Grandma Viv's Musings

Remembering Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

Denise asked me to write about Thanksgiving get-togethers when I was a child. So let me think....

Art (Mom's brother) and Elsie Sorenson lived in the small house east of Grandma B's (Mom's) house in Sherwood (where my house is now). Elsie usually fixed Thanksgiving dinner and Mom fixed Christmas eve and Christmas day dinners. They were both excellent cooks. Elsie would fix all the traditional dishes, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, mashed rutabagas (couldn't have Thanksgiving without rutabagas!), candied sweet potatoes (Elsie's specialty), black and green olives, and Elsie's special molded jello salad. (I've made this salad, too.) Her's was usually lemon (for Thanksgiving) or lime jello (for Christmas), mixed with grated carrots and crushed pineapple, and decorated with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. It looked like a beautiful big flower. Mom would make the buns and the pumpkin and apple pies. And of course, she made the real whipped cream topping. There was usually some Morgan David wine, Mom's favorite. It always made her nose red. That seemed to be a Sorenson trait.

Usually, the guests for dinner were Art, Elsie, Grandpa Sorenson (who lived with Art and Elsie), Mom, Dad, me and as the years past by, Howard, Darrell, Curt, and Gail. My friend Laura Peterson, was always invited for holidays, because her family didn't do anything special. My Mom's sister, Lillie and her husband, Claude, and their family, Floyd, Jack, Maryann, and Larry would come for holidays when they lived nearby. Mom's brother Shirley and his wife Ardiss came for holidays when they were living in Mohall and he was county state's attorney.

Elsie always set a fancy table with her Noritake china, crystal glasses and bowls, silver, and cloth napkins. She was very conscious of proper table etiquette and how the table should be set. The grownups ate first, then the kids. I remember standing there smelling all the delicious smells, licking my lips, waiting for my turn to eat. We always got to sample the crisp turkey skin when it came out of the oven. And sometimes we were able to snitch a taste of something when no one was looking.

After, dinner the adults would play cards, like whist or rummy. The kids would play outside or with games that Elsie had for us or Art's poker chips. I remember the weather as always being cold, but I don't remember there being snow very often.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Howard, Darrell, Floyd, and Me
This picture was actually taken at Easter. Notice my new Easter clothes. :o) And Floyd loved wearing that hat. Though later he couldn't think why. I don't remember taking any pictures at Thanksgiving.

I'm a Rosie!

2009-09-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last spring Denise found an article in the 'American Profiles' magazine about the 'American Rosie the Riveter Association'. Their purpose is to recognize and preserve the history of women who worked and volunteered to support the war effort during WWII. I called and they sent me information to join. Which I did and I just received my certificate of membership. I think it is pretty neat! :o)
You can find out more information at their website: www.rosietheriveter.net.

Our Great Snow Storm

2009-03-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sometime early Monday morning, it started raining and snowing. We woke up to thunder, lighting and light snow and sleet. When Ken and Denise went to the grocery store about mid morning, it had changed to corn snow. By afternoon it was snowing heavily and the wind had come up, so we had a real blizzard. It continued that way the rest of Monday, through the night and for most of Tuesday morning. We got about a foot of snow, that was piled into huge drifts by the wind. As you can see by the pictures, we couldn't have gone anywhere if we had wanted to. In fact, we couldn't get out the front door. Ken had to dive over the drift that was in front of the patio door to shovel us out. :o) I realize it isn't as much snow as North Dakota has seen this winter, but it is the most we have gotten in one storm since I moved here. Brought back memories.....

The view out Mom's bedroom window. Normally you could see the end of our cul-de-sac.

The snow drifts under our carport.

Our street (looking south) covered by at least a foot of snow, more where it has drifted.

The snow drift between our carport and the house south of us.

The snow drift across the back of our house.

The view from our patio looking over to the north east corner of our backyard, where our shed is behind those trees.

Louis's First Car

2009-03-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

Below is a picture of Louis and his first car, a 1939 Chevy. He and his sister, Elizabeth, had purchased a car together earlier, but this was the car that he had bought on his own and he was so proud of it! :o) It was a bluish gray color. This is also the car in which I learned to drive. Living out on the farm meant that I would have to be able to drive into town for groceries and other things we needed. Fortunately, Louis taught me how to drive before we got married. I'm not sure he would have been as patient after the wedding. ;o)

One day that first summer we were married, Louis had to take his horses and wagon over to his brother, Art's farm. Since I was going to town for groceries, I was supposed to pick him up on my way home. Everything was going fine, I had bought the groceries I needed and was a short way out of Sherwood, when the car just quit. Not being familiar with cars, I hadn't thought to stop and get gas. I was lucky though, because Jesse Pulvamacher came along and went back into town to get a jug of gas for me. Louis teased me about that many times afterwards. :o)

My First Year Being a Farmer's Wife

2009-02-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

As soon as our engagement was announced, people started asking me how I could live on a farm, when I was used to electricity and being able to run to the store downtown when I needed groceries. Also two of Louis's sister-in-laws and one of his sisters warned him that I wouldn't be able to handle being a farmer's wife. The one sister-in-law told a friend of mine, that they were quite upset. What was funny about that was that the sister-in-law had been from 'town' too, before she had become a farmer's wife. I wasn't concerned. The only thing town had was electricity and no animals to take care of.

(These are all items from the farm. The lamps are the ones Mom and Dad used. The sad iron is sitting down in front of Grandma Augusta DesLauriers' crocks. The wooden stool leaning against the milk can is one of Dad's handmade milking stools. Not elegant, but served the purpose.)

Instead of electricity, we used kerosene and gas lamps for lights. We had a Majestic coal burning stove to cook on. I used a sad iron that you heated on the coal stove to iron clothes. Louis had a gas iron, but I was afraid to light it. The clothes washer also ran on gas. Clothes were dried on the clothes line outside, unless there was too much snow in the winter. Then I had a clothes rack that I hung clothes on. Louis would set it outside till they froze, then bring it in to finish drying. The water that we had on the farm came from a well that had rust in it. In order to use it, we had to boil it till the rust came to the top so we could skim it off. It really smelled bad and stained the clothes! To keep milk and other perishables from spoiling, we put them down in the basement where it was cold. I offered to learn to milk the cow we had, but Louis said no, that my hands weren't big or strong enough. And that it would ruin my beautiful hands. :o) He did want me to get the cow into the barn, so that all he had to do was milk when he got home or in from the fields. I also had to clean the cream separator after each use. That was a slimy, sticky mess. We had chickens and I had to feed them, give them water and collect the eggs. I also learned how to remove the feathers and clean them. Another yucky job. Louis loved gardening (like his Mom) and always planted a large vegetable garden. He did the planting, but I did help with the weeding. (I didn't really enjoying gardening, because of the big garden that my Mother had when I was a kid. I didn't have to help seed it, but I did have to help with weeding. :o> ) The only canning I liked to do was pickles (cucumbers from our garden) and fruit (bought by the crate) and preserving jams and jellies.

(The copper boiler was used to heat water. The kettle was one of Augusta DesLauriers'. The lantern is the one Dad used to take to the barn during the winter to milk the cow.)

Not long after we got back from our honeymoon, I had my first experience with haying. Louis would cut the grass with the binder and bundle it into shocks. Then I drove the little tractor with the hay rack behind it, and Louis would walk along side and pick up the shocks and throw them onto the rack. Then Louis would put them up in the hayloft of the barn.

One day that summer, I was going to surprise Louis by making my first pie for him. It was a butterscotch graham cracker pie with a meringue topping. Everything turned out perfect and I put it outside on the big wood barrel on the porch to cool. When I went to bring the pie in for supper, I found a cat had discovered and was making a feast out of my pie. It was quite the sight to see, me chasing a pie-covered pregnant cat all the way to the barn.

When harvest time came around, all the farmers would help each other with the thrashing. (Arnie Benson had the thrashing machine that they used.) There would be a huge crew to feed, and Louis told me not to worry, because he had hired Agnes Coutts to stay with us and do the cooking. And boy could she cook! Every morning she would bake fresh bread. She made pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham and coffee for breakfast. We would take hot dishes and sandwiches, coffee and water, cookies or bars out to them for lunch. Then she would fix a big supper for them at night with pies for dessert. I really learned how to do a lot of my cooking from her.

I'll never forget out first Christmas together. Louis knew how important Christmas traditions, like decorating a tree, were to me. When he was young they had a tree, but because they did not have electricity, his Mom used candles and only lit them for a few minutes for fear of burning the tree. She also made most of their toys, carving wood animals and sewing and making dolls. That Christmas, Louis got us a tree about 4 or 5 ft tall and sat it in a pail filled with sand and dirt to stand it up straight. Then he surprised me with bulbs that he had painted green and red, and lighted by hooking them up to a battery. He was so proud and I absolutely loved it. I still don't know how or when he did it all. :o) Christmas eve we went into my family's for an early dinner and to open gifts, then Louis and I went to midnight mass. We also spent Christmas day at Mom and Dad's in town. Our first New Year's Eve together was spent at a dance held every year at the high school in Sherwood.

The Official Hostfest Picture!

2009-01-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it is finally here! You may remember that Mom had a professional picture taken with Daniel O'Donnell before the Sunday concert. The pictures and the meeting with Danny were sponsored by Touchstone Energy Cooperative and Hostfest. We were told that after the pictures were all developed they were sent over to Ireland for Danny to sign, then sent back to the Hostfest for them to send out. But, Mom was beginning to fret a bit that she would never get hers. To my relief, it arrived here Wednesday and Mom's happy! :o)

A History - Chapter 9

2009-01-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

The new couple made their home on Louis’ farm, in the same house that his parents had built. About a week after they got home from their honeymoon, they were awakened around 2:00 in the morning by honking horns and pounding on the door. A bunch of local people and friends, that had been to a dance in Tolley, had come out to shivaree them. Fortunately they were ready for the occasion, and Louis prepared drinks and brought out candy bars and cigars as treats. They also had to promise to have a dance for everyone. Louis and Vivian rented Eden Valley school (it had a beautiful dance floor) and hired the orchestra Bings Flings (Bing Heller and Clarence Brown took turns playing the drums, Glen Sansborn and Shirley Sornsen, Mom's uncle, took turns playing piano, Lew Cameron played the violin, Helen Neubaur played the accordian, and Clarence Bohm played the horn). They also hired the Catholic Aid to serve a lunch at midnight during the dance. Signs announcing the dance would be hung in all the business places and the post office. Everyone went to wedding dances, so Eden Valley School was packed with people not only from Sherwood, but also Mohall, Tolley, Lorraine, and Antler as well as Canadians from Carivale and Carnduf. During the dance, a couple of the men went thru the crowd with hats and took up a collection to pay for everything. A great time was had by all!

Christmas when I was a Child

2008-12-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

As I sit here and watch Denise bring out all the decorations, I think back to all my Christmas's. When I was a child, everyone had Christmas trees and decorations in their homes, but no one decorated the outside. The stores had decorations in their windows, but the main street wasn't decorated.

We always had a tree and my Mom always had Christmas eve supper for our family and my Aunt Elsie and Uncle Art. The Stewart family was also there, whenever they lived in town. My best friend, Laura Peterson, was always there, too, as she only had a brother who was much older and they didn't do anything special for Christmas eve. First, we would go to the church program. All the Sunday school kids would be in it. After the program, Santa would make a visit and hand out a bags of candy and peanuts to the kids. While we were at church, Santa would also visit our house, so there would be presents under the tree when we got home. Santa was Dad, of course! :o) It was an exciting time, and was hard to sit still during the program. One of my fondest memories was when we hadn't had snow, and when the church program was over and we came out of the church, it started to snow. The flakes were huge and beautiful and it was almost eerie, but it sure brought a white Christmas. After the church program, we would go home to have the supper that Mom had prepared and then we got to open our gifts.

This ornament was on my Grandma Sorenson's Christmas tree when I was one year old. After Grandma died, Mom would hang it on our tree. At some time when I was a kid, I took a scissors and gave it a bit of a haircut. ;o)

October Sherwood Trip - Part 4

2008-12-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

Monday was a busy day of packing, packing and more packing. And of course, Mom had to try on her special autographed Danny t-shirt. :o)

Terry came over and helped me load furniture and then I loaded stuff around that. We went over to Terry and Cheryl's for supper, and as always was delicious! :o)

Tuesday, we made quick stops at the Post Office and the Hardware so Mom could say her goodbyes. We stopped in Minot at Darrell and Clarice's to visit and drop off the wheel chair we borrowed from them. (It was a lifesaver! Thank you!) She had a nice lunch prepared for us to warm us on our way!

Then it was off to Bismarck where we checked into the America Inn. We had a nice big room which was perfect for the pizza party the 'Bismarck Miller group' had planned for us. Brian, Trish, Matthew, Kaitlyn, and Loren showed up first with lots of pizza and soda pop. Then Brad, Tyler, Cameron, Scott and his girlfriend Katie arrived. (Nancy arrived a bit later after a meeting.) Lots of yummy pizza was eaten, great conversation and fun (including 'not' running up and down the motel halls by the kids ;o>) was enjoyed by all. Thanks everyone! :o)
Brian, Scott, Mom and Brad

Cameron, Matthew, Loren (in front), Mom, Tyler, and Kaitlyn

Brian, Brad, Katie, Scott, Mom, Nancy, and Trish

The next day we stopped by Brad's office at Kirkwood Bank about some farm business. Then we were off on the last leg of our trip. It was nice not having to go all the way in one day.

October Sherwood Trip - Part 3

2008-12-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday was another concert day. We drove down to Minot early enough so that we would have time to visit with Steve, Brittany and Stella. (And to pick up the wheel chair that we were borrowing for Darrell and Clarice, that Darrell had dropped off there earlier.) Then we drove over to Perry and Melissa's so that Perry could take us over to the concert again. Perry's mom, Lori, had gotten Mom a special back stage pass for before the concert. So she and Perry's dad, Jim (with his camera), met us when we got there and took us back to see Danny. It was 'all about Mom' when we got back there as you can see by the pictures. Danny even promised to sing one of his Irish ballads and dedicate it to Mom during the concert (which he did!). She also has a professional picture coming that was taken while we were back there. Thank you Lori and Jim! What a night for Mom! :o) After the concert we stopped at Perry and Melissa's for a short visit with them and Natalie, before the long rainy ride home to Sherwood.

Getting ready for the professional portrait with Danny.

Getting the professional portrait taken.

The Olson's also arranged for Mom to get one of the 'Hostfest/Danny' t-shirts which Danny signed for her. :o)

The concert:

A Day to be Thankful For

2008-12-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

I was quite concerned at the beginning of the week that we would have bad weather on Thanksgiving Day. But it turned out to be a nice day, though a bit chilly. Carol had a 1 o'clock dinner planned, so we arrived about 11:30 am. Ken didn't have to work, so he was able to come with us. And Carol's son, Lennie and his daughter Sierra were there, too. It is always fun to see them. Lynn's son, Jeff, called before dinner, so I was able to have a nice visit with him. Carol had turkey with all the trimmings, as well as apple and pumpkin pie for dessert. Very good! After dinner, Lennie and Ken watched football and took naps. Carol, Lynn, Sierra, Denise and I play a game of 'Outburst', which was fun and good for exercising our memories. We left late in the afternoon, loaded done with yummy leftovers, including a pumpkin pie, good for a couple more meals. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, too. I was thinking of you all and missing you!

Today started out to be a fairly nice day, but a cold wind has come up and it has started snowing this afternoon. And they are saying that we may have a couple of inches of accumulations by morning. We can use the moisture and the snow will look pretty with the lights. :o) Denise is busy cleaning and has started hauling out the Christmas decorations. So it won't be long before it is festive around here.

October Sherwood Trip - Part 2

2008-11-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a very busy day! First, Gail and Penni stopped by for a short visit. Then we drove down to Minot and stopped first at Fisher Motors to visit Steve, and then we drove over to see Brittany and Stella. (And to pick up the wheel chair that we were borrowing for Darrell and Clarice, that Darrell had dropped off there earlier.) Next was a stop to see Perry, Melissa and Natalie. Perry and Melissa had gotten tickets for us to go to the Danny O'Donnell concert Saturday night. (I had gone online last spring and purchased tickets to go Sunday afternoon. That was an experience by itself. The tickets were selling out so fast and most of the really good seats are reserved. It is only Mom's 'luck' that got us the good seats that we did. :o>) We had a nice visit and peach coffee cake. (YUM! :o>) Then Perry drove us over to the Hostfest and the concert. Here I have to stop and mention how much we appreciate all the Perry did for us. I've done the concert thing a couple of times now with Mom, but this occasion was a totally different animal. The crowds and the Hostfest setup would have made it so much harder and stressful for me to do alone. I haven't been out to the fairgrounds in ages and I have never been to the Hostfest, so though I would have managed, Perry just made it plain easy for us. We just had to enjoy the moment. He not only drove us right up to the doors, but also escorted us to our seats. I just had to call when the concert was over and once again he was there to whisk us away (actually Perry, Melissa and Natalie came to pick us up that night). Then all I had to do was drive home. Thank you, Perry!!! :oD The pictures below are pictures that I took at the concert saturday night of Danny and Mary Duff singing. They really do put on quite the show!

October Sherwood Trip - Part 1 :o)

2008-11-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

(Since Mom isn't supposed to be wearing her glasses very much yet, I am combining our thoughts and her dictation on this series of posts.)

We drove up to Sherwood on Oct 1st. It was a beautiful day for our trip. Thursday, we spent going thru 'stuff', and a lot went out into the garbage that day. The most exciting find was a box of Dad's papers that was buried in the bottom of the guest room closet. It held several of Mom and Dad's old income tax papers and old abstracts of their land that Brad and Lynn were looking for. In the afternoon, I took Mom over to the hardware store to visit with Tim. Cheryl and Terry came over to visit after supper.

Friday morning was spent going thru more drawers and closets. And then in the afternoon, we drove out to the farm. It was a bitter sweet visit, but not only did Mom want to go out there, I also wanted to take pictures for future art projects. Then we decided to drive down to the Mouse River Park. It was pretty weird for me, as I haven't been down that way in a long time, and it has changed so much. No one really lives out on most of the farms anymore, and some of the buildings and trees that were landmarks for me are gone. Even the roads aren't traveled much. The bright spot was how nice the Mouse River Park looks. There are a lot of nice homes and cabins there now. We decided to leave from the east road out of the park, and I was really lost, fortunately you don't have to drive far to find familiar sights. I kept teasing Mom that she was no help. ;o) We got home in time to get ready for Cheryl and Terry to take us out to eat at the Legion Club in Mohall. I hadn't been there in ages either. The food was good and Mom got to see more people she hadn't seen in awhile.

A view of the farm from the east.

A Quick Update!

2008-11-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Mom's dermatologist's appointment yesterday went great! They took out all the stitches and said that the graft is really healing well. In fact, she doesn't have to go back to see them till Feb 28th for a check up. :oD After the appointment, we went over to Lynn and Carol's for dinner. Then we took care of some shopping and errands on the way home. In Mom's words: "Glad that's over with!" :o)

Finally a new Post! :o)

2008-11-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that it has taken so long to update you all. October was a crazy, busy month for Mom and me. First there was the exciting trip to Sherwood at the beginning of the month, to see Daniel O'Donnell in concert at the Hostfest, twice! Then all the excitement was a bit much for Mom, as she had a head cold for a little over a week after we got back. We were also going thru 'stuff' that we brought back with us and finding a place to put it here (very time consuming :oP). And then on October 28th, Mom finally had the basal cell skin carcinoma (sp?) on her nose removed. She was referred to a dermatologist in Rapid City that she really likes. (He says she has beautiful skin! ;o> ) The surgery went very well and they were able to get all of it. Then we went back Nov 5th to have the dressing removed and they said the graft looks really good. Tomorrow (the 12th) we go in to see if they can remove the stitches. I will keep you posted.

And I promise to go into more details about our Sherwood visit soon (have lots of pictures). But till then here are a couple of pictures of Mom with Daniel O'Donnell taken before the Sunday concert, courtesy of Perry's Dad.

On the road again.......

2008-09-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yep, we are about ready to get on the road again. We are leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) for another week in Sherwood. This trip will include two nights of Daniel O'Donnell in concert at the Hostfest in Minot. So I'm sure we will have some pictures to share when we get back. Be sure to check back! :o)

Our Wedding Trip

2008-09-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

(Because Mom and Dad didn't take any pictures of their trip, I went online to find some. Riding Mountain National Park was created in 1933. I found these pictures of the park structures that were built in the 30's. They still exist today, though they have been renovated. Mom says that they look familiar, but remembers other buildings as well.)

East Gate Entrance- Riding Mountain National Park

The day after our wedding was sunny and beautiful. It was a perfect day to start our wedding trip, so we drove as far as Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. The next day we drove to Riding Mountain National Park which is 59 miles north of Brandon. It was a very popular vacation spot at that time. We spent about 3 days at a lodge there that also had a restaurant. We enjoyed lots sightseeing and boat rides on Clear Lake. There was also a dance pavilion, so we went dancing at night.

Riding Mountain National Park Visitors Center

One afternoon, we took a boat out onto Clear Lake. The boat had a motor that worked fine on the way out. But when we got to about the middle of the lake, the boat stopped moving even though the motor was running and then the motor suddenly quit. While Louis was trying to get the motor started again, I noticed it was getting windier, the waves were getting bigger and the sky was getting very stormy looking. Fortunately, there were oars in the boat, and we were able to row back to the shore near the lodge. Our excitement wasn't over yet. We were in such a hurry to get out of the boat and to the safety of the lodge, that when Louis got up to get out of the boat, he almost tipped us over.

Clear Lake, Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba

After our stay at Riding Mountain, Louis had a surprise for me. We were going to Round Lake for a couple of days of fishing. I would have been just as happy to stay at Riding Mountain, but I could tell that this was something he was really looking forward to. It was a very pretty place. We stayed in a very rustic cabin near the lake. There was a little cafe/store connected to the cabins and when we went in to eat we found we were about the only couple there. It was mostly just men. Though one day when Louis came back from fishing, he said that he had seen Duerre's (Elaine and Byron's folks) and Heilman's there from Sherwood. And though I don't remember catching many fish, we did have a very good time. (Round Lake is on the Qu'Appelle River about 30 miles south west of Esterhazy, Saskatchewan.)

Round Lake, Saskatchewan

On the way home we stopped in Kenmare, ND to get groceries. :o)

More Wedding......

2008-09-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Our Marriage Certificate.

The article about our wedding in the Sherwood Tribune.

Our Wedding

2008-09-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

(The pictures of Maurice, Elizabeth, Louis and I were taken on the front steps of the St James Church in Sherwood later that summer.)

As I sit here 'Looking Back', I think about our wedding and how different everything was compared to the way it is today. As I mentioned in the last post, after we got engaged, Louis and I went to talk to Father Heinz. We wanted to set a date for the wedding. And I also wanted to talk to him about turning Catholic. I liked the Catholic church and our children would be raised Catholic. Father said that we could be married the 27th of June. He also suggested that we have the wedding in the St Jerome's Catholic church in Mohall, so we would have an organist and a singer. This date worked well for Louis, because he would be done with spring seeding and we would have time to take a short trip before haying started. We wanted to have Louis' sister, Delia and husband, Boyd as our attendants, but they said they wouldn't be able to make it. So we asked Louis' sister, Elizabeth and her husband, Maurice Walsh to be our attendants. After setting the date, we realized that there was another problem with that day - June 27th was Township Election Day. So we weren't expecting anyone, but a few relatives, to attend.

The night before our wedding, it started to rain and it rained all night. The roads back then were all gravel or dirt, so as you can imagine, they were a mess. It was still raining the next day when Louis and I picked up my Mom, my sister Gail, my brother Curt and my Aunt Lillie to go to Mohall for the wedding. We had set the time of our wedding for 10:00 am. When it was almost 11:00 and Maurice and Elizabeth still hadn't shown up, Father Heinz said we could go ahead and be married, but we would have to come back the next day for mass. Fortunately, the Walsh's (Lil Corrigan came with them) finally arrived. They said they were late because water had gotten up into their car engine and it had stalled. They had had to wait till it dried out enough to get it started again. It was cold and poured rain all through the service, so Elizabeth and I had to wear our coats and pin our corsages on the lapels. The church tower leaked, so there was water running down the aisle. During the ceremony, Maurice had to put out fires on each side of the alter, because the candles sat next to artificial bouquets and they caught fire. The only guests at our wedding were my Mom, Curt, Gail, my Aunt Lillie, Maurice, Elizabeth, Lil Corrigan, the organist, and the singer.

After the wedding and mass, it was still raining, but Mom told Maurice, Elizabeth and Lil to stop by for coffee. She asked Louis to stop at the store and get a stick of summer sausage, some beans and cookies. She had already baked the buns. Louis also stopped by the bar and Ted Sorenson gave him a cheap bottle of wine as a wedding present. After the luncheon, they wanted me to play piano and they all sang. We had a ball! That was our reception. :o)

Because of the weather, we decided not to start out on our honeymoon trip till the next day. So Louis and I went out to the farm. On the way a neighbor, H.M. Hanson, had gotten stuck near our mailbox. Of course, Louis had to get out to help him and got the bottom of his nice navy suit pants all muddy.

This is a picture that was taken at our 40th Wedding Anniversary celebration that was held at Cheryl and Terry's in Sherwood.

My next post will show our Marriage Certificate and the article that was in the Sherwood Tribune.

Our Engagement

2008-08-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

One day in the spring of 1944, Louis asked me if I would like to go to Minot. He had business to take care of and said I could shop while he was busy. Then we could go out for dinner and a movie or to the Dutch Mill to dance. Of course, I said sure! Before he let me off to do my shopping, Louis asked me what size gloves I wore. I really didn't catch on, but I did think it was strange. Then when we were at dinner later, he took out a small box and handed it to me, and proposed. To put it mildly, I was surprised! But very happy!

The next Sunday, I went to church with Louis, and afterwards we talked to Father Heinz about our marriage and setting the place and the date.

Mom sent out the wedding announcements. Some of my friends gave me a shower, and I received a lot of nice gifts. But they were mostly glass dishes and pyrex pots and pans, as you couldn't buy sheets, towels or metal pans at that time, because of the war. About a week before the wedding, Louis and I went down to Minot so I could find a dress and shoes. I found the dress I wanted at a store called Taube's, but it was more than I had to spend. When I met Louis for lunch, he wanted to know if I had found one and I told him I had. But it was more money than I had and I still would have to have money for shoes. He said he would give me the money I needed, so I went and purchased the dress. Then while Louis was running more errands, I went to see my Dad. I wanted to get leather shoes to go with my dress, but you needed a stamp to purchase them and I didn't have any. Dad said he would take me to D & S Bootery, where he knew the manager, and thought he could talk him into selling us the shoes. We went there, and I found a perfect pair of light brown shoes to go with my dress. Dad told the manager that I wanted them for my wedding. This convinced him and Dad bought the shoes for me.

(This is the picture that we had taken our first Christmas after we were married.)

A History - Chapter 8

2008-08-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Vivian and Margaret Hall, they worked together at the store.

After graduation from High School, Vivian worked as a clerk in the Farmer’s Cooperative Mercantile store until the fall of 1941. When she began work there she earned $29 a month, and by the time she left she was making $36 a month. She worked six days a week, from nine till noon, and one to six every day. On Wednesday and Saturday, she worked after supper. And during the summer and fall, she would sometimes have to work till one in the morning on Saturdays. She did everything from waiting on customers, to decorating the store windows and candling eggs. She also got to be acquainted with people from miles around who were customers, including many from Canada.

Then Vivian went to Seattle by train to find work, like so many other people were doing at that time. She was able to travel on the train for free (using the above pass), because her Dad worked on the railroad as an engineer. Her first job in Seattle was working at the King Street Railroad Station. It was hard work, that she didn't enjoy very much. There was a lot of lifting and carrying heavy luggage. It was during this first trip to Seattle that she and Louis began to date. After about 7 months, Vivian got homesick and moved back to Sherwood. She went to work in Harley and Francis Owens' Bar and Restaurant. Elmer Byre wanted her to come back to work at the Mercantile, but Harley paid a better salary: $40/month plus meals. Vivian had only worked there about 5 months, when Harley decided to sell the bar to Claude. He and Francis moved out to Everett, Washington, where Francis' sister lived. Vivian took the train back out to Washington and stayed with Harley and Francis for a week. Then they drove her up to Seattle to visit Doris, Edna, Don and Alice Schumacher. Harlen and Wilma Hanson were there visiting as well. Doris Schumacher got Vivian a job working on a billing machine at the Puget Sound Power and Light. Louis, who planned to return to Seattle after harvest, had told her to look up his sister, Delia and her family, and Delia would help Vivian find a place to live. She did find a room at a house just 5 blocks away with a Mrs Sundahl, near Georgetown. There was one other lady renting a room. We had cooking and laundry privileges, but Mrs Sundahl cooked for them most of the time.

The machines at Puget Sound Power and Light were huge and complicated, and without previous business machine experience and training, Vivian felt frustrated and slow. So after a few months she quit. She then found a job working at Sears Roebuck as a clerk selling ladies accessories (notions) such as gloves, scarves, hankies and some purses. Vivian started a new trend by buying wrapping paper and ribbon and wrapping packages and gifts for the servicemen that came to buy something for their wives, mothers and girlfriends. She loved that job until the management wanted to move her to a different department. So then she found a job at Boeings. In order to get that job, she had be interviewed and have a complete physical. She also had to get a union card. The division that Vivian worked for was building the B-17 bombers. She worked as a clerk in the shop that supplied the wing parts, such as rivets, stiffeners and other small parts, to the assembly lines. The planes would be started at the beginning of the day shift, worked on thru the swing shift and finished by the end of the graveyard shift. Vivian worked the swing shift, 4:30 pm - 12:30 am, so she earned time and a half, which was 82 1/2 cents/hour. She worked there till she found out that her brother Howard was coming home on leave from the Navy, and then he was going to be shipped out to China. Vivian wanted to go home a visit with her brother before he shipped out again. That was in late March of 1944.

Doctor visit update .......

2008-08-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, here is what we found out today at the doctor's.... Mom does have aortic stenosis. This is when the valve between the heart and the aorta starts to harden and thicken and makes it harder and harder for the heart to pump the blood back out of the heart into the aorta to go back out to the rest of the body. Mom's is getting thicker so it is causing the heart murmur and irregular heart beat. She hasn't had any of the other symptoms, yet. And the doctor said that after patients start having the other symptoms they usually live at least another 5 years. The only way to fix it, is a very serious and dangerous surgery. Which because of her age and because she is doing so well otherwise doesn't really make a lot of sense. And MOM DOESN'T WANT THE SURGERY! Enough said.....

More pictures.......

2008-08-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

I forgot all about posting these pictures.... sigh ..... the days just go by way too fast.... can't believe it is already August! Anyway, these are some more pictures of Laurie, Rob and Sabrina's visit. The first picture is of Sabrina working on posters Ken bought her. She spent that Tuesday with Mom and I, while Laurie and Rob went to Deadwood and etc... We had a really good time. She is such a good kid. She was busy showing us her 'gem' (rock) collection. And she also helped me plant some flowers. While we were outside, she saw my peonies blooming and just had to pick the prettiest one for Grandma. You can see it in the pictures of Mom. :o)

Summer Update ......

2008-07-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

Thought is was time for an update. I'm going to fill you in some of the other things that have been happening here this summer. Cheryl and Terry stopped for a visit here the 6th of June during their vacation trip. We had a nice visit and they were able to see Ken and Denise's house and my 'Office'. :o) I am so glad that they got to take a trip this summer before Cheryl had her foot surgery.

I have a new ride. :o) Ken bought Denise a 2001 Chrysler Town and Country mini van, while we were up in Sherwood for Memorial Day. What a surprise! It is much easier for me to get in and out of and is very comfortable and roomy. Denise gave her Explorer to her friend, Marva, from Casper. We drove down to Casper the end of June to take care of the tags and license and to bring Marva back to get the Explorer. I got the chance to see Casper and where Denise and Ken lived down there. It is a pretty city.

My first doctor in Belle Fourche, Suzanne Harris, moved to Gillette. So I now have another male doctor, Casey Swenson. He is located in the Belle Fourche Regional Medical Clinic, which is a nice place, but not as close as the last clinic was. I like Dr Swenson real well. He has a good sense of humor and is easy to talk to. At my first appointment with him in June, he noticed a heart murmur and an irregular heart beat. A heart doctor just happened to be in the clinic and he consulted with him. The heart doctor suggested I start with a low dose beta blocker and have an ultrasound done at the Heart Doctors down in Rapid City. We went to Rapid City, July 15th, for that test. (It was pretty cool watching the guy do the ultrasound on Mom's heart! ;o> ) Afterwards, we went over to Lynn and Carol's. I stayed there while Denise ran errands. We had supper there before coming home. It was a hot, sweaty day! :oP We'll find out the results of the test next Thursday. I'll update you then.

This last Saturday we were invited over to Lynn and Carol's for supper to celebrate Denise's birthday. We had a lovely lasagna supper. And Carol had made a delicious chocolate layer cake complete with decorations and candles. Ken managed to get the day off to be there and Carol's granddaughter, Sierra, was there, too. We had a fun time.

While I've been writing, a fawn came through the yard and looked in at me, then turned and ran, jumped the fence, and ran across the field and over to the creek. We have seen several out there and lots of birds, too, including blue jays, grosbeaks, sparrows, finches and doves. They are so much fun to watch as they fight for a spot on the feeder. :o)

Breakfast in Belle Fourche

2008-07-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Laurie, Rob and Sabrina came for a nice visit Saturday, June 28th and were in Belle Fourche thru Wednesday. Lots of pictures to share so will split them into two posts. These pictures were taken Sunday, June 29th. We had invited Laurie, Rob and Sabrina over for breakfast. And then, when Lynn called to say they would be stopping by, I invited them to breakfast, too. Even better, Lynn and Carol brought Lynn's famous pancake mix and with my blueberries made pancakes for all. Love it when people bring food! ;o) Ken was able to be here, too! (Though he doesn't show up in any of the pictures.)