Happy New Year and Thank you for all the news!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Colette,

I’ve always wondered what happened to that gal that all the older guys drooled over. Funny how life deals out its cards, sometimes you win and other times you lose, it’s just one breath at a time, one step after another on the path to the next assignment. From the sound of your web site, endless opportunities await you and I am very impressed with your accomplishments to date.

In response to the letter you wrote about visiting a pig slaughter house in China. My first exposure to the killing of a pig was at my dad’s parents farm. I was probably four years old and full of questions. The pig had already been killed that morning, it was big and hanging upside down over a barrel of boiling water. What was that liquid in the old galvanized wash tub? Blood from the pig that was going to be made into blood sausage and so the day went on with the tasks of both men and women in cooking, cutting, packaging and freezing of the pig. I wonder how many farmers still make blood sausage? The next time I saw a pig processed was at the Evans farm, same procedure but no blood sausage. Loved those days of play with the Evans boys and the cinnamon rolls Alice would make in the old wood stove. The endless games of basketball we played in the dimly lit hay mow of the barn. Skiing on theside hills of Willow Creek, or being towed behind a horse, skiing or riding in a toboggan on the streets of Dunseith. The games of workup in Evans front yard and the building of tree houses in the big cottonwood trees. Always looked forward to spring and the cattle drive to the pasture that surrounded Mineral Springs. The winter days of play in the haystacks and spring calving. Bringing in the cows for milking and chokecherry picking in the foothills. As your cousin Bill Hosmer had written of his exploits with Myron and others I was of the next generation to enjoy the Willow Creek swimming hole. The flour mill was gone and I have always wondered if there were photos of this business and what happened to the mill since while playing along the creek we could always see the concrete footing in the creek bed below the elevator.

I lived on the south side of town and when I was young we would go and pick Crocuses in the pasture where the High School was built. It was undisturbed prairie land with trails of wagons wheel tracks that led to the Flour Mill and probably the old store that sat by Willow Creek on the south side of Kester’s house. You spoke of the tee pee rings north of Lake Shute and I have this memory of stopping along side the road a little north of the San Haven turn off and watching a pow wow in the early evening. Then also the juneberry picking in the hills. They were so good with cream and sugar. Always some sort of sport to play such as the touch football games, that involved girls too, played on the lot east of the Catholic church. or the basketball games at the old tennis court on the old school grounds and yes the basketball games played in the old gym built into the ground. The old city hall was a great place to play Basketball and I remember the time our independent team played a touring group. I was really impressed with Chuck Johnson, he could make hook shots from the corners and half court. I’m not sure who won that game. John and Stella Johnson had a order of two dozen date filled cookies each time the bakery made them and of course I delivered and I was lucky if I got back within an hour. They were the nicest couple and loved to talk. I finally figured out years later why everyone was busy when we made date filled cookies. Oh well it was their loss and my gain.

 

Do you ever think about some of the firsts in your life. The first oreo cookie I had was given to me by Grandma Hill who lived two houses north of our house, Again making a bread delivery I could not say no and was asked to get a bucket of coal for her cooking stove and ended up passing time with a nice older lady and that first oreo with the white frosting filling sandwiched between deep chocolate cookies. To the south lived Grandpa and Grandma Nerple, who showed me how they made yarn on their spinning wheel and gave me the chance to comb out the wool and peddle the wheel. Logan and Alice Buchanan lived to the west and I think lived a very organic life style raising chickens and rabbits. They always had very good gardens. And yes it took me a while to figure out where the rabbits went to.

 

My memory of the fly over by Bill Hosmer and friends. I was watching the birds through the bakery screen windows flying and singing in the trees. All of asudden the first plane came down main street and the birds fell out of thetrees. Of course I headed out the front door and onto main street and watched the show. Wow was the only word to explain it. I did go to the show at Minot and that day was cloudy. So thanks Bill for making a detour and giving the city of Dunseith another first. I have always wondered how far the turn around was for the planes you were flying at that time?

Take Care, Tim