family memory

Today, we have had sort of a blizzard.  Julie got to Fargo about 8 p.m. and started for home.  It was after midnight, or about then when she arrived here.  She was really tired, I am sure that her own bed looked good.  She slept in today, and Jack and I have been in the house all day.
    We continue with our genealogy project.  Jack has been reading about his relatives from a scrapbook sent to him by his cousin.  Our conversation prompted me to get out the Walsh County atlas where we found a lot more information.  I am making copies of the family stories and putting them in the three ring binders with their family genealogy. 
    Tonight, I got a call from a relative of Jack's that we did not know, but by calling another person we have found out about her.  Her grandfather was a brother to Jack's great-grandmother.She is interested in genealogy and will call again tomorrow evening.
    When I think of a blizzard day, I think of the times that my father would take us for fun rides.  He would use a flat surface behind his tractor, the flat surface might be the hood of a car.He would tie it to the back of the tractor and we would sit in it while he would give us rides around the yard.  It was a lot of fun.  I think my cousins Mary Ella and Betty Clare remember those times, too.
    My dad also liked to ice skate (and roller skate) so he made us a little skating rink out in the yard, somewhere south of the light pole.  He could figure skate, making "8"'s,etc.
    We usually had a really big snow bank on the road north of our house.
    One winter we really had a lot of snow,  I think it was about 1956.  The road to the east of the O'Brien farm had a bank that was higher than the vehicle on both sides of the road.  It had been plowed many times and it just kept getting higher and higher,  I think we missed a lot of school that year.

History

     This photo was taken in 1953.  It evidentually was a family gathering at my home.  It is special because my Grandparents, and Jack"s grandparents are present.  I also see my Uncle and aunt, and Jack's parents.  I note the clock on the shelf in the corner.  I still have that clock.    I note that Grandpa Oscar is sitting on the antique chair that sits in our bedroom.   I don't see any of us children, we probably were sitting in the kitchen.  Would they have ever realized that in the future our families would be united because your dad and I would marry.
     I know that my mom was a very good cook, and a capable hostess.  I have only one memory of times that she entertained.  She had a china bowl, it was a quite thin china and she always served cole slaw in it.I have it so I had to go look at it, she had written under it that it was my grandmothers. 
    The room looks much the same to this day.  I guess you children could also remember many meals served in that room.  Any memories that you can share?

I remember

So you want me to write.....Dad is sorting photos.  I have tried to add this photo to this site, but I don't seem to be very successful.  I will tell the story anyway.   The photo wouldn't mean anything to any of you but it does to me, and to dad.  One time when Janet was in high school, we flew her and another girl, Laura Axmann to Ellendale for a youth conference at Trinity Bible College.  Janet was in a speech meet at Devils lake. so we picked them up late in the day and took them to the airport.  We got up in the sky, we were above the clouds and it looked like this. Though I remember the clouds as being whiter.  It was beautiful.  Dad said, we need to go below the clouds so we could navigate.  So he made a few circular manuvers and down we went. Beneath the clouds it was getting dark.  So we had to watch for the lights of the towns.  We flew to Ellendale, Pastor Dave met us at the airport.  We left the girls there and we flew back.  We got back to Devils lake about maybe midnight.  We left the airplane there and drove back to the farm.  It is a good memory.