that I knew didn't return. I had a cousin killed in the war when I was a senior in High school and have never forgotten the day we found out. It was Jack Skewes little brother, Blake, and he came to tell his wife Dea who was in my senior class that it had happened.We were all very shocked and saddened but Jack took it the hardest by far.

It was apparently from shrapnel.

Sept. 1, 2010

Do you remember any Labor day traditions of your youth?

It was just another day of work on the farm and dreading it since it meant school would be starting the next day and summer was over. I don't ever remember any specific things that we would do to celebrate the holiday but it seem like the last of the summer chores were still there and of course we couldn't go shopping for school clothes since the stores all closed on all of the holidays as well. I suppose that it also meant dad and mom didn't have work so we could get the last full day of canning in for the summer, the rest would be done on saturdays till all of the fruit was put up and the jams and jellies made for the year.

Aug 31, 2010

Share a memory involving an outhouse.

We had an old outhouse in our yard but luckily I was in line far enough down in my family that we had indoor plumbing by the time I came along. I never had any desire to use it either since it was infested by spiders more than anything else. Later as a highway patrolman my brother would dispose of confiscated alcohol in the old outhouse.

It had a single seat but the one I do remember having to use was at the ranch where indoor plumbing was never installed. It had a two seats and after visiting it many times I could never understand why it had two seats. I suppose though in the olden days a couple would find it more pleasant to visit it together in the winter if such a pleasant thing existed when it came to outhouses. The ones I have used in the mountains even to this day I can never call as pleasant experiences.

Aug 30, 2010

Tell about an incident when your mom or dad was very angry with you.

I am sure there had to have been a time that I could tell to answer this question but I suppose time can be a friend to us by helping to forget these kinds of trivial incidents. Thus I cannot remember any of them and find no reason to rack my brain to find one since my memories of them include those things where they made me happy and I do not recall any time when they were mad at me. That is probably because it had to be really bad to make them mad and even backing into a new car that the dealer had brought over to sell to us didn’t make them mad that I can remember. They were disappointed in me several times I am sure but like I said it took an awful lot to make either of them mad.

Aug 29, 2010

Tell about an incident when you were very angry with your mom or dad.

I am sure there had to have been a time that I could tell to answer this question but I suppose time can be a friend to us by helping to forget these kinds of trivial incidents. Thus I cannot remember any of them and find no reason to rack my brain to find one since my memories of them include those things where they made me happy or corrected me with love so that I couldn’t be mad at them. I was raised by truly a loving set of parents.

Aug 28, 2010

Tell about going to box socials or pot lucks.

The small Utah towns were mostly ran by the traditions of the LDS church by which they were founded. These traditions included annual 24^th of July celebrations which quite often included a dinner at the park that night. I remember having pigs roasted in the ground or on a spit where that was the main meat and then everyone else would bring a casserole or salad. The salad were usually of the variety of a jello, potato or pasta type. The drinks were mostly homemade rootbeer or Koolaid. There were a lot of other dinners usually held by the ward for special occasions such as Christmas or Valentines day. There always seemed to be a lot of food leftover after each of these dinners even though we would go back and fill our plates until there was no room in the stomachs for another morsel except the cake and ice cream or pie that we would then have for desert. I get sick now even thinking of how much we could put away.

Aug 27, 2010 Happy Birthday Tia!

Did you ever have a fire in your home or accidentally catch something on fire?

Here is what I have written on that subject. It is the only fire I recall other than the ones in our wood and coal burning stoves.

A Fire in the stack yard; BYU Pow Wow

When I was 12 to 15 years old we had the opportunity to go from Duchesne to Provo to attends for three Saturdays a Merit Badge Pow Wow that was held at Brigham Young University. I think I went twice in those years.

One particular Saturday however was very memorable.

I had left with the scouts early that morning since we had to be to Provo by 8:30 AM. I wasn’t feeling well but thought it to just be the jitters. I was not a real adventure seeker at a young age and often got sick to my stomach when I would be required to do something out of the ordinary. I went to my first class and had to leave to find a bathroom to relieve my stomach. After spending several minutes in the bathroom and having lost any and all of my breakfast I didn’t feel like going back to class so instead spent the rest of that hour and the following two hours in the hallways of several buildings on the campus. I had a unique desire in my youth to collect things and during those times there were many vending machines in each of the buildings so as I wandered the halls I would stop and put a nickel into the machines and retrieve a roll of life savers. (I never did eat any of them but later put them into an old cigar box that I had at home. Over the years prior to my mission I ended up filling up that box with a number of lifesaver rolls full of candy. After I returned from my mission I found that my stash of sweets had been already eaten by sugar ants during the years that I had been gone. The rolls were all still there but small holes in each package revealed where the ants had carried off my sugary treats.) Anyway I had to spend the rest of the day in misery as we ended the Pow Wow and went out for something to eat before returning home that afternoon. I didn’t eat anything since I was afraid that it wouldn’t make the trip back to Duchesne. When I got home late that afternoon all I wanted to do was to retire to bed and get feeling better. The rest of the family however had taken the day to go to the Wasatch front to do some shopping for Christmas and had not returned by the time we were supposed to be doing the chores. I finally got up and went out to milk the cows and do the feeding. I left the feeding till last hoping that Dad would be home by then and could do the job for me. I finished milking and still no one was home. But that night also had another problem in that it was cold and very dark and as I went out to the stack yard to do the feeding I had left the light off at the barn. I don’t know why but that light that could have helped me was left off. I often went to the stack yard in the dark and knew my way quite well even though there were more than a few times that I would step in fresh cam pies while going there. This night however I couldn’t tell where the hay was that I needed to get for the cows so since I was prepared as a scout I pulled a match from my pocket and started a small fire that would light up the stack yard enough to see the hay. I hadn’t gotten a very big fire started when Dad finally arrived home and came out to see where I was in the process of doing the chores. He turned on the light that was on the outside of the barn that shed some light on the stack yard but still didn’t seem to help very much and then came out to help me. When he discovered the fire he had me quickly grab a bucket and go to the canal for water to put out the fire. He didn’t seem overly upset but did seem quite concerned and after we had the fire out he calmly explained that the hay on the ground was several inches deep and had I left the fire much longer it would have burned deep into the layer and the could have spread for days without our knowing it until it could finally have burned down the stack totally. I have always appreciated the concern he had for me and the patience to help me understand the severity of the situation without getting mad at me. He didn’t say that I could go the house however while he put out the fire but helped me learn responsibility and then helped me finish up the chores so I could return to the house and go to bed sooner. I learned two valuable lessons that day. The first was the danger of fires in a stack yard of old hay. The second however was far more valuable to me and has helped me through the years and it was to be patient and loving in the process of raising children.

Aug 26, 2010

Phones have changed over the years. Describe how you used a phone to call up a childhood friend.

Yes they really have changed. When I was young we would hear the phone but not pick it up unless we heard two rings close together separated by a sort wait and then two rings again. If it only rang once before the space it was going to our neighbors who were on a “Party line” with our family. We could easily pick up the phone and listen to their conversations and they most likely listened to some of ours as well. We would call someone by moving what was called a rotary dial around from a number to zero and letting it return to the resting position before dialing the next in line of the four required numbers to contact someone. Later we got a private line and no longer could talk to the neighbors by simply picking up the phone but rather had to call them with all four numbers. Then toward the end of y teenage years we had to start dialing all seven numbers that made up a phone number that was listed in the phone book. (I might add too that just in this last year at an age of 56 we now have to dial all 10 digits that include the local number and the area code.) Long distance was always extra and we rarely made them. Now with cell phones we make a majority of our calls as long distance as defined in my early years but for little or no extra charge above the standard cost of our cell phone monthly bill. (Which is far more than if we had made a thousand long distance calls back then.)

Aug 25, 2010

If you ever had a hero, tell who. Tell why.

I had a three hero’s. My dad, my grandpa Hansen, (I never knew Grandpa Poulson enough to hold him up as a hero other than that he was my dad’s father) and my Uncle Mont.

Those three men held the place of hero’s in my life. Dad because of his love and gentle kindness which he always had for and toward me. Grandpa Hansen because of his love, spiritual strength and gentleness as well. Then Mont because, well he was Uncle Mont. He always could make me laugh and he was always fun to be with on the ranch and at his home. I also had a fourth hero but not one of the same gender as we normally consider people as we talk about hero’s but my Grandmother Nana was a hero to me as well because she loved me so much along with the other grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her cookies and tapioca pudding helped cement that honor for her too I suppose. Yes I had a lot of people to look up to as I grew up and the list would include a lot more than those four if I had time and space to explain. I was raised by goodly parents and by a caring and loving village or community.