Dad's siblings

My dad had 3 brothers and 1 sister ...

The oldest was Uncle Earl,  
He followed in the footsteps of his dad but being the oldest he had to set out on his own and find a farm.  I don’t know but I believe since his wife is from Nevada, he headed that way first.  He came back though and farmed a few miles away from home for the rest of his life.  Farming took teamwork so he was often at our table for Dinner (which was the noon meal) during harvest. He was tall and kind.

 There are pictures of Uncle Earl hunting and fishing so he would have continued enjoying the same things as his dad.  
He and Rowena were always included at the family outings to ‘the Chuck Wagon’.  I think they had 2 kids.  The favored granddaughter in the picture below was my age (Susanne). (She was the first and maybe the only grandchild.)  Uncle Earl also always smiled, washed up for dinner and was quiet and calm.  Rowena was as I said always happy but she wasn’t quiet, you always knew when she was in the room, I can’t describe her voice, it was scratchier but kind or something like that.

Next came Dad's only sister Florence..... jokingly prepared for going away to college.

 She went away to college and became a teacher.  She was the kind of teacher you could love that was always learning, teaching and discovering.  She taught in Round Valley at a single room schoolhouse, where she would have to stoke the fire before the kids came etc.  

She married Uncle Dorsey and lived in Cascade Idaho on a farm in round valley. 

They owned mountains and streams and huckleberry patches and a reservoir.  In her old house which I don’t remember going into except once with her to see her collections, there were many.  She was an organist for church, she was always making crafts and things to sell for her church bazaar. 

  All kinds of things.

She always laughed, talked and loved.  One time at her home when either she or my dad was 70 they tried to go through the doorway at the same time and were bumping hips and giggling to make the other one have to wait, just as if they were brother and sister at 5 year old except anger never came into the exchange at all.  She fished, hunted and everything wonderful.  Dad went and lived with her for a time. (that is when he learned to not shoot a skunk, especially if it is under the schoolhouse, they had to cancel school for several days and he had to climb under and get it out)

 She met up with many a bear in her huckleberry patches and usually quickly let them know that they could have that patch and she would find another.  I believe her daughter killed a bear once.  She is an inspiration she took care of her mother in law for years and then took in her own mother at the end too.  (My older sister is much like her in that way and my younger sister is much like her with her love of the mountains) (I wish I was like her)

She went arrowhead hunting with us (I had several until I had kids, show and tell was the end of the best one).  Always an adventure.  She cared for many hired hands that lived there too.  She had a pool table in her basement for the hired hands and maybe that is where my dad learned to be a sharpshooter and then decided that he didn’t like the pool halls, nor the influence so gave it up. 

 They had the one daughter and when she got married, I was the flower girl.  I had little fingerless white lace gloves and a pink dress.  I kept that one hoping to put my daughter in it.  It was a purchased dress which I thought was the most wonderful thing.  (I obviously didn’t appreciate how very blessed I was)

 She was my favorite aunt on my Dad's side.

 

The third child was Uncle Wesley .... he went on to college and then was a professor there after living in Kansas.  He married Aunt Verda.  

They were traveled and educated almost to an intimidating amount to me.  He was the one that used and thus taught us to use hot Jell-O to drink in the morning which opened the door to hot tang.  We camped a few times with them and their family. 

Of their 3 kids the youngest, Dora, was my age.  It was one of those things where it would take a little bit of shy time and then we were best friends for the short time we were together every year or two.  Family is family which means friends.

My dad visited them in Kansas one year and went out searching for geodes, which was a passion for Uncle Wesley I believe.  Dad with his instinct and beginner luck found the best one Uncle Wesley had seen, first try.  Brotherly love and competition renewed.

Great family and friends even though we didn't see each other often.

The 4th child and 3rd brother is Uncle Emmet and he is the one I know the very least.  

He married Aunt Francis and they had one son Dirk but then got a divorce. 

 He lived in California, I think, I don’t know what he did for a living.  I was the one that became citified.

In school he was called Mutt in school, so my dad was called little Mutt being the little brother.        

  He has a nice smile and so I wish I knew more.

My dad was the youngest in the family and so when he came of age he helped on the farm and then took over the farm from his Dad after buying it.

In a nut shell that is a little bit about his family that I remember.