Reply from Margaret Metcalfe (’65): Rolette, ND
Gary, thank you for sending pictures of your life in Cebu; your house looks so interesting and unique with beautiful colors and lots of space. From your messages, it sounds like Bernadette is doing very well! You have taken wonderful care of her and provided the help she needs. You sent a wonderful picture of the two of you; it was so good of both of you. My prayer is that Bernadette continues on the road to full recovery! Blessings, Margaret
Margaret,Yes Bernadette has made remarkable recovery. She is nearly back to normal. Two months ago I would have never thought this would ever happen. Starting the past week she has been navigating the mall by herself too. We both go our separate ways in the mall and she calls me when she is ready.Bernadette has recovered to the point where she doesn’t need extra help, but we are keeping her niece Novie on mainly to be her personal assistant and to assist and guide our new helpers. Novie needs the job too, plus she is a good worker with good work ethics and she is very pleasant to have around also. A month ago we had a problem with all three of our helpers, so Bernadette told them it was time for them to leave. We hired two replacements, plus we have Novie. All is working out very well. There was some Jealousy from our former workers towards Novie that created the problems.Gary.
Reply to Dick Johnson
From Diane Larson Sjol (’70): Lake Metigoshe, ND
Dick,
I so enjoy your posts. You are truly a historian!
Diane Sjol
1959 October Snow Storm
Reply from Dennis Dubois (’63): Minneapolis, MN.
In regards to the October,1959 snowstorm: We, the 1959-60 Dunseith football team, were undefeated and getting ready to play Rolla,also undefeated, when this early fall storm caused the canceling of this game. There was no doubt (on our part) that we would have won this game, my teammates George Gottbreth or Jerry Strong will attest to that. We still wound up undefeated and I’d be willing to wager that was the last undefeated football team that Dunseith ever had. Jim Allen was our coach and also one of my all time favorite teachers. He taught science and algebra, fantastic teacher. I’ve always wondered what ever became of him, as he left Dunseith after that year. Any one out there know?
1959 October Snow Storm
Reply from Keith Pladson (’66): Roanoke Rapids, NC
Gary,
Just a quick comment about the 1959 October snows. (As an aside, I often marvel at Dick Johnson’s ability to remember so much from his early childhood – as he does again here. He would have been only about eight or nine years old at the time but seems to have a really good recall of the events.) In my case, I don’t generally have as good a recall of events, but in this case I do remember the heavy snows very well. It was a lot of snow. At the time, we lived where, I believe, Gordie Nerpel now lives. The buildings were about a half mile east of the Willow Lake road and the road leading into the buildings had a rather steep hill just west of the barn. With all the snow that fell in just a couple of days and all the strong winds out of the northwest it really filled in the east facing side of that hill. We pretty much were stuck at home until the county finished plowing out all the main roads and could finally start clearing out smaller roads/driveways, etc. When they came over that hill with the plow on the front of the grader it was almost like they were plowing a tunnel down that hill toward the buildings. I don’t know how high the sides were when they were done but they seemed like mountain cliffs to me at the time.
Just a quick comment about the 1959 October snows. (As an aside, I often marvel at Dick Johnson’s ability to remember so much from his early childhood – as he does again here. He would have been only about eight or nine years old at the time but seems to have a really good recall of the events.) In my case, I don’t generally have as good a recall of events, but in this case I do remember the heavy snows very well. It was a lot of snow. At the time, we lived where, I believe, Gordie Nerpel now lives. The buildings were about a half mile east of the Willow Lake road and the road leading into the buildings had a rather steep hill just west of the barn. With all the snow that fell in just a couple of days and all the strong winds out of the northwest it really filled in the east facing side of that hill. We pretty much were stuck at home until the county finished plowing out all the main roads and could finally start clearing out smaller roads/driveways, etc. When they came over that hill with the plow on the front of the grader it was almost like they were plowing a tunnel down that hill toward the buildings. I don’t know how high the sides were when they were done but they seemed like mountain cliffs to me at the time.
As I recall, Gary, we were already done with all of our threshing by the time the snows came so there was no threshing in the snow as you (enjoyed?).
Also, thanks for sharing the photograph of your family and the Pritchard family. All cousins of mine as you know. Your mom was missing however (or was she the one taking the photo?).
Thanks Gary, and keep up the good work.
Keith Pladson (66)
1959 October Snow Storm
Reply from Vickie Metcalfe (’70): Bottineau, ND
Gary and friends,
Fall 1959, was a new experience for me, after attending first grade at Liberty School in Marysville, WA.
There, I had walked the many blocks home from school usually stompin thru puddles with galoshes, a yellow raincoat, and umbrella.
I began Mrs. Hanson’s combination first/ second grade in Dunseith with no trepidation
of the 8 other second graders, because many of them were Hill or Prairie farm kids.
A couple even had siblings in first grade.
That afternoon, leaving the “classroom i.e. stage” area, we found it had rained all day.
Driving up the San Hill, the rain became big fluffy flakes.
The flakes hit the windshield and and the swoosh of the wipers.
On down into the farmyard where it mixed with dirt and created muddy,sludgy, slushy snow.
Disappointment set in upon seeing our mother’s fragrant, muiti -colored sweet peas
which were in bloom that morning of October 7, my sisters birthday.
Heavy wet snow piled up and covered the climbing trellis of the fence,
__erasing the last of summer’s sweet fragrance. A long winter set in..
Later, I likened it to Laura Ingall’s Willder’s, “The Long Winter”.
Vickie