History Recorded

As I look at my bookshelf I find that I am very rich in the history of our family members.  It amazes me that four of my siblings have written stories of their childhood/lives, and it further amazes that, although we had the same parents and grew to adulthood while living mostly in Penrose, Wyoming, that we all had different paths and went different ways.  And yet, here we are all of us living longer, and looking back on these experiences that were so unique.  And we have formed bonds of friendship that will endure!  All of these books fall under the category of Family History, and I am so pleased to have them to read and re-read.  Hopefully, our offspring will find the stories interesting and illuminating.

I tried taking pictures of the book covers of the five autobiographical works - of course, Louise has two, and Dwight three.  Wonderful reading!  (Steve, it's your turn).

The Penrose Mail

Dwight and I had a discussion this week about getting our mail from Grandpa Wasden's mailbox by walking down the longer lane headed west from our corrals.  I store some Christmas things in this treasured brown box and happened upon it today.  It was from Sears, Roebuck and Co in Chicago and contained a beautiful green coat for Mother.  The address label says it all.....it was shipped on Aug 14, 1931 at a cost of 16 cents. It was sent to Minnie W Blood, care of J B Wasden........

Kathryn Ann's 73rd Birthday

Remember when Ann was a little twerp?  Her hair was so long that the only way Mother could keep it neat was to braid it into very long braids that flew behind her. But what a cute little girl and to think that she is our sister!

I have this photo labeled "Queen Ann's Coronation".  This seems most appropriate, since Ann has the ability to rule.....the roost, her family, her ward, her brothers and sisters.   There is not a one of us that would be foolish enough not to want to do her bidding. After all, she knows ...."here's what you do."
I seek her advice, her balancing ability and her secrets for endurance.  We all love her and are so blessed that Dr. Graham made it to Ralston, Wyoming on the fist day of December 1942 to help Mother safely bring this baby girl into the world.  Happy Birthday Ann!!!!

Velna

Today at 2:00 pm MST the Blood Family will gather together in Riverton, Utah to rejoice and to give thanks and to mourn.  Since I will not be there, I will dress appropriately, listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Homeward Bound", and reflect on my own memories.

We have been blessed to have shared life's journey intimately with one of God's faithful stalwarts, Velna Black Blood.  And because we love her so, emotions are close and our eyes will become cloudy with tears.  But we will also let a smile cross our face and maybe even a chuckle as we recall her ready wit and humor.


This is what I will remember about Velna.

The summer in Fort Collins while working for Dwight, Velna took me under wing.  She had their little boy, Russell, to tend with another baby on the way. Yet her patience with all of us ruled her day.

Velna, Dwight and Russell, home in Penrose for a visit.

  

She handled my brother as no one else could have or would have.  She saved him.

(See what I mean?)

I cannot find photos of all the times the Petersen kids found home away from home at Velna's home. All sought the comfort of her home and the food from her kitchen.  They were smart beggars.  They knew where to go!

This photo taken at the temple is probably my favorite.  She loved her family fiercely.  She loved music, the church and Dwight. She was loyal and true.  

We know it will be difficult to be her equal,  

In Memory of Velna Black Blood

On October 15, 2015, Dwight wrote and posted on his own blog the following:

"The gift of hope is one of our most potent protectors.  Even on our darkest days, when even a small glimmer of hope seems beyond our recognition, hope can be our bright and shining light.  We all have days when everything seems to go wrong, when our most ardent hopes seem dashed into dust, and when the future looks bleak and foreboding.  We feel that hope has abandoned us.  We shed tears of remorse and our hearts are heavy with sadness.

Under the worst of circumstances, we must still hold out our hands to grasp the strong bonds of hope. When we couple our hope with our faith, we strengthen our ability to cope even more.  By uniting hope with faith, we keep our hearts and minds open to brighter moments ahead.  We may not receive the result we were hoping for, but we will recognize, whatever the outcome of our despair, that we have, nonetheless, been blessed.

Task Number 287: Never lose hope.  Today's task is the shortest one I have written throughout the entire year.  But the message I am sending can still, nonetheless, be one of the most uplifting and helpful if we will seek a few moments of calmness to weather our storm and move on to a brighter day. Good luck, and keep going.  The Curmudgeonly Professor."

His words are needed even more today than the day they were written. Last night Dwight's sweetheart of his life, Velna Black Blood told him and this world goodbye for a bit.  The entire Blood Family honors her, loves her, and clings to the hope that Dwight described.   

Happy Birthday to our Mother

October 4 was always a special day for me because that was mother's birthday.  I tried to send her a birthday message and a card every year that she was still with us.  Today we, your children--Louise, Dwight, Elizabeth, Judy, Ann and Steve--remember and honor you on your birthday.

Here is the home where you grew up with your parents and three of your siblings.

Here is the church you attended as a girl and where I was given a blessing by my grandfather.

Here you are in Sunlight with Louise and Dwight

Family photo minus Dwight and Elizabeth

I was fortunate to spend only seventeen years of my life at home with mom and dad.  Those years, however, were enough to light my life with memories to last a life time.  One of the saddest times of my years was when we moved back from Pennsylvania to Wyoming to be near our families only to have dad and mom move far away only two years after we returned.  I was only privileged to see mom a precious small handful of times during the rest of her life.  The influence that mom had on me during my years at home and the support she gave me by writing weekly letters during my four grueling years of college have enriched my life forever despite our limited contact during the later years.

I remember Mom reading to us from her college Children's Literature text, one of the few books we had.  I remember re-mopping the kitchen floor at her behest when I had given it only a lick and a promise.  I remember her long nights of care and concern during the lonely years when dad was gone so often.  I remember Mom and Dad letting me leave for college at age 17 without a penny in my pocket without either of them stopping me and asking me how on earth I thought I could get through college without any money.  I remember mountains of fried potatoes and invalid eggs and pancakes and orange cake and chocolate pudding and beans and tomatoes and macaroni and applesauce and canned peaches and pears and beans and peas and anything else she could can.  I remember Mom turning the water from the Shoshone River down the rows of her garden where she raised everything that could be raised plus gladiolus and dahlias.  I remember the worries and concerns our parents had during the long days and weeks of various illnesses that we children seemed to excel at experiencing.

I watched Mother teach Sunday School and then I knew how to teach.  I watched Mom and Dad work and then I knew how to work.  I watched my parents subsist on practically nothing and then I knew how to be frugal.  I watched my parents persevere and then I knew how to tough it out, how to get by. I learned not to cut corners, to do the best job possible and I learned the penalties of shirking one's duty.  These are the eternal gifts I received from home in lieu of money.  These are the gifts that have guided my life and have lit my path during troubled times.  These are the gifts that have made my own accomplishments possible in the face of overwhelming odds against success.

I know that somewhere Mom is in a garden picking big red strawberries and raspberries and digging new potatoes and picking corn and fresh peas.  I know that she is in a field of flowers, tall multi-colored gladiolus and gigantic dahlias.  I know that she has spent every day of her existence both during and after her earth life with feelings of concern, hope, and love for each of her six children. We were never perfect and I know you never considered yourself perfect.  But, thanks to you, we were good enough. We made the grade.  We learned our p's and q's and our abc's.  And we owe it all to you.  So, once more, happy birthday.  May your flowers be beautiful and your pain be long gone and may we all look forward to a reunion some day.  With love from your children.

Happy Birthday To Dwight

Now that's a smile that lights up a room and because we know the humor behind it, the face also warms our hearts.  Today we honor him on his 83rd birthday.  We reminisce of days past and treasure days present.  Whether we bow to his "position" in the family or not, we all care about what Dwight thinks about us:  What we are doing, how we are doing it, etc.  We love you!  Keep encouraging us!  Keep us laughing!  Keep us from taking ourselves too seriously!  And most of all....Keep happy and healthy!  

May today be a good time for you!  Our love, also, to Velna, who stands loyally (with her own humor, I might add) at your side.  We are grateful. 

Our Great-grandfather, Moses Blood

Above is a picture of the funeral card - evidently used in place of a program for those attending the funeral.  

The information about our great-grandfather, Moses Blood, father of Roscoe Marion Blood comes from our second cousin, Betty Sullivan, who has done a great deal of research on our Blood line.

Moses was the grandson of the first Moses, pioneer from Vermont, was born in Flora Township south of Belvidere, ILL.  He grew up on the family farm about three miles south and one west of Charles City, Iowa schools, and went into town to an old stone school building.

   

Young Moses, the grandson of the pioneer from VT, was b. while the family still lived in Flora Township, south of Belvidere. But he would have been too young to start school until they arrived in Charles City, IA.

He grew up on the family farm, about three miles south and one west of Charles City schools then were pretty modern in Floyd County. There were no one-room school houses. He went clear into town to school in the old, stone building that was blown down in the terrible tornado in the 1930's, which changed the whole look of the downtown.

When he was a young man helping his dad farm, Sarah  Batty HAWKINS bought land right across the road from them, and they were married in 1870. They had four children but the first baby died shortly after birth. So Mabel Clare BLOOD was their only girl, and they also had three boys. They had a nice farmhouse and outbuildings, still standing in 1997, but by then in pretty bad shape, as the ground had just been sold to a quarry, and the people renting were obviously very poor and uncaring about the looks of the place.

Moses and Sarah lived on the east side of the river, about five miles from town. When Moses was just 45-years old, he had a bad accident in the woods, followed by a long illness, and died, leaving Sarah and her four children. When he died, the farm was foreclosed for back taxes, and so Sarah and the children moved to town. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Charles City, IA., but there is no marker. (Source: "Riverside Cemetery Records", Charles City; "History of Floyd Co", (1893), p. 393; Personal Knowledge from Father and Grandmother & three visits to Charles City to see land, get land records, take photos, etc.).

Shadow Box Full of Memories

 Map of the northwest corner of the State of Wyoming with important locations in the Russell M. Blood - Minnie A. Wasden Blood family life.

 Piece of very light pink and tan blanket in the background was a wedding gift from Aunt Sofe (Wasden-Johnson), and our Grandmother, Tilda C. C. Wasden.  This picture was taken after the wedding in Lovell, with a partial shot of Aunt Cindy, Dad, Mother and Grandma sitting on the running board of the car, and Grandpa to the right.  Mother's car loaded with bedroll and whatever else they needed to get to Denver.

 Picture on the left is Mother's teacher placement picture from college.  On the right is a picture of Dad found in an old photograph album that was given me by Uncle Norman after Aunt Cindy had passed away.

The complete shadow box - picture taken at an angle so that I wouldn't get a glare on the 50th wedding anniversary picture on the right.  And, everyone knows that the upper right-hand picture is the one taken of Mother holding baby Louise and Dad in his cowboy hat and work clothes.  These are some of my favorite pictures from the past.

Addendum to Pictures from Family Visit Down South

 Banter went back and forth - Paul was so tired from working on the front bathroom, but he hung in - except for the short nap both he and Ron had somewhere along the way during the afternoon.

 We did laugh more than a little - One of the joys of brothers and sisters!

And, we got to add to our visit by stopping to see Louise in Layton.  She had this beautiful quilt on the frame to begin quilting.  Her self-discipline puts me to shame!  She has made so many beautiful things in the last year.  Like the Ever ready bunny, she just keeps on going.  The compensation for having to go to Salt Lake to see doctors is that we get to include these visits - probably not often enough, but thoroughly enjoyed when they happen!

Visitors Come to Riverton July 26 2015

Ann, Dwight, and Elizabeth

Ann and Paul, Elizabeth and Ron come to Riverton

Two More Birthday Pictures for Louise

Here are a couple of pictures of Louise that we haven't seen quite as often to add to the birthday festivities. 

Tuesday is Louise's Day - Time to Celebrate Our Sister

 Here we are - all spiffed up for the first day of school.  I was beginning sixth grade - note the penny loafers with the penny in each one.  Louise looked so put together with her matching brown and white dress and shoes.  Didn't we look grand?  Dwight was ever the "poser" and picture taker - thank goodness for his passion for pictures so that our family history is more complete.  (You really did do Family History work, Dwight.)

 This is a favorite picture of my beautiful older sister.  This was excerpted from a picture of friends who were working on the high school annual.  About 1948-9?

 And I love this picture! Is this a pleased look or a quizzical one? - but where is our paradise of Penrose remembered?  We really must have had fun playing in the dirt.

And this is my quilting mentor.  Louise always paved the way for me.  She was tidy, I was not, but later in life, I realized that was the only way to go.  She wanted to be a teacher, and cut pictures out of all of the magazines to save for future use, so I had to find pictures in the discarded ones and do the same.  She loved paper dolls, so I loved them.  She loved to do puzzles, but wouldn't let me put a piece in her first 1,000 piece puzzle.  Oh, well.  But, it was the quilts that got me.  She made quilts for her first babies, so when I was going to become a mother, I had to do the same.  Louise was always there to help me when I became stuck on a project.  One example she is to me is that she has such a funny sense of humor, and, in spite of a tough life, looks on the bright side.  She is a fantastic Mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and is very blessed to have children close by.  She earned it!
And, to cap it all off, Louise continues to set the example for all of us, by living a full life, with enthusiasm for new projects to do.  I wonder if she ever counted how many quilts she has made????
A Very Happy Birthday to You, Sister Dear!

But, how could I forget our dishes sessions?  She was the boss, so she washed, and I dried.  Lots of important conversations and topics were covered during this time.  Always remember that doing dishes together is a a wonderful together time?

Happy Birthday to Steve May 30 2015

Every time one of our siblings was born at home, we children were dispatched up to Aunt Cindy's for the home birth.  Steve's arrival was no different on May 30 1944 when we were in Penrose and we crossed the field up to the home where Aunt Cindy and Uncle Norman lived for a short time.  Dr. Coulston did the honors and, as I recall, mother had made homemade bread with honey for him ahead of time.  I was 12 years old when Steve arrived, who blessedly dwelt in a crib in the living room for the first part of his journey in life.  And then, misery upon horror, the noisy, squally, little nuisance was consigned to my private bedroom.  Oh the injustice!  My life was no longer a luxury while all my sisters were crammed in the girl's dorm next door!  I couldn't help it if they were all girls.  Besides, they liked staying together.  Maybe.  Five years later I left home for good just after turning 17.  Steve was left with the luxury of inhabiting my formerly private bedroom all by his own royal self.  Oh the injustice once more.  Since Steve was so young when I left home, I only became acquainted with him as the years went by and as I returned home sporadically.  Steve was an apt and able pupil.  I taught him the scientific principle of centrifugal force by twirling the slop bucket up over my head without spilling a drop, thus saving Steve the necessity of enrolling in a science course.  I taught Steve music appreciation as he quickly and permanently learned all of the verses of "I won't go huntin' with you Jake" which we both could sing today as a lovely duet for the entertainment of the less fortunate.

So here is what we know about Steve today on his birthday.  Mischievous. Bright. Talented actor. Horrible musician. Consummate artist and creative genius.  Wouldn't Dad be proud of him for his wonderful artistry?  Persevered and never gave up through the tough times.  Never quit trying and never quit working.  Married Mary Lynn, a genius, one of his most outstanding accomplishments. Laughter.  Reminds me of Dad's laughter.  Great sense of humor.  Loves living in 30 ft of snow every winter.  Like Grandpa Wasden, he can create something beautiful and something incredible out of what originally looked like nothing.  Loyal sibling to the five of us and loyal dad to his kids.  Loves his ugly dog.  Remembers everything that he and Ann perpetrated.  Stuffed junk through the hole in the wall from the doorknob in my previously private bedroom.  Knew all the secret hiding places.

I have taken many thousands of pictures over the years but I have never taken any better photos than the two top photos of Steve.  They stand out as gems.  The third photo is from Steve's John Wayne and Clint Eastwood incarnation.

Happy Birthday, Steve, from Dwight, Louise, Elizabeth, Judy, and Ann

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

Happy Birthday Elizabeth.  What do we know about you?  Melodious laugh.  World class fabric stash. Stubborn. Artist, quilter extraordinaire. Beet hoeing companion. Original owner of a doll buggy. Pre-school companion when Louise abandoned us.  Nose in a book. Reading under the covers. Reading when time for dishes.  Reading when supposed to do something else. Reading all the books in the Powell library.  Could not understand ditto marks.  Grammar whiz.  Loyal sibling.  Hand on the pitchfork.  Illegally.  Flowers.  Gullible. (Louise and I did not go to Paris to see Pierre.)  Keeps track of us all.  Smart. Bossy? I can't believe I said that.  Maybe I meant "Bussy", our childhood nickname for her.  Beautiful.  Kind. Friend. Never gave up during the tough times. Our day is always brighter when the telephone from Preston Idaho rings.  So, dear sister, we all wish you a bright and happy day and we wish we were all there to share it with you.  Instead, we send our love.  Dwight, Louise, Judy, Ann, and Steve. 

What Am I?

While I realize the blog hasn't had a lot of activity lately, maybe this is a good place to share these photos.

First,in talking with Elizabeth and trying to describe a flower that was planted last summer, my description wasn't doing any good. Perhaps a photo will help. The seeds sat there until late fall when low mounding leaves showed up before the cold winter set in. Then this summer it went crazy and grew to be over five feet tall and has been loaded with beautiful flowers that have a delicate fragrance and resemble phlox. So, what am I?

Second, about seven weeks ago, before the flowers grew and when we had gone for a long time without any rain/snow, the birds were on a hunt for some place to take a bath or get a drink. We began filling the bird bath and this was the result.  I had the wrong lense on my camera so they aren't as sharp as they should be, but they are still fun.

               Perhaps a fitting caption for these photos should be "Saturday Night Bath time

In Loving Memory of our Mother, Minnie Wasden Blood Mother's Day 2015

From Louise, Dwight, Elizabeth, Judy, Ann and Steve

For Judy and Robert and the Petersen Family

Dear Judy and Robert and Petersen Family, We have got your backs, we are all together, and that is the way we will stay.  With love and humble prayers from all of us.