ACTIVITIES

TODAY CLAY AND I HAD LUNCH TOGETHER. HE TOLD ME MY LAST BLOG HADN'T POSTED SO I CALLED ON OUR SWEET DENISSE FOR HELP. CLAY ALSO REMINDED ME OF SOME THINGS I SHOULD WRITE SO WHILE IT IS STILL WITH ME I'LL DO IT!!!!!!

WHEN THE CHILDREN WERE ALL IN GRADE SCHOOL I GOT A LITTLE JOB THAT BROUGHT IN A LITTLE EXTRA INCOME. THE LIONS CLUB HAD ACQUIERED SOME PORTABLE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY TRAINED ME TO USE TO GO TO THE SCHOOLS AND CHECK THE CHILDREN'S EYES. THERE WASN'T NEARLY AS MANY SCHOOLS AS NOW IN IDAHO FALLS.THE MAN WHO SET ME UP TOLD ME SO I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH DOING THESE TO GO HOME AND USE IT ON MY CHILDRENS EYES. DID I EVER GET A RUDE AWAKENING WHEN CHUCK SAT DOWN BEHIND THE THING AND COULDN'T SEE THREE FEET IN FRONT OF HIM. HE'S HAD GLASSES EVER SINCE. I REALLY FELT BAD THAT HE'D STRUGGLED TO SEE THE BLACK BOARD. AFTER THE SCHOOL CHILDREN WAS CHECKED A NOTE WAS SENT HOME TELLING THE PARENTS HOW THE CHILD DID AND IF THEY SHOULD SEE A DR. IF I HELPED ONLY ONE CHILD SEE BETTER AND IT WAS MY OWN IT WAS WORTH IT.

ONE FALL DONNA WILSON WHO LIVED DOWN THE STREET TALKED ME INTO WORKING ON A SPUD HARVESTER. WE STOOD ON THE POTATO COMBINE AND PULLED VINES WEEDS AND SOME BAD SPUDS FROM THE CONVEYER. THAT PAID SOME AND THE DOLLARS HELPED WITH NECESSITIES. WE WORKED IN NEW SWEEDEN THAT YEAR AND THE NEXT YEAR I WORKED FOR ONE OF LARUE BELLS RELATIVES IN OSGOOD. THAT WASN'T EASY WORK SO I DIDN'T DO THAT AGAIN. BESIDES THE CHILDREN WAS OUT OF SCHOOL FOR HARVEST VACATION AND LEFT ALONE AFTER VERELAN WENT TO WORK.

WE HAD A REAL GARDENER WHO LIVED BEHIND US FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. THEN WINSORS MOVED IN AND AL CHANGED THE GARDEN BUT RAISED SOME GOOD FOOD. I ALSO HAD A GARDEN IN OUR BACK YARD. I TRIED TO TEACH THE CHILDREN SOME OF GARDENING LIKE MOM DID ME. I GOT SOME HELP FROM THE BOYS BUT PENNY WOULD RATHER HAVE STAYED IN AND DO SOME HOUSE WORK ARE WHAT EVER SHE DID. CLAY SAID HE DIDN'T THINK THEY WAS MUCH HELP BUT IT MAY HAVE HELPED TEACH THEM TO WORK A LITTLE BIT. WE GOT A FEW TOMATOES CARROTTS AND BEANS MAYBE GREEN ONIONS ABD RADISHES. I CANNED BEANS FROM THE GARDEN AND TRIED TO RAISE PEAS. THE KIDS LIKED T KEEP THEM HARVESTED SO WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT FOR THE TABLE. RHODA HAMPTON TAUGHT ME A GOOD LESSON ABOUT LETTING THE CHILDREN PICK AND EAT WHILE THE THINGS WERE FRESH. BONNIE AND I DID SOME CANNING AT EACH OTHERS HOMES DURING THOSE YEARS. THAT WAS A LEARNING EXPIERENCE ALSO. WE PLAYED PENOCHLE WITH BONNIE AND AL SHE LIKED OTHER CARD GAMES BUT I DIDN'T CATCH ON TO WELL SO THEY STAYED WITH ME.

WE GOT A START FROM SOME ONES LILAC BUSH AND HAD A PRETTY BUSH FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. WE USED SOME OF THE LILACS ON MEMORIAL DAY FOR GRAVES. VERELANS UNCLE CARL IMPRESSED ON HIM HOW WE SHOULD GO TO THE CEMETARY'S AND SHOW HONOR TO OUR DECEASED. THAT BECAME A
TRADITION FOR OUR FAMILY WHEN VERELAN OR I WASN'T WORKING SO WE COULD GO. UNCLE CARL ALSO LET US KNOW IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A HEAD STONE ON GRANDPA JENSEN'S GRAVE. VERELAN ORDERED ONE AND HAD IT READY FOR THE NEXT MEMORIAL DAY. AS WE NOW LOOK FOR GRAVES I SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT AND AM HAPPY VERELAN DID THAT ALTHOUGH WE HAD LITTLE MONEY OUR SELVES. WE'D STOP BY UNCLE CARL AND AUNT LIZZIES HOME WHERE WE WERE ALWAYS WELCOME AND SHE ALWAYS HAD SUGAR COOKIES FOR THE KIDS. DORTHELA THEIR DAUGHTER WAS A DOWNS SYNDROME AND REMEMBERED ALL THE YEARS SHE LIVED THAT I LET HER HOLD MY BABY. SHE WOULD LOVE HOLDING CLAY WHEN HE WAS TINY. DORTHELLA WAS A VERY SWEET CARING LADY.

THE FALL SCHOOL STARTED THAT CHUCK WAS NINE HE CAME HOME EXCITED TO BECOME A CUB SCOUT. THAT WAS ALL DONE THROUGH THE SCHOOLS THEN. WHEN WE TRIED TO GET HIM IN WE WERE INVITED TO A MANS HOME ACROSS THE RIVER SO WE WENT TO THE MEETING. THE MAN TOLD US WE HAD TO BE A PARTICIPATING PARENT TO GET HIM IN. VERELAN GAVE ALL THE EXCUSES AND THEN SIGHNED ON AS AN ASSISTANT TO THE CUB MASTER KEN STROM. CHUCK WENT TO CUB SCOUTS LEADERS NAME ESCAPES ME RIGHT NOW. THEN ONE DAY IN THE SPRING KEN RANG OUR DOOR BELL AND ASK ME TO TAKE SIX NEW NINE YEAR OLDS AND BE THE DEN MOTHER. I HAD BRAD STROM, DEE HIGH, ???? RIGBY AND THREE OTHERS WHO I CAN STILL SEE BUT CAN'T RECALL THE NAMES. THAT WAS THE REAL BEGINNING OF ABOUT SEVEN YEARS OF SCOUTING FOR ME. WHEN OUR BOYS FINISHED I STILL HELPED RUTH JENNINGS WITH HER GROUP FOR A YEAR OR MORE. IN THE SUMMER THE SCHOOLS THAT HAD SCOUTING PROGRAMS ALSO HAD A SOFT BALL TEAM AND COMPETED WITH EACH OTHER. THE GAMES WOULD BE HELD ON DIFFERENT SCHOOL GROUNDS SO WE TRAVELED A LOT TO GAMES. WE BECAME AQUAINTED WITH LOTS OF GREAT PEOPLE AND HAD FRIENDS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. IN FEB. FOR THE BLUE AND GOLD BANQUET IT WAS HELD AT THE THEN FAMOUS JACKS CHICKEN INN. I ALWAYS HAD SHRIMP SINCE WE DIDN'T GO THERE AT OTHER TIMES. ONE YEAR ONE OF THE CUBS WAS GOING AROUND PICKING UP THE TIPS FROM THE TABLES AND HIS DAD LET HIM. I GOT AFTER HIM TO PUT THE MONEY BACK CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT HE DID. NOW I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM. MAYBE IN PRISON SOME PLACE. THEY WERE TRANSIENT FOLKS SO DIDN'T HAVE A LOT BUT THAT SHOULDN'T LEAVE THE CHILD NOT LEARNING HONESTY. SOME TIMES AFTER THE BASEBALL GAMES IN FACT MOST EVENINGS WE EITHER TOOK THE KIDS FOR A ROOT BEER FLOAT ARE KEN AND JEREY STROM HAD ALL THE PARENTS AND FAMILIES COME FOR ICE CREAM AT THEIR PLACE. THOSE WERE HAPPY FAMILY TIMES FOR ALL OF US. VERELAN AND I HAD MONTHLY MEETINGS TO ATTEND AND ONCE A YEAR A ROUND TABLE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL ON HOLMES AVE. WE ALWAYS TRIED TO GET TO ALL OF THOSE. LEARNING WAS AN IMPORTANT THING TO HELP TEACH THE YOUNG MEN. DURING THIS TIME VERELAN BECAME A SCOUT EXECUTIVE AND HELPED RECRUIT CUB MASTERS. ONE DAY FRANK COLLINS CALLED AND WANTED TO BECOME THE CUB MASTER AT HIS SONS SCHOOL. WHEN VERELAN VISITED HIM HE REALIZED FRANK WAS BLIND BUT DETERMINED. THIS BEGAN A VERY GOOD FRIENDSHIP WITH FRANK AND MARY. VERELAN TOOK FRANK TO ALL THE REQUIRED MEETINGS THAT HE MIGHT LEARN HIS JOB. WHEN PENNY TURNED NINE WE GOT A PIANO AND FRANK WAS USED TO TUNE IT FOR US. WE ENJOYED OUR VISITS WITH THE COLLINS FAMILY FOR MANY YEARS AFTER CUB SCOUTING WAS FINISHED. WHAT A LOT OF HAPPY SCOUTING YEARS. THEN VERLAN BECAME INVOLVED WITH THE CHURCH CUB SCOUTING WHEN THE CHURCH STARTED THE PROGRAM. THE SCHOOLS DROPPED OUT OF THE CUBBING PROGRAM AS SO MANY BOYS WERE LDS WHO PARTICIPATED AND WENT TO THE LDS PROGRAM.

I DON'T REMEMBER THE YEAR BUT I DO REMEMBER THE TIME BELL'S AND OMANSON'S INVITED WINSORS AND US TO GO SQUARE DANCING WITH THEM. WHAT A FUN NIGHT THAT WAS. WE WENT TO THAT CALLERS DANCES FOR THREE OR FOUR TIMES AND THEN THE NEXT TIME HE DIDN'T SHOW UP LEFT A NOTE HE'D GONE TO SALT LAKE SO WE DECIEDED TO GO TO THE PROMENADERS. THAT NIGHT MADE BELIEVER'S OF US WE WENT BACK TO ANDERSON'S DANCE THE NEXT WEEK AND THINGS MOVED SO SLOW WE GAVE UP TWO ARE THREE WEEKS WE'D PAYED AHEAD FOR AND RETURNED TO THE PROMENADERS. ROSS AND NORMA WENT WITH US AND LEARNED TO SQUARE DANCE ALSO. ONE NIGHT AFTER AN ALAMAND LEFT I REACHED FOR ROSS'S HAND AND IT WASN'T THERE AND I FELL HITTING THE FLOOR SO HARD BILL SAID IT KNOCKED THE NEEDLE OF HIS MACHINE. AS FAR AWAY AS I WAS I'M NOT SURE THAT WAS TRUE. BUT I DID MAKE A NOISE AND THEN FOUND OUT I'D BROKEN MY "TAIL BONE". AFTER LAYING AROUND FOR SOME TWO WEEKS THE DR. DECIEDED TO REMOVE IT. HE TOLD ME IT NEVER WOULD HAVE HEALED AS HE TOOK IT OUT IN SO MANY LITTLE PIECES. I HEALED AND WAS BACK SQUARE DANCING HAVING SO MUCH FUN. WE EVEN TAUGHT SOME CUB SCOUTS AND YOUNG GIRLS A LITTLE ABOUT SQUARE DANCING ONE YEAR. WE WERE MEMBERS OF THE PROMENADERS SQUARE DANCE GROUP AND WE WENT TO JAMBORIES FROM POCATELLO TO JACKSON WEST YELLOW STONE AND SALMON. EVERY ONE TOOK THEIR CHILDREN AND LOTS CAMPED OUT ARE GOT A MOTEL WHAT EVER WAS EASY AND LESS EXPENSIVE. THE KIDS ENJOYED EXPLORING THINGS AT ALL THE PLACES WE WENT. TO JOIN THE KNOT HEAD GROUP WE WENT OVER AT AN AWFUL HOUR AND GOT BILL AND ELMA UP AND WE ALL DANCED IN OUR PAJAMAS OR NIGHT GOWNS A REQUIREMENT TO GET BADGES. THEY WERE SUCH GOOD SPORTS TO GET UP AND SPEND AN HOUR ARE TWO CALLING DANCES. THEY HAD TO WORK FOR A LIVING ALSO BESIDES SQUARE DANCE CALLING. ONE YEAR I WAS ELECTED TREASURER SO TOOK TICKETS COUNTED MONEY AND PAID BILL HIS WAGES AND BANKED THE REST ON MONDAY MORNING. THAT GOT US OTHER NEW FRIENDS WHO HADN'T PAID US A LOT OF ATTENTION BEFORE THAT.