Conversation Between Dwight and Russell M. Blood August 1992 (Continued)

I got my Social Security number on 12/12/36, so it must have been the winter of 1936-37 when I stayed at Brasher's wash house.  Drove into Cody. (Not sure what this comment means).  The mice and bedbugs were bad, I set 12 traps and listened to them snap.

Fall 1937: Louise started school.  I made cutouts (western silhouette scenes cut on scroll saw from walnut or other plywood), and made small inlays.  The year Louise was born (1931) I worked at the ranch (Dewey Riddle Ranch in Sunlight above Cody).

After I worked at the ranch, Dewey gave me an old team of horses and a light rig to go back to Penrose.  I stopped at John Nielson's (don't know who or where) and stayed overnight, cut across Sand Coulee, stayed at Oscar's (Uncle Oscar House) in Ralston, then to Penrose.  Took the horses to Grandpa's (Grandpa Wasden who lived nearby in Penrose).  The horses had sore shoulders.  In the spring, I traded the roadster (Mom's prize Model A roadster she had bought with her teaching money before marriage), team, light rig for a payment on the Penrose place (bought from Maude Moody).

We got married on December 24 1930 and went to Denver; we came back to Penrose and Louise was born in Billings.  Mother (Minnie) stayed at the folks (her parents, the Wasdens); went to Billings when Louise was born.  I went back to the ranch (Sunlight) for the summer); I was just doing chores.  I remodeled an old school house at Mary Riddle's; I took the roof off, raised it two logs high, put in new windows and a new roof, chinked the cracks with plaster.  Mother came and stayed with Mary Riddle until I was through. (To be continued).  (Someone: figure out how far it was to drive a team of old horses from Sunlight to Penrose and sketch out a rough map, showing Sand Coulee).

Visiting the Exclusive Orem Back-yard Chicken Farm

 If only someone would tell me how to get these pictures in the proper order for my story, I would appreciate it.  Anyway, this is one of the more exotic chickens in Ann's flock - does she lay eggs?speckled eggs?

 The problem with chickens is that they have to be fed and water supplied.  We know about milkmaids - is there such a thing as chicken maids?  If so, see below.  Chicken-keeper with a smile!  That's Ann!

 And, here is the famous chicken coop that Paul built - complete with canvas wrap so that the snow will stay away from the chickens.  This repaves the infamous blue tarp that was Ann's nemeses last winter.

Note at the back of the coop on for far right side, the laying boxes that jut out from the coop - Gathering eggs is simple - lift the lid and there are the eggs.  What cooperative hens!  
It was fun to see how well this whole system works, but it has taken quite a bit of effort for those fabulous eggs.

Notes From Conversation Between Dwight Blood and Russell M. Blood, August 1992 Part 1

First, as to new blog decorations.  Here is Liz's famous map of the country where we grew up.  Second, I know that some of my redecorating makes the blog look too busy.  But here are the changes anyway.  The picture of the five (excluding Dwight) Blood children was taken when Mom started off for church on a Sunday morning driving Grandpa's truck, with us in the back of the truck.  When we got home, I lined everyone up along the iris on the path to the barn and, hence, the famous pictures were born.  Too bad I never thought of having someone else take another picture with me in it.

Second, in August of 1992 I went to Cody to see Dad and Elna.  I think I drove up there by myself.  I had this long conversation with Dad about the ins and outs and whereabouts of our early life and took these notes. I was always grateful that I had this conversation and took these notes. Dad died the following March so the August visit was the last time I saw him.  I just unearthed the notes today while doing the first resorting and housecleaning I have done in a hundred years and wanted to share them with the rest of you.  Feel free to provide comments and clarifications, preferably in separate blog posts where we will all be sure to see them.

Here is the beginning of Dad's comments, pretty much as I recorded them at the time.

1932--the Penrose house.

In 1933-34 (I think) I spent the summer in Sunlight (see above map), back to Penrose in March.  Looked after the ranch (the ranch of Dad's uncle and aunt, Dewey and Elsie Riddle, where he had gone after leaving Denver) while Dewey and Elsie went to New York.  Dwight wanted to stay up all night.  Made chairs, chest, that winter.

The year when we went to Lanchburys  (Lanchburys was a rather primitive log original stage station--wasn't it?--where we stayed for a few months.  I remember coming  home one day when the Park County Sheriff was there shooting dogs who had destroyed a bunch of sheep).  I remember looking out the window at the darkness outside when, I think, Mom and Dad had gone somewhere for the evening, maybe a dance?). (Further note:  the Lanchburys were good friends of my aunt and uncle, Elna and Oscar House).  So: The year that we went to Lanchburys I worked for Molesworth (Molesworth was a maker of classic Western furniture).  We stayed in Cody the summer before, then that fall stayed at Lanchburys until late October or November.  Then we moved to the little house in Cody on the Powell highway. (I remember being fascinated by the car lights flashing on the bedroom walls at night since we were always so isolated in Penrose).  Come spring, we moved to Old Man Knott's, then moved back to Penrose in the fall. (Was Old Man Knott's a yellow house?)  I remember playing in the ditch in the front yard there). Then I (Dad) stayed at Brashers.  I got the scroll saw, stayed in their wash house.  (I remember that one time Mom drove us kids up to Cody to see Dad when he stayed in the wash house.  I remember seeing the scroll saw.  We stopped, I think, at the Golden Rule Store in Powell on the way to Cody).  Work slowed down (for Molesworth, I presume), so I quit.  (to be continued)

Sometime in the Sixties

Facebookees have started a "throwback Thursday" tradition.  That tradition might be fun for us to do, either to rerun photos or even find some we have not yet used on the blog.  While I cannot claim to be the original owner of this picture, Dwight has shared and so I hope I am at liberty to use.

Year?  I'm not sure, but I believe Mother is wearing the beautiful dress that she bought for Ann's wedding.  Her hair is still long and after being "waved" it is pulled back into a bun. 

Is Dwight really taller than Daddy or is he just standing on higher ground?  Wonderful and rare photo.

Left to right:  Elizabeth, Dwight, Russell and Minnie Blood