Church Callings

My first calling was Primary organist when I was 12.  I couldn’t play very well but I was the only one who could come in the day time.  We had Primary right after school.  I even taught a lesson a few times.    Aunt Vivian Atkinson was ward organist but really sick, when pregnant.  I played the pump organ the best I could.  What really scared me I had to accompany a quartet of men, when they sang at funerals.     It was war time and all the men were gone and I was the Gleaner teacher in MIA.   This was all the girls 17 and over.  Since there were no boys around and nothing much to do, we had a large group that attended regularly.    We had lessons and produced two different one act plays.  We presented them at Archer, Lyman and Independence wards.   We earned money and bought candy, soap and personal articles and sent them to Russia.  The mailing charge was more than the cost of the articles mailed.

     My next job was Pres. of the MIA.  This was easier.  I had more to help me.  Every summer we would take all the girls, over age 12, to the hills, camping.  We loaded all our supplies and girls in Stanley Erickson’s old truck and went up Kelly Canyon where we

 

 

 

set up camp.  We didn’t have any  man help for the rest of the week.  It didn’t scare me then, but it would now.  The best part was that Isabelle Nelson volunteered to stay with us and be responsible for the meals.  She was a fabulous  dutch oven cook and we had wonderful meals.  I don’t remember what we did for activities but I do remember how happy everyone was and no personality clashes.

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Our First Furniture

Furniture     The first furniture we purchased, after out bedroom set, was a blue davenport, without springs.  Metal was being used for the war and not furniture.  That davenport was just like sitting on a rock.  We also purchased our first electric stove.  You will never know how grateful I was.  Now, I didn’t have to build a fire in the wood stove, every time I wanted to cook or heat water.  There were few that had electric stoves, in the country, at that time.  Jess was good to me.

Farming in 1945

   

                     Canal by Jess and Gwen’s old house, where Eric lives now.  

        Farming in 1945 was easier.  We planted half the farm to grain, instead of all potatoes.  It was good we did, because that crop of potatoes didn’t bring very much money.  Jess still didn’t like the way the upper place irrigated and said as soon as he had enough money, he was going to move the canal from running diagonally across the field to straight down the fence row.  This would eliminate diagonal shaped fields.       There weren’t any government programs to help you.  You paid all the expense.  Uncle Arthur Niederer told Jess he was foolish.  He would never make enough extra money for the cost of moving the canal.   Jess told him maybe not but it would save a lot of work and raise a better crop.  After it was done, the fields were square and even.  Now everyone thought Jess had been wise.  Jess had the rare ability to realize what the end results would be, from the actions taken today.

Volunteer Extraordinaire’

 

A well deserved tribute!     This appeared in the Post Register, October 31, 2012 .   Mom goes to the nursing home  at least 3 times a week to visit her Hospice Clients.  She has also been to many homes, and other care facilities.  She tries her hardest to lighten their days.  This is just one of the things she does to help people during each day.  Many lives have been touched by her love and generosity!

Building the Cellar

That first summer was really busy.  There wasn’t a spud cellar on the place and Jess had planted the entire farm into spuds.  Jess and Lillis went up above Kelly to get the logs.  Lillis had a truck to haul the logs down.  I don’t remember what we used for sheeting but we covered the top with willows, cut from the canal banks and then covered the willows with straw and then dirt.  I cooked for the men who came to help build the cellar.    By this time it didn’t bother me to cook.     We wouldn’t have been able to build the cellar if we hadn’t received  a  refund from the income tax withheld from our wages in Portland.  This was the first time that taxes were withheld from your pay check.   The amount of the refund wasn’t enormous, but if we hadn’t received it, we wouldn’t  have been able to build the cellar.    We had enough money saved to buy our spud seed.  Fertilizer wasn’t used in those days.  You just hauled out barnyard manure. 

     That fall when the spuds were dug we had an excellent harvest.  They were a good price and we sold part of them to pay harvest expense and saved the rest until spring.  They brought us enough to pay for the ground before expenses.  Mrs.Johansen, who we bought the farm from, came and said that since we had made so much money we ought to pay them more for the ground.    We had good farming years and bad years but that was a turning point.  Now Jess had money to buy a tractor and some machinery.  He was the youngest farmer in Archer, at that time and had the biggest tractor.  The first thing he did was sell the milk cows.

First Year of Farming

We had enough money saved to buy our spud seed.  Fertilizer wasn't used in those days.  You just hauled out the barnyard manure.  We had to buy hay that spring for the cows.  Jess hated to milk cows.  There was a milker that came with the farm but when Jess bent over to hook the milker on the cow, it shut off the flow through his faulty heart valve and he felt that he was smothering.  After he had irrigated all day and ate supper, he hated to go out and milk the cows.  I hated to walk up the ditch bank, after dark, to get the cows but when I saw how tired Jess was I would go and get them.  It wasn't   long before I was milking them all the time.  Jess hated to get up in the mornings.  I was a morning person and could hardly wait to get up and get going.  I didn't realize it at the time, that it was because he was tired all the time with his bad heart.  You need to remember that most of the farming was done with horses.

  Jess's Dad bought a small Ford tractor the first year we farmed but it was mostly used for plowing.  We didn't have equipment to use it for much more.  The other farmers marveled at how much that small tractor could plow in a day.  Soon neighbors would hire us to plow for them.  We would plow all night.  It was good money if the farmer paid you, after you did the work.
The milk check was enough to pay for the telephone and electricity and what we needed for the farm but not much else. One day some of our friends wanted to go to a show.  We didn't have any money.  Jess offered to borrow from his parents so we could go.with the group.  We decided not to and never went any place that entire summer.  We could stand on our own too feet.  I am the same today.  I hate to ask for help.