Wistful Wednesday: Christmas 1955

This photo was amongst the photos that Cousin Bonnie gave to Far Guy.  I have seen it before.

All of these sister in laws are gone..  Cancer..Alzheimer's..and old age claimed them all. 

Married to brothers..together for Christmas at the farm.

Far Guys Mom Evelyn is on the left, it would have been her 97th birthday yesterday.  In this photo she was 41 and the oldest. She wasn’t a very social person, everything was prim and proper..nothing was ever done on the spur of the moment.

Auntie Esther is next, she died last December.  She always called Far Guy and I “you kids.”  She was spontaneous..and during the summer at the lake she would almost always be found in her swimsuit.  She enjoyed the outdoors and embraced every activity from hunting to snowmobiling to fishing and of course golfing.

Jean..I won’t call her Aunt Jean..she was divorced from her husband a few years after this photo was taken. Far Guy said she was beautiful and had a mind of her own.  I never met her, she died of cancer.

Aunt Beryl, I have known her ever since I can remember. She had an infectious laugh.  My Mother was one of her best friends. I remember when her new house was built and the white crushed velvet furniture appeared in her living room..I wondered if anyone ever dared to sit on it…us kids always went to the basement!   She had Alzheimer's a number of years..she was gone..but her body wasn’t done living yet..Alzheimer's is a terrible affliction. 

I wonder sometimes how these women all got along.  I am certain there were some under currents..perhaps even some teeth gnashing.  They must have all gotten along for the sake of their husbands. I think it would have been interesting to have been a mouse in the corner sometimes:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1955 Deer Hunting Continued

Last week I told you all about the deer that hung in the stairway at Far Guys childhood home for many years. It is now upstairs in our home. 

I actually found an old photo of the deer hanging high in the stairway.

Then I found photos of many members of the family with the deer.  Now this would have been totally normal in the 1950’s and beyond if you were part of a hunting family.   I was always excited when my Dad came home with a deer and we wanted to have our photographs taken with it too!

Cousin Jay, Far Guy and Far Guys Dad.

Far Guys sister..I can just hear Far Guys Mother saying “Janice put your scarf on before going outside with that deer.”

This sure looks like cousin Bonnie to me..high-water pants and all. Look at that.. no snow boots either…no wonder she likes to escape to Florida in the winter. 

It was fun for me to find all these old photos in an old hunting and fishing photo album that belonged to Far Guys Dad.  I am in the process of scanning them…just one of my many projects:)

Wistful Wednesday: Deer Hunting 1955

During November 1955 Far Guys Dad and Uncle were hunting near Northome Minnesota. 

Far Guy does not remember the hunting story.  It must have been a cooperative effort between brothers.

This is Far Guys Dad, Marvin with the deer.  The photo is labeled on the back.  Marvin nice deer.

This photo is marked. Jim and a nice deer. ( The little dog must be Tiny..he was a a Chihuahua.)

This sign hangs at the bottom of the mount.  It says:

Taken by James and Marvin Henderson Near Northome Minn Nov 1955.

I do know that the deer hung in the stairway that went upstairs at Far Guys House. When Trica and Jennifer were little they couldn’t figure out where the rest of it was. Some nights they would not go upstairs to sleep because the scary old deer was looking at them.  They would would sit on the steps and bawl.  When they got older we would encourage them to run up the stairs real fast and not look at the deer.  Some days they were very brave and wanted to be picked up and held on the stair rail to pet the scary deer.

Somehow we inherited the deer.  It hung in the family room in the house in Harwood North Dakota.  Nowadays it hangs upstairs on the wall above the bathroom door.

Some days I think it has a smirk.  We dust it off every once in awhile with the vacuum cleaner.  It looks really good for it’s age.

Cousin Bonnie gave the old photos to Far Guy last summer:)

Wistful Wednesday: 1955

This is an old photo of Far Guys Dad and a group of kids at a game farm/tourist trap, we think it was probably one near Rapid City, SD.

The children are Stevie, Far Guy, Nickie, Jeri in front and Janice is on the other side of her Dad, you can barely see her peeking around her Dad.

Far Guy does not remember this photo being taken.  I asked him what he remembered about those snazzy cowboy boots, he remembers nothing..and concerning the suspenders..he said “No wonder all the kids used to call me ‘Spenders’ in school.”

We have not seen Stevie or Nickie in a couple of years. Jeri died when she was just fifteen years old, while undergoing minor surgery.  Recently I ran onto her obituary it was in that pile of Obits that Far Guys Mother had saved.  She died in Covina, California and is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.  It must have been a very sad time for the family. Far Guy and I saw Jeri at the State Fair in Lincoln, Nebraska the summer before she died:)

Wistful Wednesday :1955

This is a photo that Far Guys Mother saved.  She put a little x above her sons head.  The other little boys remain a mystery.   I asked Far Guy if he could remember...he was only five..so I guess not.  This was taken in the winter, obviously, in front of Hazels house.   Hazel was a shirt tail relative.   Every fall when Far Guy was sent back to Park Rapids with his sister to start school.  Hazel would take care of them.   He loved Hazel, but he hated her cooking.   Hazel made lots of vegetable soups..Far Guy will not eat vegetable soup, and he usually fed his to the dog..a tiny little chihuahua. That poor little thing was often subject to vomiting and diarrhea for some "unknown" reason.  Every fall Hazel would knit Far Guy a pair of mittens, even when he was a teenager she knit him mittens.

Sarah (Sally) and Ruth were Hazel's teenage daughters..they often babysat for Far Guy and his sister.  We see Sally in town quite often..she is a Great Grandma now.  Ruth is coming to visit next summer, she wants to see Far Guy. The connection to our family is through Great Grandma Martha Jane Aleck. Hazels father was Martha Janes brother ( John Xaver Aleck who moved into and began farming in this area in 1912.)

Hazel was married when she was 29 years old, she birthed six children ( 4 boys and Ruth and Sally).  She was widowed at the age of 51, at that time her children's ages were 20, 18, 16, 14, 10 and 8.  It must have been a tough row to hoe all alone with six children.  She died in 1982 at the age of 88, she never remarried.  I remember her as a tiny little lady who was very fond of Far Guy:)

Wistful Wednesday : 1955

This photograph was taken in 1955, My Mom and my brother and me! My Father took this photograph, I know this because I have another one just like it with him in it that my Mother took. My brother was about 18 months old, I was 4. We are on the front step of the house on the farm where I grew up.

Yes, my brother is wearing a scarf! He was very prone to ear infections and would not keep a cap with ear flappers on, so Mom would tie a scarf on his head to keep the wind out of his ears. Keeping the wind out of your ears stopped all earaches, or so we thought. He was a pretty cute little kid..even with a scarf on his head. I have no idea why he is wearing a skirt, maybe I dressed him myself..just like one big doll.

My Mother's hair is all pinned up in pin curls. Sometimes they were called "spit curls." ( You can take that however you like.) Real spit..or maybe just a little bit of water on dry hair. You got pin curls at night or all day on Saturday so you looked good for church on Sunday morning. Your hair would be damp and you had to sit still and get your hair wound up into little circles that were attached to your head by two bobby pins that formed an X to lock the curl in place until it was dry. Then you put on a head scarf to cover up all the pin curls. All the ladies from the country would go to town on Saturday morning with their scarfs on. I guess I didn't realise it back then..but most of them were going out on a Saturday night..hence the curls! :)

If anyone else would like to join in on Wistful Wednesday with their old photos please do! Stop by and leave me a comment and I will be sure to stop by and see your old photo too!