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Aunt Naomi’s Story (Part 42)

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The hill to the south of the house carried the most activity of any.  It was on that side that we would sleigh ride in the winter.  We walked to the spring, crossed the creek and went up the hill a way to pick up hickory nuts for mother’s ice box cookies.  Further to the east on the south hill we had a wondrous junk pile.  All junk (not garbage) was deposited there.  We had fun playing in it. Even further south was a wonderful wild cherry tree.  We picked cherries every summer and this was used to make jelly, juice and even daddy made some wine!

The southeast area was the way we walked to school.  Once we crossed the creek to the south we had a pasture and then woods to walk through.  We had to cross a barb wire fence when we got in the woods, so Mahlon wrapped burlap bags around the barbs so we wouldn’t tear our clothes or scratch ourselves when we crossed.  It was easy to cross if you were with someone.  One person held up the top wire and while you pushed down on the second wire, you had a lot of room to crawl through.  After crossing the “Goetz” creek at the edge of the woods, we had a pasture and then another fence.  This fence was made of 6-inch wire blocks and in order to cross that, Mahlon cut an 18 by 18 inch hole so we could all squeeze through.  There was an incline after that fence and then again pasture.  This was the area where we had to watch for bulls.  When we got through the pasture, it was a short walk through the woods to reach the back yard of the Oak Grove schoolhouse lot.  The entire walk may have been two miles, but I am not sure.

Aunt Lolly’s Story (part 15)

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When Naomi and I were in high school, Cleo gave us each a beautiful expensive skirt and sweater for Christmas. One spring morning, I asked Naomi if I could wear hers to school. She finally agreed. I loved the color. It was pink and gray with pleats all around and the sweater was pink. After milking the cows and getting ready for school, I was running late and had to walk and run the 1/2 mile to catch the bus. It had rained hard during the night and the road had two-foot deep ruts in it from the milk truck. I was trying to get around them and my feet slipped in the mud and I fell flat on my face in the mud and water. I never was so sick in my life. My sister’s beautiful outfit was covered with mud! I just walked back home and I missed school that day. The dry cleaners were able to get it clean, but they ironed out all the pleats. I am reminded of the old saying “Into each life some rain must fall”. It poured on me that day. Ha!

Uncle Mahlon’s Story (part 3)

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I can remember a time during confirmation school around the sixth or seventh grade we would have to walk all the way to school and do our chores before school. If I were running late due to being behind on my chores, I would run to school seven miles, five of which were through the woods. The school was a small one-room school located in Oak Grove, Missouri. I would cut back all of the weeds in order to create a path to walk on with Cleopha, Lolly, and Naomi. I remembers cutting holes in the barbwire and wrapping them with gunnysacks so the barbwire did not tear their clothing. The children were expected to attend no matter what the weather was like and even during the winter the girls still wore dresses. Cleopha, Beatrice, and Lolly later walked this path to school and across the creek in 2011. I also remembers a time when the creek was frozen. I saw a minnow in the creek, so I ran jumping onto the frozen creek with one foot on the creek and the other on the creek bank. The foot on the frozen creek fell through causing me to hit the ice with my bottom. Once I arrived home, my pant leg was frozen dry to my leg.

Aunt Lolly’s Story (part 9)

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We walked two miles to school at Oak Grove. When I was in fourth grade, the bus started picking us up. We had to walk 1/2 mile up the road to the mail box. When we walked to Oak Grove, we had two creeks to cross, and Goetz’s and Otto’s cows to worry about. We were so scared of them. We would walk miles out of our way if the cows were anywhere near our path. For some reason, they always chased us if they saw us. Our lives were never dull! If it rained and the creeks were up, we had to walk upstream about a mile before we could cross. We ate rabbit grass in the spring on the way home from school, and possum grapes, black hulls, persimmons and huckberries in the fall. Cleo and I were janitors at Oak Grove. We got_paid 10-15 dollars a month. We had to sweep the floors, clean blackboards and carry in fresh water each day. We would run all the way home then so we could listen to our soap opera “Just Plain Bill”. It came on the radio at 4:15 PM.

Things I remember about Theresa & Adolph Sommerer… by Aunt Sis (part 6)

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Adolph, my Dad, took Elizabeth and  to school my first day.  I was too young but it was 3 miles, Theresa & Adolph thought I should go with Elizabeth her first year at East Union. (Though she had been to Kindergarten the year before in Jefferson City.)  So I was 4 1/2 almost walking all that way to keep my sister from being alone.

But to my surprise, one time a year or so after I was sure God had me there to protect her… that was a bit scary but something we would do like telling each other to “LOOK OUT” there’s a big snake in the road, so we would keep our distance and throw rocks till they would slither away.  The big time was a fall day when she felt bad, had a headache and stomach ache and had to set down beside the road a while, then we thought we better hurry on, but “she decided” we would go back the way we came from school.  That’s the way home, she said.  I knew better and tried everything I knew to set her straight, BUT NO!  So we started walking back toward school and I was sure it was up to God, as I had to stay with her.

Then we heard a team of horses and a wagon!  Thank the Lord, it was Fred Sommerer.  The young fellow, pretty smart, figured out the situation quick and told us to get in the wagon.  WHEE! was I glad, but Elizabeth wouldn’t get in and she got angry and cried.  Fred tied the horses reins and jumped down and put her under his arm like a sack of wheat with her legs and arms flailing then he took us the last 2 miles home.  Soon as Theresa heard the story she called Dr. Hill and he told mom what to do as Elizabeth was delirious and coming down with the flu.  Dr. Hill came out that night and she was soon well.  Boy, don’t tell me the Lord won’t hear your call for Help, HE WILL HEAR!

Aunt Naomi’s Story (Part 27)

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When I was in the 8th grade, my friend, Betty, was getting a wrist watch for graduation.  She and I were the only girls in our class of six.  I felt I would be forever humiliated if I did not get a watch for graduation too.  I knew I would not get one from my parents.  Lloyd and I were selling seeds that spring.  I don’t remember how, but somehow I talked him into letting me have the prize for selling seeds, a watch.

I first met my friend, Betty, when we were very small.  We had driven to the Englebrechts for something.  Their house set across a ravine you had to drive down.  Daddy didn’t think our car would make it down and up the steep ravine, so he walked over and we stayed in the car.  All of these cute little curly-headed girls came out of the house.  I was just fascinated seeing so many little girls of all sizes with curly heads, both blond and brunette.  They had Arlene, Betty, Bernice, Loretta, Mary, Norma and another that came later and one boy, Harlan.  I was always very envious of these girls.  Every Easter they got new coats and they came to church looking like paper dolls.