Day 71, "Every picture has a story"
Christmas at the Saunders farm in 1974. From left to right John, Aaron, Travis and Lisa Saunders. It is interesting to note the bales, not the BIG bales as this was before their time but small round bales. Every year Grandma and Grandpa Saunders would put up their Christmas scene in front of their home for all of the travelers who drove past on Highway 11. It appears that 1974 was one of the few Christmas days when there was no snow. I would say most of the time there would have been a lot of snow by Christmas.
Terry and I spent a quiet Christmas Eve last night. Went to Flemings for their happy hour and enjoyed a bit to eat and a drink. NEVER had I been out of the home on Christmas Eve in the past but times change and it was a very fun time with Terry. Afterward we went to 7:00 church and enjoyed the many Christmas carols and the message. We came home and opened presents and then shared about Christmas Eves of the past. Of course I thought of the Lees in South Bend and the Lees and Adkins in the Twin Cities. I could almost feel the excitement of the grand kids as they opened presents and enjoyed lefse.
It was Thursday, December 27th of 1957. Christmas had come and gone with little excitement in terms of gifts. I had known that it would be kind of bare this year. Mom and Dad had seen the hail storm wipe out their money crop, wheat, just the day before we were set to harvest. It had been a VERY sad day and so so difficult for Mom. I know she saw in those beautiful windrows of wheat many things that she wanted for her family. Really, I don't think Mom ever shared that she needed or wanted things but she may have just kept those things to herself. Anyway there were a few presents to open like a new 2000 piece puzzle that I was sure would get put together on New Years Eve. I had a faint hope of new ice skates but I knew that was a hope beyond the horizon for sure and it turned out I was right! Anyway Christmas was past but there was still most of Christmas vacation left to enjoy. Dave and I had been playing cards and making things with his electric set and my Lincoln Logs but today we needed to get out. The plan was to hike up to the lake and skate. Way back in the fall, during harvest, we had a flat tire on the combine so as Dad fixed it Dave had the foresight to save the old tube. At some time in the fall he thought far enough ahead to use a jar lid to trace and cut several layers of rubber from the tube. He then glued several layers together and presto, we had a hockey puck! Today was the test day. We had snow for Christmas so we knew there would be snow on the lake. With long johns on, shoes and overshoes, caps with earlappers and mittens we headed out to the granary where we kept the shovels in the winter. Dave got the lightest aluminum grain shovel so I settled for the old rusted one which, I am sure, weighed twice as much. We thought of asking Ricky to join us but no phone and our tin cans tied together with wire would not quite reach the half mile. Instead of walking through Bert's pasture, which we did in the summer, we chose the road which was easier to walk on. When we reached Ricky's place we walked past and then down the snow covered road onto the lake. We were correct in thinking there would be a lot of snow. With shovels in hand we used the better part of a half hour to clear a hockey rink for play. At that point we sad down and took off our overshoes and shoes and laced up our OLD skates. The overshoes would serve double duty today as they kept our feet dry on our walk and now they became goals at each end of our rink. Dave and I skated back and forth with the skill of professionals .(i may not remember what our skills really were!) About the time I was going to tell Dave my toes were getting cold he, with the swing of Wayne Gretzky, hit the puck towards the far end of the ice. We watched in amazement and disbelief as the rubber homemade puck slid along the ice and one by one the layers of rubber fell on the ice. I guess the glue Dave used was not to be used in below zero weather!!! That was the end of our hockey game but really I was not too disappointed because my toes were REALLY cold. To this day I wonder if NEW skates would have helped. Dave retrieved the several layers of rubber and we trudged home after getting our skates off and shoes on. If I remember right I think that may have been the end of our hockey careers.
Terry and I are looking forward to an afternoon with Minnesota friends. Terry is bringing a fruit salad and it sounds like Dale is preparing a Minnesota pot roast. Actually the only thing I am sure of is there will be no lutefisk or lefse. I may not be very true to my Norwegian heritage. I don't miss the fish so much but the lefse, oh that would taste good for sure. I did have my FP this AM with some Irish cream so life is still good.
No comments:
Post a Comment