Our family increaces with the birth of our third child

Our son Gary was born on May 24,1945, then our daughter Gail arrived March the 7 of 1949. Colleen Beryl was born on Sept 3rd in 1953. My father passed away in Nov 17, 1952 in Weyburn. It was his request that he wanted to go back into this institution for my mother was finding it hard to find work and care for her husband. His feet were getting to lose all feeling so he asked for mother to take him to the Dr to find out if she could admitted him. They were living in Regina at this time as she had got a job working for a large farmer just out side the city. This farm was later sold to becoming known as"Baker field Sports complex." They went back to the city that winter, he told her one day that he had walked outside in the snow to see if he could feel the cold, he said that he couldn't feel the difference, so mother knew she needed to take his suggestion seriously.

Mother had friends living and ministering in a church in Weyburn. They were Floyd & Winnie Larson. We were living in Lang then as Gary was our only child at this time. Mother went to stay with the Larson's & it was this time my dad re-enter this hospital. He said, "I can hook rugs , do hand sewing as well as doing other jobs with my hands," He also said "I am smarter in there than most of the people as I feel people are not looking down on me here becauseI can't get around well or be of help to you in earning a living." After the visit with the Dr. he once again went back to live in this hospital. Mother helped each of her children when she was needed. Mother now lived & worked for my dad's, brother Uncle Oscar as his wife had passed away. We visited dad several times when he was in this hospital. Our last visit was when we took Gary & Gail to see him. This was just before it was discovered that she had been born with her hip out of joint. A year later just after dad had his supper, he lay down, quietly passed away in his sleep, to be with his Lord & Savior Jesus. His funeral was held in Regina. Rev Lorne Pritchard took the service to which all our family & friends were able to attend.

Now to go back to the summer before Colleen was born. We again had a large garden and kept
busy that summer, I had mothers Singer sewing machine to use, it was still the treadle type, where I used the foot pedal to do my sewing. I could now buy flannelet to sew the diapers and buy yarn to knit outfits for Colleen. When it was time for our baby to be born, Max drove me to our municipal hospital in Hamiota. He stayed with me for a while but at supper time he went to to get his supper, when he returned he learned we had a baby daughter, we named her Colleen Beryl. I had to spend 2 weeks in hospital. Max's sister Clara, who was working in the drug store in Oak lake at this time, came up to see me and her new niece. Dr had just notified me I could go home. Clara drove mother & baby back to our farm. We were glad Max didn't have to make the trip as he was still busy with the harvest.

Gary & Gail had been told that they would soon have another play mate. When Gail was told she had a sister, she really looked forward to her sisters home coming. As soon as I gave her a peak at this sister, she said "let me take her into the play room," she looked so disappointed when I told she had to wait awhile until she got old enough to play, so I said "here I will let you hold her for a while." For her to hold her sister seemed to satisfy her for now. The day did come when they played together a lot.

Times together with our family on the farm

I must mention about the winter Max, Dad & Mother went to Listowal On in Dec to visit his brother & two sisters. Elmer & Edith were expecting their second child. They had Dr Purdie who would be there for the delivery which was to be in Elmer parents home in town, I came in to take care of their daughter Beverly & Gary as this was before Gail was born. Dr came to the home for the birth of their son Donald on Dec 21. I was there to look after the mother & new born. Fires had to be kept going in all our homes, as well as the farm chores had to be done at both farms and also look after the live stock.

I don't remember where we had Christmas as new mothers were kept in bed for two weeks.
I must relate before we came back to take over the farm, Charlie, Evelyn & Clara were having times of prayer upstairs, in the same part of the house where we started our married life. They were really touch by the Lord, all three of them felt called into serve the Lord, they kept up these times of prayer for several day as Charlie felt strongly he was being called into the ministry. After his dad heard about this He decided he wanted Max to come back to take the farm over.

The timing was right for us as my brother Cliff had this offer to work in a garage in Milestone. Max parents had decided it was time for them to retire. Charlie & Evelyn were offered to work for a neighboring farmer on a plan for cash & live in that large house on that farm which was only 3 miles from his dad's place. We had good times of fellowship with them that summer. There was a new pastor in Oak Lake, Rev Bill Borrows & his wife, and the church was growing. We had good bible studies and larger Sunday school. That summer Evelyn & I went to Trossach camp for a week, taking our kids, Gary & Ferne. Evelyn enjoyed the bible studies. At this time the Eston Bible school had been going for several years. The school was really birthed at this camp, so it was being promoted. Evelyn talked with some of the teachers so when we returned home she told Charlie that this sounded like a school they could not only go to but she enjoyed the Bible teachers at this camp that would be teaching at the school in Eston.

They applied as well as Max's, sister Clara, she took the one year course but Charlie & Evelyn went for the three year course & graduated ready to go into the ministry. It was at this school Clara met her future husband, Lewis White of Pangman. Each year after school they lived with us on the farm. They got different jobs, also working in the local honey plant in Oak Lake for the Ben Duecks. The church was growing with the Sunday school growing bigger with the family of 6 children of the ones who came to work at the honey plant. The daily vacation Bible schools reached more children in the area each summer. The pastor had been contacted by Arlo Johnson about coming to have a longer daily vacation bible school.

Arlo & Glenna came to our house as newlyweds. Charlie & Evelyn had attended bible school with Arlo. Charlie fashioned the bridal chamber - a wash bowl with matching pitcher was put in there room - he then hung a horse's bridal over the pitcher. Now Arlo knew Charlie was a tease. I told them they could take the room at the top of the stairs. Glenna did not know what a horses bridal was so she couldn't get the joke not being raised on a farm. But Arlo knew so rushed down stairs after Charlie for he being a farmers knew it was a horses bridle. I really felt sorry for Glenna who was this newly wed bride seeing her new husband reacting this way. Arlo used to tease Charlie at Bibles school. When they met Arlo would try to use Charlie's bawled head as a mirror.

We go back to Winnipeg to see the specilist

We had to make another trip to the city to see the specialist. I believe Gail & I went by train & if I remember right Les Pritchard picked us up & we were taken to see the Specialist, I believe she was exrayed to see how the hip shelf had grown over the joint. It was time to change this cast to a lighter one, which would go down both legs in a caste to her ankles with a square inch stick in the plaster between them, holding them apart far enough that her hips would be in place, so she could have movement of her legs without putting too much pressure on her hip joints. I used creams on her fair skin for her newly exposed legs. I must have returned by train. Gail would play with her brother in what we called the play room, with their toys. She could scoot around on her seat by propelling her body with her hands where ever she wanted to go. She was a happy child with no complaining about this caste. In the warm days Gary would put her in his little wagon to pull her around to enjoy the outdoors. When they played in the play room I found out she could pull herself up to a chair or the couch swinging herself to move where ever she wanted to go. Gary was very helpful to me as he made sure she wouldn't go out of his sight when I was busy. She did have a scare after falling over a toy cutting a gash on the back of her head leaving a scare to this day.

I met another lady who had her daughter at the specialist the same time we were there. Her daughter had both hips out of joint. She had found that out when her child would not try even to crawl I saw her at the Specialist both times we went to see the Dr. She had two children, a year apart, but even after her child's cast was off she wouldn't try to walk, we corresponded for several years, she had 3 children before her first one walked.

Max brother Charlie, Evelyn & Fern would come for visits. When our last visit to see the specialist Evelyn drove Gail & I down to get her caste off. We were all excited about having it removed. Gail was talking by now. A nurse brought her out to us, her Aunt Evelyn took her as
I talked with the Dr. Gail said "Put me down I want to run," disappointment lite up her face as her legs crumbled so she said "put the caste back on I can't walk." The nurse assured her she would in time. Gail didn't shed a tear but I could see by her face she would soon be trying. The men folks couldn't go with us as both Max & Charlie had chores to do. Evelyn & I made the trip home that night.

Gail still scooted around on her seat but I noticed she would head for the play room & shut the door behind her, after a short time I took a peak in the room, here she had pulled herself up to a chair, each day she did a bit more as her legs strengthened, She had a few falls hit a toy or so
but never complained about her bumps, she was walking with nothing to hold her back from
from pressing on until she could go places with both feet on the floor, to take her where ever she wanted to go. I asked Gail today if she remembered anything about being in the caste. She said all she remembered is when we went back to see the Doctor he told her he couldn't tell which hip had been out, they were both perfectly the same. We were all thankful that this trying experence was in the past.

Life as a family on the farm

We now on the farm with our small family. Max parents moved into their home in town. Only their daughter Eileen was at home, so the 3 of them had a smaller comfortable house to care for with a nice garden at the back & a place for flower beds at the front. Grandma Gompf was a great gardener & loved her vegetable & flower gardens, each year she would show her produce at the country Fair at Oak Lake in mid July. Eileen was a great help for their retirement. She had health problems so wasn't able to live on her own.

I believe Max's parents had a farm sale the fall before they moved to town. Max bid on the machinery he would need to farm. That winter wasn't a hard one for us. We lived just in the downstairs of that big house. Gail started to crawl by sitting with one foot under her, using the other one to propel herself forward with the other. Both of the children played generally in the kitchen as it was warmer near the kitchen coal fired cook stove. Both of our 2 children didn't walk until they were over a year old. When Gail started to walk she appeared to have a limp. That spring we took her to Dr Purdie for a check up. I asked him if she was walking as if she was favoring the leg she used as she slide on her seat to get around. He held her dress up to watch how she walked. He noticed that hip wasn't right. He told us she needed to see a specialist in Winnipeg. This was quit a shock to us. We had just started to farm so had a mortgage thus money was scarce. We did have some laying hens & sold the eggs. We got income from the sale of cream, as Max milked two cows twice a day. The cream was sent by train to the Brandon creamery, a cream truck picked our cream up at the farm in the summer months.

We didn't know how we could handle this unexpected expense. The pastor & church people
sent up lots of prayer for Gail, and God made away for us. Our Dr 's son was a member of Kinsmen club in Souris Manitoba a town south of us. He presented our need to this club. They paid for the specialist while we paid for our trips to Winnipeg. Max had relatives living in the city & I knew Pastor Les Pritchard formerly of Pangman Sask. These friends were used of God to give us the help we so badly needed at the right time. I traveled by the train to Winnipeg with Gail & these caring relatives picked us up, took us to the specialist & had us stay with them.
It was still quit a shock to hear Gail was born with her left hip out of joint, and would have to remain in hospital, while her leg would be put in traction to lengthen it. She would be tied down in bed with a weight in traction by a pulley connected to that ankle. It would take several months so her hip could be set into the socket. The Dr would then put her into a heavy plaster
caste. This was a body caste from under her arms, with her legs spread apart. It also went to the knee on the good leg then to the ankle of the other leg. I was to leave her there to go back home. This was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But God did provide many praying friends & relatives, for our support. Rev Les Pritchard would visit her. Prayer support was a strength for both of us, also a life line from God during these trying times. Les Pritchard kept in touch with us about her progress, and other friends in the city did the same. We were informed when her Dr had placed her in this caste. Max took me to his sister Louise & Gilbert farm north of Brandon. Cecil, Gilbert son of his first wife was visiting them so was to drive me to Winnipeg to bring our daughter home. We left early to pick Gail up then after seeing the specialist we left to drive back home before evening. Max was so pleased to have us all home together once again. Dr would want to see her again in a little over a month. He informed me I must keep her caste dry & clean. As Gail was in hospital for several months, Meal time was hard that first night, so she screamed to be free of this caste that held her tightly. I had to take her in a separate room to give her food the first few days. I would play aeroplanes with each spoonful. She also must have felt strange to be with her family after so long in the hospital. I taped her caste with water proof tape. We purchased our first vacum cleaner so I put the hose into where the air came out to blow the air around the moisten area thus drying it. When we took her in for her next check up the caste had soften some. Her Dr was lame with a bad limp, he was born with his hip out before they started checking all baby's at birth with this problem. He was upset with the dampness of the caste, I asked "how can I keep it dry," as he walked away he said "don't you know water can't run uphill? raise the head of her crib." That did help. This was a long cold winter so we didn't get out much but we enjoyed to get out together again that spring. Gary was pleased to have a play mate again. In the spring I did take Gail out when we went to a farm meeting so met with many of our neighbors. Many had visited with us by phone but it was so good to visit with them face to face.



.

Life in Lang Sask,as well as church work in Truax.

I was again back in Sask where I had many friends & relatives. Money was very scarce but prices for food were cheap. Nell & Cliff had a garden & we had large garden spot, so Max put in a large potato patch, he fertilize it. I think he watered it as we had a well but the water was not good for drinking. Max had to get a cistern put in near the house. There was a water truck who brought us water to fill our cistern once a month. We did not waste our water. It wasn't more than we could afford. I had a washing machine that ran with electricity, Cliff had found it
for us in the second hand place in Regina. It had a wringer on it, you had to feed the clothes in by hand. Mother & dad were with us part of the time, one day she was putting the clothes through this wringer, she was not used to this power washer & her hand went into the wringer part way. I got it stopped but her hand was bruised but she did not break a bone. Max worked part time in one of the two general stores in town. That winter as I shopped in this other store, the manager asked me if I knew where he could find a clerk that would be honest & knew how to keep thing clean, as he was having a hard time getting good reliable help. I at once thought of Rachel Rasmussen. She had been home helping her mother with her father before he died from cancer. She lived not too many miles away. I told him that she once was my helper when we did church work in Manitoba. He asked me to get in touch with her to see if she would be interested in this job. He needed a reliable clerk right away so he drove Max, Gary and I out to meet Rachel. I had told him that she was a hard worker & loved to keep things clean. After meeting & talking with her, he wanted to know how soon she could start to work. Rachel need this job so after talking with her mother it was decided he would hire her even if she hadn't ever worked in a store, He told her he was willing to train her so we later helped her move as Max & I were willing to let her have room & board with us. This also would help in our finances. We had to finish the room in the upstairs so she could have her own place to stay & have her meals with us.

We had some garden beside the potatoes, I think Cliff & Max got meat from some farmers whom they did work for in the summer months. We had a lot of new good friends and a good church family for fellowship. Cliff & Nell had a son Murray born in Apr. 1944 & Patrica was born in Oct 1946 and Gary our son was born in May of 1945. Now he had two cousins to get to know, before we bought our home we lived for a few months with my brother & his wife. We were glad to move into our own home. Nell's family lived at Truax which was several miles from Lang. Her family had became born again Christians by listening to some good radio gospel programs, Lorne Pritchard had some meetings in their home. They had been to Trossach camp, so Cliff, Nell, Max & I started going up to the Kirkpatricks for a Sunday afternoon Sunday school - which was held in their home. We also attended the early morning church service in Lang. Max & I enjoyed Nell's family and had many good times of fellowship together. I had many allergy's in Sask again, I was to the clinic in Regina, I took a aspirin when I was ill with a flu & had a bad reaction, I found out I must never take one again as my throat swelled. To this day I can't take anything with aspirin in it or it could kill me.

I learned I was going to have another child the following March. That winter was very cold with lots of snow, with high winds, which made large snow drifts that were so high that the train could not travel on the line that came from Regina to Weyburn. In January as soon as the snow blower could make it down No 6 highway to Lang, Max drove Gary and I to Regina to stay with my Aunt & Uncle the Oscar Lincolns. I was there for nearly 2 months, before Gail arrived March 7 1949 , she was born in the Regina General Hospital but the Dr was away, so an intern was the one who delivered her. She was 7 lbs. we named her Gail Gloria. We now had a family of four. Max had my mother to look after him, while I was away, mother also made meals for Max & our boarder Rachel.

Max came to take his family home on the first warm weekend. My brother Cliff had an offer to work in a shop in the next town Milestone. Harry Johnson asked Max if he would do his farming that year as Eldon was going to train to be a missonary in French West Africa, as his other son Arlo was going to school in Regina.

That spring we move to their farm near Parry Sask. We had a good summer on the farm. In the mean time Charlie & Evelyn felt they needed to enter the ministry, they moved to work for a neighboring farmer for cash so they could get enough cash to attend Bible school. Max's dad asked Max to come back take over the farm as his parents were moving off the farm to buy a house in Oak Lake. He wanted us to come to live on the farm for him to provide his parents with with meat raised on the farm. Max was to pay other family members their share of the farm.

That fall after harvest Max & Gary drove our truck load of belongings to Oak Lake, while Rachel drove me with the rest of our things & our young daughter Gail to Oak Lake. Max & Gary made it before the snow fell. Rachel & I made it one town away from where Ernie & Clara Siggelkow's home in Carlyle where they were pastoring. We had to get her car in the garage for the night. Ernie had an elderly couples place for us to spend that cold night. We were glad we had a warm place to sleep as Gail wasn't yet a year old. We were glad to stay a few days with my sister until the weather improved. I think Rachel got her car & drove back to Lang as she still had her job in the store. I think that either Ernie drove me to our farm or Max came to picked Gail & I. We were back in the big stone house at Oak Lake, which was to be our home until our family grew up & left home for life on their own. We lived here until the years of our retirement.

The birth of our first child.

Max's brother Charlie went to Ont where he married his cousin Evelyn Taylor, there they got work. Max needed extra money that fall so when harvest was over he hauled coal to those who
gave him & Elmer fall jobs. I remember on Halloween night, as Edith was wanting a porch over
their front door. Max & I believe it was Elmer moved their out house to the front door, while Edith & I were shopping. Edith took it in good humor. In Dec of 1944 Edith & Elmer were expecting their first child, their daughter Beverley was born in Virden hospital, Dec 29th, 1944. Charlie & Evelyn first child, Ferne was born in Ont on Jan 3 ,1945. We were to have our first child in May. There was a health nurse in Oak Lake & my Dr Purdie, was from Griswold, who had a country practise. He also was the Dr for the Indian reservation. We had moved into a larger bedroom in this stone house.

First I must tell you about an instance when Max had bought a horse. He had been hitching it to a cutter so he decided we would go into town to shop. There was a bit of snow but when we got with in a 1 mile from town, this horse decided he didn't like this sleigh so he started to kick, a board on the front of the cutter broke but Max got the horse stopped. He noticed bleeding from a cut just below his knee. I believed some one stopped to take us to my sisters. I don't remember who took the horse to Elmer's. Ernie drove us to the Dr in the next town. I was 6 month pregnant but never got injured. Dr cleaned the wound then proceeded to sew it up,"saying I will get this together so you won't have infection in it." I noticed Max was getting white, then passed out in a faint. I don't remember how or when we got home but Max was so glad I didn't get hurt. I recall another time when I was walking to the chicken house to gather the eggs. I was told to be careful of a ram his dad had bought so he could raise sheep. I didn't notice this ram until it came around the side of the building heading for me, but as clumsy as I was, with 2 months to go I did manage to make it into the hen house but had to wait a hour or so it seemed before that ram left for the barn.

Our first baby was arriving May 24, Max birthday was May 23 & his sister Louise birthday was
24 so she was looking forward to have a nephew as her gift. Max's two sister were still living
at home. The nurse arrived & Dr was on his way, Max came into see me, then left & had to lean over the up stair balcony so the nurse attended to him first. We both survived. Dr arrived in awhile, before our son arrived. I was 30 years old & Gary was 8lbs so I was torn, but Dr just sewed me up while I held the nurses arm, no pain killer but I made it, even if the nurse had a bruise on her arm. We had to spent two weeks in bed, but that was in the old days. I tried to breast feed him but Gary also had colic. We spent many nights up with a crying baby as he ate & threw up then cried for more, yet he grew. The nurse put Gary on cows milk, as my milk didn't agree with him. I got an infection in my bowels. The nurse came & gave me a milk enema which was quit painful but I survived. The cows milk had to be brought to near the boiling point, then slowly cooled. Gary did well on this diet, but Bottles had to be boiled. We didn't have a fridge but bought a ice box which I had in the upstairs hall. Each winter the men cut ice on the river ,which was put in the ice house, which was a hole in the ground, where the ice was stored in the summer months, covered with saw dust which they got from when they sawed the wood for the furnace & stoves as this was the way it was done in the 40's.

Ernie & Clara ministered in Oak Lake for a while. Clara & I had good times together with our
Children, I helped when needed. Gilbert & Louise moved to his farm north of Brandon. We had good times together as a family. Charlie & Evelyn moved near Winnipeg. My parents came & lived with us upstairs for about a year. Charlie was wanting to farm so we were informer that Grandpa Gompf wanted to give him a chance to farm. My brother Cliff was living in Lang Sask, he heard we were moving so he wanted Max to move to Lang to start into the garage business with him. Both of them were good at repairing machinery. Charlie & Evelyn moved in up stairs when we left for Lang Sask. We bought our first home in Lang. It was a older house which the former owner wanted to sell but hadn't finished some repairing he had started. I don't remember what we were paying for it but this was our first home. My brother had built his first home in this town. We would be finishing our house. There was a German speaking church, Evangelical church in town. The morning & evening services were in English but the prayer meetings in mid week were in German. We enjoyed our fellowship with this group of Christians. We still have been in touch with friends who used to live in Lang Sask.

More about Life together with family on the farm.

We had many fun times as a family together. We all went to the church in Oak Lake. I enjoyed getting to know my first niece Sharon. I remember one time the Siggelkow's were visiting us, I had a few house plants in those deep window seats, as Clara & I were visiting, Sharon was very quiet in the upstairs hall just out my kitchen door. I had a different new kind of a caucus plant called the hen chicken plant, there wasn't any prickles on it, I found her eating these smooth leaves of my rare plant, It never hurt her. Later in life, after our retirement we spent our winter in south Texas. There were many kinds of caucus growing in their pastures. I learned that in the spring new tender leaves grew on those plants, the cattle loved to eat them in the spring. In fact during lent in the spring there were caucus leaves for sale in the stores. The leaves were eaten to put the protein in the diet. A neighbor showed me how to cook these leaves with hot sauce I didn't mind it but it wasn't my favorite dish.

My sister & I became closer in our times together. Clara was expecting her second child in Nov 18, 1944. Max & I were expecting our first child to be born on May 24 1945. We were able to do many things together. I remember my cousin Cecile came to Oak Lake to visit us, we both wanted her to stay over night but she stayed nights with Clara as we didn't have a bed for her.
Darla was born in the parsonage with the Dr Purdie from the next town Griswold. Darla was a
large baby, Clara breast fed all her baby's, but Darla was a colicky baby, so they missed many nights of sleep. The Dr or some one advised her to put her baby on goats milk. Ernie was told where he could buy a goat. I believe that Max went with him to pick up this goat. He built a shed for his goat, but to milk her, he arranges a way for the goat to walk up on to a low table so he could make it easier to milking. Darla really did well on this milk, so her colic got better & she grew to be a healthy child. Both Clara & I sewed the clothes for our baby's, also knit sweater outfits our them. There were no pampers in those days. We sent away to the catalogue for enough flannelet for each of us to have a dozen or more diapers sewed for our baby. Each day we would scrub by hand on a wash board the dirty diapers, drying them in the winter time, on a cloth horse near the heater or cook stove. This was called " your daily dozen".

Life in our first home on the farm near Oak Lake

We started our life together in this 2 room part of this large stone house around the first of Nov
1943. We didn't need much furniture. I believe it was when we got furniture from my parents,
We had the round Oak dining table mother had bought from T Eaton company, they most likely
paid around $20 for it. Max's dad went to a sale & bought 4 chairs painted orange & black. Max was very up set over not given a chance to pick his own furniture. His dad was used to the old German way of handling all the purchases while his son was in his home. Max wasn't given a wage but we were given some chickens & a milk cow. After his father got a few things he wanted us to have, Max & I had a talk, I suggested we have a talk with him as Max wanted to rent so we would have our own income I had made my own living since High School. Max didn't want the orange chairs so I told him I would refinish those chairs so I spent hours chipping that paint off, repainted them a cream with blue trim.

Max's eldest brother was engaged to marry Edith Hart, I think they were married Nov at her parents home. It was a small wedding as just familys members of both sides, I think my brother in law Rev Ernie Siggelkow married them. Max's one brother Charlie was still home also two sisters. Louise & Eileen. We got a second hand bed from My folks. Max sister Louise was engaged to Gilbert Asken. That spring a wedding was planned on the lawn, it was a cool wet spring. His mother had many Tomato plants, flowers also more vegetables to be transplanted when it warmed up. She had those large window seats where we both had plants to put out. Gilbert & Louise were married around the middle of June, a beautiful lawn wedding.
Max's dad could see Max wasn't pleased with his purchases for us. He just wouldn't have a talk with his father. One day my father in law asked me " what was wrong," I told him Max wanted to rent the farm also buy his own thing, make his own decisions. I had this talk with my father in law without any of the family present. I for prayed what to say, I told him Max wanted to get his share(rent) to pay his own bills. He said "I have always handled his money as well as Elmer's." I then told him I had always made & spent the money I earned for my needs and this is what Max and I would like to be able to do." His dad said "Max has never had to handle his own money "I answered as nice as I could "well it is time he learned to do that." This plan worked for us for His father took it in the right spirit so when ever he wanted to talk about money matters he would come to me asking if I would talk to him for he said Max will do it if you ask him.

Now I understood what Max's mother told me when we were married, "Max has one fault he will get sulky & won't talk if he is upset." Only once that I remember Max became silent & wouldn't talk to me. I finally I went out to the barn & asked him what was wrong, I got the silent answer I kept talking asking questions but utter silents was my answer. I kept on talking smiling saying "I will not stop talking to you so if you want me to quit this talking. First," I am sorry if I have done some thing to hurt you, I will never leave you for I love you, so when you get tired of listening to me, please tell me what is wrong." He never said what was wrong but he smiled, so that was the end of it, I just gave a loving remark then quit talking. He never did that again, I guess he had learned how to shut me up.

Yes we did have disagreements during our life together but we were able to talk them out, of course I am a woman of many words & Max is a man of few words. I came from a family of talkers I guess he learned I have to get it off my chest. Because we love one another & really know our Lord, this is the only way to have a good marriage. We started our family devotions
with reading the bible together & having a time of prayer each day. We found out the way to a happy life is to pray together which we did all our life.

New pastor arrived & our wedding, Oct 23 1943

Now came the time for the final preparation for our wedding. Max's, sister Louise told me one day "we as a family want you to have the large room upstairs in this large stone house. "There was a place where a cook stove could connect with a pipe into the large chimney. This large 40 by 40 stone house had a double chimney that came all the way from the full sized basement right through third floor, going out through the roof several feet into the air. There was a widows walk, which was a wooden fence about ten feet square around the chimney. This stone house was built by stone masons from Quebec. There were many houses built this way in that province as the women used to go up there to keep looking for th men to arrive back from fishing in the ocean, for many times they never did arrive back. The first owner who had this house built came west in the early 1900 & when the hard times came Mr Carpentar had to let it go back to the mortgage company. Max's father had bought it from the Carpentar family when they all moved back from northern Sask to get land near where several of his sisters & brothers were living around Oak Lake.

The dry years were worse in Aberdeen Sask so the Gompf family moved all their possessions by train to Oak Lake. Now Max & I would have a place to live as Max was needed to help with the farming. My future mother in law wanted to buy my wedding dress, with money from her cream cheques, we drove into Brandon about thirty miles away, we picked out a nice white long
wedding gown for $14.98. I had asked Rachel to be my bride maid, & Max's sister Louise to be my maid of honor. Max's two brothers were his best men. The date was set for Oct 23, in 1943. We were to be married in the church in Oak Lake where I had pastored. Max asked the pastor of the Gospel church in Brandon we knew to marry us. My parents came from Parry Sask. Ernie & Clara were just settled into the parsonage in town. I now met my first niece Sharon Elsie, when she was 6 months old. It was decided that my brother in law Ernie Sigglekow would walk me down the isle, then at the alter my father would take my arm leading me to stand by my future husband. I still remember that when the question was asked "who gives this woman to be married to this man," my father answered "I do". I could hear my future father in law, just behind us, weep, for this was the first one of his family he had been able to be at their wedding. His eldest daughter Florence was in Ont when she married but no one of the family could afford to go. His son Stan was married in Winnipeg. Only Max had gone to stand up with his brother but the rest had to be home to do the many farm chores. As we finished our vows after being pronounced man and wife, Max & I sealed this promise with a kiss, a pledge that our union was for life. God's word was a witness to that promise. We had a love for each other that lasted for nearly 65 years, then he left for his heavenly home. I still think of this love we had for each other. We went to the parsonage for the reception with a lovely luncheon given by the church & many from the town helped. These friends had given me the first bridal shower of Pyerx dishes. Which lasted for many years. We left by train that evening for Regina to spend the night at the Mc Veity family. Next day my cousins Harry & Cecile Johnson came to drive us to their farm in the Parry district. No one could come to our wedding from there as it was still harvest time for them. They had a wedding shower for us one evening. Harry Johnson used to tell me if I married a farmer he would give me a cow. He & Cecile gave us a cheque to buy a cow. We also recieved many useful gifts from friends and relatives. We returned to Oak Lake by train so we could move into our home in the two rooms in that large stone house with a number of this loving family.

waiting for the new Pastor to arrive.

We continued the services at the church with Rachel helping me out on the weekends. I believe that the Siggelkows were staying in Regina also visiting family. Ernie most likely was ordained at this time. In the mean time that summer we had daily vacation Bible school. I visited some of the seniors in town. One I remember was Grandma Paterson, she needed encouragement to come to church since she had moved from the North country near the town of Kenton. Her daughter in law Barbara and her family of four, Jerry, Beatrice, Harvey & Barbie. I believe it was around this time that their grandpa Paterson had passed away. This family were a great help in the church. Barb later became one of my close friends. She would often pick grandma Paterson up for church. I would later be the one she asked to look after three of her brothers family in a time of their mothers ilness.

The Carin's family were musical for Cecil was our piano player when the Carin's couldn't get in. There were some very cold days he could not always get in due to road conditions. The summer after Max & I were engaged, he didn't have any cash to purchase a ring for me. He was doing most of the farming, as several of the family were still at home. Max often helped his mother and would milk a number of cows. She had many chickens & many other fowl to help bring in cash. All the men folks would help getting the fuel for their furnace, cook stove & heater by going to the bush areas on their farm to cut down trees for the years fuel, so it was a big job to get enough wood cut hauled then sawed ready to dry each summer for the cold winter in that part of Manitoba. All this plus the harvesting of their crop in the fall. Max was the mechanic in the family. I believe it was about this time a John Deer Tractor was bought to work the fields, a lot of the work was still done with horses. I was going to Regina to see my family so Max gave me enough money when I left to pick out a signet ring with MG to AL inscribed on it. That fall I help cook the food when they harvested his brother Elmers crop near Oak Lake which helped his mother who had lots of work at their farm north of Oak Lake.

Life while in Oak Lake

We kept busy that winter keeping warm & getting more kids in Sunday School. Then on a few Friday nights we had a get together with the younger folk there we some times had bible reading & prayer times at these gatherings. Other times we would have a game night to interact with each other. Rachel & I were often were invited out for a time at some of the family's of the church people for meals. We had no way of travel but some one of the family would pick us up & bring us back but we couldn't go in very cold weather as we had to keep the fires going so things wouldn't freeze.

I learned that the Gompf youth were competitive when it came to their choice of women. Max was dropping by for a visit when he was in town, his older brother was coming some evenings to bring us milk, he got to visiting longer each time. So we, Rachel & I decided one night we would sit in the dark , letting on we weren't home. As he was to leave it by the door if we were out. But Charlie who was the youngest son was quit a joker, so he came and told us that Elmer was sure we were home but wouldn't let him in. He also told me how when their brother Stan, who had been away to college & came home, had played a trick on Max once. He said Max had taken this neighbor girl out so Stan had gone the next week end & asked her out, so the brothers were teasing him about this, anyway Charlie said Max left home for a week or so and his mother was quit upset about this, but their father kept singing " where is my wandering boy to night" which really worried his wife.

Charlie was quite a teaser often with a motive, but I never caught on for a while. Max came in different times to visit me when Rachel was helping another member of the church. Charlie had been using a neighbors team of Shetland ponies. One day unannounced he called at the parsonage during the week asking me to come out to the farm for a few days, so I went. He keep up with his jokes then acted serious & asked me rather seriously " Would you marry me?" I wasn't interested in him that way for I was much fonder of his brother Max. I responded by saying,"Charlie, you joker I can never know when to believe you, of course not." I never thought too much about it as he talked of many other things, I just passed it off as a joke not guessing why he had done this. I spent a few days there and I asked his young sister Clara if she would like to come back & spend the week end with me. We were driven back to town in the sleigh driven by this team of Shetland ponies, a novelty for both Clara & I. That week end Max came in and knocked on the door, as I let him in he had different look on his face. Clara, left the room as Max said" You better practise what you preach" then walked out I had no idea what or why he said or thought that. Clara quickly left the room as I broke into tears. Needless to say it wasn't easy for me to take the service, but my prayer of repentance must have helped. I learned after that this was a set up thing by his brothers a way of teasing. I only remember that the next time I was out at the farm Max asked me to go for a walk down the lane to their pasture he asked me if I would like to go out with him again, I said yes. We seemed closer after this & I believe it was after this that Charlie told me of how Max had reacted after when his brother Stan had taken his other date. I did lots of praying over this as I wanted to be a good example before the other people. Once Max's cousin Cecil Cairns had me come out with him for a meal at his parents, on the way home asked if I was interested in the Gompf boys not sure what my responce was. I had always been a very shy girl and not used to so much attention from young men.

I was hearing from my sister Clara who was expecting her first child, Sharon, who was born April 21 in Vernon B.C. that Ernie had been ill as during the winter months in his training he had to sleep on cold ground at higher altitudes than he was used to causing him to get a very painful back so he could not continue training & was in the hospital. I believe he had to wait for several months before he was discharged from the army. That spring, Rachel took a job with the Carin's family as we were short of money to live on. I had ordered 25 chicks & was feeding them in the back kitchen as the Gompf's would take them after they were older. One day when I was cleaning the chickens Max appeared at the doorway. He said " lets talk, for I have some thing I want to ask you". He put his arm around me said "Will you marry me". I didn't know if I should trust these Gompf fellows, I said "on one condition (as it is leap year) never say I asked you?" We both had a good laugh, as he took me in his arms said "I promise you I won't" so I said "I will marry you" & we sealed it with a kiss.

We didn't set a date then but farm weddings were always in the fall after the harvest is finished. Later we set it for October 23, 1943. After Ernie was discharged from the Army either the church contacted him or the other way around. I don't remember the date they returned to take over the Oak Lake Pastorate but the harvest had to be finished but plans were being made, so this will be told later.

Pastoring at Oak Lake

I don't remember much about the first church service, but there was only 2 youth in that first service, they were Cecil Cairn & Clara Gompf. I could see that I must visit many homes to get in touch with the children and the youth. There were the Fred Cairns family, the Harry Gompf family, the Kennedy family, Mrs Minnie Daum, Grandma Paterson also a few others. A family of the Dueks were there for the summer months as they had Bee hives near Oak Lake with an extracting building for their honey in town. They had a family of 6 children. We were not very long in Oak Lake until Ernie got a letter in the mail which was a call for him to enlist in the Army. This was quit a shock to all. He tried to get ordained but Rev McVeity found out it was to late as according to the government he should have been ordained before he took his pastorate. After much prayer he decided to join up as a conscious objector. He was to be stationed in Vernon BC. Ernie & Clara had to pack up their things to head for BC. The church board asked me if I would take the pastorate of the church. There was a real shortage of men to minister in many Church's. I was given a church worker licence to take this pastorate for The Grace Gospel Churches in Western Canada. I believe I wrote Rachel to see if she would come to help me set up a Sunday school. Rachel was living with her mother near Parry Sask. I had to go to Regina to get my worker papers through Pastor Rev Hugh McVeity, who was the head of this movement for this area. I believe Rachel met me in Regina so we could take the bus to Oak Lake Manitoba to start our first ministry with children & others, with Gods help. We planted a garden, after we were settled in to pastor our first church. We found out there were a number of veteran wives with their family's living in the town as there were several homes for rent in Oak Lake. We started by visiting homes where these children lived, we also called on seniors in the town, I sent away for flannel graft material from a gospel publishing house in the States. Rachel would visit people one day, while I visited another day. Some days we went together until we got to know a number of family's & business's in the town. Many of the church people brought us food, off their farm produce like some meat, beef, pork or chicken. We took the chickens both dead or alive as we both knew how to clean & cut up the meat. Elmer Gompf had his farm next to the town. He often brought us milk or even cream. We were getting to know the church folks & some of the town business. Different men of the church would chop wood for our stoves, being women we were looked after in many ways. The Sunday school started to grow. The children love the Bible story's with the flannel board figures put on as we told each Bible story. We were only given a small amount of cash each Sunday I believe we received $4 a service each week. We would some times receive a money order in the mail from relatives or friends for both of us. We had a jar in the cabinet were we put our tithe money which we sent to other ministry's. We always had enough to live on. That summer we had the first daily vacation Bible school in the Church for children. We sent away for material. We had many Children come in from the country. Some times one of us would go to bring the smaller children to hear the stories. Rachel & I did all the Bible stories. That summer was the start of having a larger Sunday school. We had a programme put on by the children on the last day of the school. We had many of the parents come as well. This was the beginning of a yearly programme for the children which was well supported by all in the town of Oak Lake Manitoba.

Ministry in Oak Lake Manitoba.

My sister Clara had a job working in the Hospital in Regina & stayed with the Grace Gospel pastor where she worked for her board & room for the McVeity's. Both Clara & I worked for Mc Veity family who had 4 children. Clara attended the small church there. It was at this Church Clara met Ernie, her husband to be. Ernie had attended a Bible school there & at the coast, but had not been ordained as a minister with any organization yet. This was the way it was done in those early years with new church organizations just starting up after the depression. We left Regina for this small church in Manitoba. Howard Gay was a good piano player who had been helping out with services here. He went with us to direct us to the Gompf farm (7 miles)north east of the town. The Souis valley Reservation was just east of the Gompf farm. We had been invited for supper to the Gompfs. Upon arrival Howard introduced the new Pastor & his wife Ernie & Clara Siggelkow. He took me to a line up of 3 of the Gompf's sons. As he introduced me to them separately, each one keep holding my hand, saying "so good to meet you," I would have to slowly pull my hand away to meet the next smiling son. I was rather taken back by such attention. I believe Howard had put them up to this prank as he knew me from camp, Howard was the piano player for the Trossach camp when I attend there. After having a good farm cooked meal, I believe Howard stayed at the Gompf's while we went back get settled in to the parsonage for their first Pastorate. The house had 4 rooms, a bedroom, living room & dinning room as well as a lean to summer kitchen. The house had enough furniture for us to be comfortable. I had a couch to sleep on in the dinning room, Ernie & Clara's bedroom was furnished. I must have had a place for my things. There was wood burning stove in the front room & also in the summer kitchen. There was a wood pile out back with a axe to chop the large blocks of fire wood. There was a garden spot at the back of the lot. Here is where many gardens were grown, as the dark black soil in this part of Manitoba would grow good garden vegetables. There was also wild fruit in most of the groves of trees, especially near the river. The Assinaboine river valley ran though this area between the town & the Gompf farm. The Church was across town, not far from the shopping area. We settled in & got ready for the first church service & to meet the rest of the congregation.

Weddings & other memories.

While in Vancouver Connie Fletcher & her church used to take some of us to a down town rescue mission for a service. I believe it was near or on Granville street. This was for homeless men who I think lived on the streets. Several of us either lead the singing of hymns, asked for testimonies & another gave a message from the Bible. Some of these men had come to know the Lord as their saviour. These men still lived in the area & would come & tell how they had fallen into a sinful life & after coming to these meetings were now helping other men to come & be delivered from a life of drunkenness, stealing & many other sinful ways of life which only caused their life deep pain. Many had loss family, friends & jobs. After each service the mission gave them all a good meal, most likely their first & only meal of the day. Some missions had a place to sleep for the night. There was always a altar call for anyone who wanted to take Jesus as their Lord & Savior. I believe a older man & his wife lived at this mission & prepared the meals for these men who were supported by other churches in the city. Those years were still in the depression times.

After coming back to Parry where my family were I continued to work for relatives. I was there when Cecile's daughter married Arnold Pritchard & also when my sister Clara married Ernie Siggelkow. I helped with cooking the meals for the receptions. I was my sister Clara's bridesmaid. These weddings were held in the area around Pangman with guests mostly from those of the Grace Gospel Church. Ernie & Clara's reception was held at my Aunt & Uncles home, with guests from their relatives. Their honey moon was a trip to Regina to spend the night in the home of friends from camp Laura Powers. My school chum Isabelle (Keith) Haase came for the wedding. Ernie & Clara were leaving by car for to attend the Bible school at the west coast where I had attended. Isabelle had asked me come home with her. We both went with the newly wed couple Ernie & Clara on their way west. We were to help with the gas but Ernie was planing to stop to see his relatives at Corrnach Sask. We met several of his Aunts & Uncle, we must have spent the night with some of them. I think Isabelle was already married to Paul Haase & that I stayed some time with them. I visited many more of my friends in Hazenmore before I went back to my folks at Parry. There were special services in Kincaid church so I went to them & as the speaker was going to the Regina area I got a ride home. This is the way many folks got around in those days, it was people helping people. I worked that winter for my Uncle & Aunt, the Lincolns, by spring Ernie & Clara returned from Bible school. They had applied for a church through the Grace Gospel Missions. Rev Hugh Mc Vety was head of that movement & they had a radio broadcast from Regina. Max's relatives in Oak Lake listened to these services & as they wanted a pastor for a church in Oak lake, they had written to see if they could get one from the Grace Gospel group. Brother Mc Vety gave this offer to my sister & husband. They also needed a children's worker so I was asked to go with them to this church in Oak Lake in Manitoba. We all left by car that fall for Manitoba. I was on my way to be a help in my sister & brother in law's first church in another part of Canada. God had many changes a head for me.

My time in Vancouver with Connie Fletcher

I had met Mrs Fletcher at Trossach camp & we had kept in contact by writing letters. We got lots of time together at camp, for she was a woman of prayer. I didn't have enough money to continue with another year of Bible school. She asked me to come & stay with her & her husband who was a dentist. She always called him Doc. Connie also had another girl living with them, Lorene. We became close friends. We exchanged letters for several years after I left for home for Parry. The Fletcher's had a 2 story office building. They lived upstairs & his dentist office was down stairs. There was a large auditorium on the main floor. Here Mrs Fletcher pastored a small church group. Lorene & I helped in a Sunday school for the children. We also took part in the services. We both learned to give a messages, so this was where I learned to prepare a sermon & after much prayer & study I used notes I had prepared to help me. I would tell Connie I couldn't speak before people as I was too shy, Connie told me I was too self conscious which means self centered & not enough God conscious. With prayer & Bible reading I was able to take my turn delivering a sermon from the Bible with less fear. I did day work some days for ladies in that area of Commercial Drive which was the old part of Vancouver. It was a damp foggy winter, just opposite to the dry prairie's where I had lived most of my life. The street car ran in that part of the city. When I walked to my job I could only see a rushing moving sound as the street car passed me in the thick heavy fog. My clothes were damp even in the closet as I got them out to wear. I was chilly all the time I was out. My friends asked me how I didn't freeze in the below zero weather in Sask. Some how this damp winter seemed to be harder to keep from shivering when I was out on those foggy days. I met several people at these services that I wrote & received letters from after I returned home. The fall of that year I got a ride back to Regina with friends I knew from Grenfell, they were Mr & Mrs Argue. It was good to be home again & to get a job at my Uncle & Aunts on the farm, also to be able to spend time with my cousin Cecile. She often told me I was like a sister she never had as she only had a younger brother Kenneth Lincoln. I wanted to start a Sunday school so I had one in the local school. That spring when Peggy Kirkpatrick came home from Bible school that was at Eston Sask, we had a Sunday school in the school in Dummer where I once worked in the store there for Charlie Mills.

My year at Grenfell Bible School.

The Johnson took me to Regina to take the bus to Grendfell as the school opened in mid Oct and ran for 6 months, closing in mid April. I don't remember how many students there were in attendance that year. The girls dorm was in this large home, where the Presidents family lived. The boys dorm was in another house in that town. The classes were held in the church. There were more girls that year than boys, the meals were prepared in the basement of this large home. Served at long tables, boys in one area & girls in another, married couples sat together. We had classes twice a day & we walked to & from the church twice a day. On Sundays we went to two church services & also Wednesday evening we went to prayer meeting. I roomed with several different girls that year. In mid winter another girl & I got ill with a rash which Dr said was scarlet fever. A room was rented in another place & we were quaranteed there for 4 weeks. Meals were brought over to us. We weren't very ill so there was a speaker put our the room & turned on for us to get each teaching session. We made notes & studied. When we were returned to the girls main dorm I was put with several girls in the attic, which was a large enough room to have 2 double beds, places for our clothes etc. We had tables to do our lessons on. We had 3 flights of stairs to climb up & down. We had 3 meals a day in the basement. There was a room to do laundry in, also a large mangle to press all the sheets with, I had this job when it was my turn in the laundry room. I enjoyed the bible lessons & we had our home work & exams to write. Our subjects were all typed out in folders, mimeographed & assembled in their office. There were special speakers who came & taught some subjects. We were there all through the Christmas season. We had special music & singing groups on the weekends, several students were quite talented with different musical instruments. There were board meetings about finding a bigger building in a different location as this building would not be able to house all the students who were applying to attend Bible school. There was a offer for a large place at the west coast. This was in Port Quitlum BC. This was near Vancouver & New Westminster, two large cities with several churches who had came to Trossach camp. I didn't have a job to return to. The Erickson's had 3 children & needed some one to travel with them to help as Mrs Erickson who wasn't in good health. Every thing from the school was shipped by train & a man from the school went with these furnishings. The 6 of us travelled in the Erickson car on gravel roads, It was quit a trip, we stopped in different towns where there ministers Mr Erickson knew. I had to keep the children entertained. The building that was being bought for the school had not been used for a while . It was dirty, needed lots of cleaning & painting. The weather was very damp & foggy that year. Some asked me how I could stand cold Sask but I found that my clothes were always damp & cold to me. This was such a change from dry Sask. Groups from churches helped clean this large building. A lot had to be done before the students would arrive. I was kept busy with many jobs. Mrs Erickson had to be hospitalize as her former Dr had given her too strong of drugs. I cared for the 3 children, & even had to help cook for the start of the school. He finally found a cook who had been a cook on a ship. He would go to the docks where large fresh salmon were caught & sold very cheap. This cook made several kinds of salmon dishes, stuffed, roasted & served hot. I couldn't attend Bible school but enjoyed the services.

My times at camp before Bible School

My job on the government plan was over that spring. I believe I went to my cousins Cecile place until camp time. Many of the youth & some adults had received an experience with Jesus. There were Bible studies in several different homes or towns from Parry to Kedive some in homes others in small churches. Camp time was a time for everyone who wanted more Bible study and fellowship with those of like faith, and they went to Trossach camp for all or part of the first two weeks of July. I went again that summer with the Johnson's, in their coupe car. I believe there were six of us young people in the rumble seat, really it was just the trunk of car with lid lifted up. Three youth were seated in the trunk each had a person on their lap. The roads were gravel in those days so you can't believe how dusty we all were on arriving at camp. The first few years of camp I worked to pay for my board & room. One year Rachel Rasmussen & I washed the tea towels in a wash tub set on two chairs, we had an old fashioned washboard, to rub them clean, one of us did the rub a dub to get the stains out as the other one rung the soapy water out & into the rinse water in another tub. I don't remember when we first had the use of an old fashioned hand ringer. I have got the water out of the wet clothes both ways, but mostly by hand. We had to hang these towels on a clothes line which was outside back of the wash house to dry in the wind. They later had to be folded & put away. I don't believed we had to bleach the towels. Later years when the camp had its own power plant there was an electric washing machine with a ringer on it. We had clothes racks to dry clothes in rainy weather. I enjoyed camp time. One year Louise Siggelkow & I had one of the first children church services. This was in the prayer cottage, which was back of the sleeping quarters. She played the accordion we sang & I think that Louise gave a Bible story, then asked who wanted to give their heart to Jesus, her youngest brother Phil put his hand up. Louise asked me to take my Bible & lead her brother in the sinners prayer, I don't remember what all I said but he wept & nodded his head yes. Phil was the first person I lead to the Lord. He has been a minister for many years.

The bible studies at camp were such a help to my growth as a christian. I had saved the money I received while at the Pritchard's to attend a Bible school in Grendfell Sask. This school had started in AB but was going to enlarge for a number of students were applying to go. There was a large Mansion of a place found in this Sask town, so the school was moved there the year or so before I applied to attend. I didn't have quit enough money to pay all my fees but I was given a job to wash two flights of stairs, one from the top floor & down to the lower level where the meals were served. I remember one big mess I had to clean up. There were no flush toilets in those days, so in the up stairs was what was called the "CAN" which had to be carried down to be emptied. Muriel was a preachers daughter, a dainty,sweet girl who was assigned this job. She slipped at the top level. This was quit a mess to clean up as it effected both flights of stairs, we both had a big hard job that day, but we survived. We became good friends even after this unpleasant encounter.

Working on a farm on a government plan in the 30's

The hard times during the depression were difficult on the farmers as prices were low for grain. The western farmers needed help in different ways. The Government plan for youth to get work was to sign up to work in the home of a farmer who applied for help. The Ptitchard's moved back from Regina to their farm near Pangman. They had six children, two who could help at home I believe the others were in school. Mrs Pritchard was expecting her seventh child. They applied for help & I put my name in to work in their home that winter. I believe both the hired person & the farmer got a payment. I would be payed five dollars a month. If I stayed the whole time the government would pay me ten dollars a month. I remember all I spent was for stamps & writing paper. Their daughter Elsie was my age. She & I sent to the Timothy Eaton's Co catalogue for the yarn to to knit ourselves each a sweater & skirt out fit. We would do our knitting in the evenings after work was finished. My outfit was royal blue, I don't recall what color her outfit was. Mrs Pritchard would have Bible study when we couldn't get to church, with all of us, she played their organ. They were all good singers. When the weather was mild we would go to church, I think the meetings were in Kedive. They had me lead the song services. As the winter went on, Mrs Pritchard & Elma, their youngest daughter got very ill. They had the Dr come out & we found out they had diphtheria. We were all quarantined & vaccinated, even the adults. Mother & daughter were kept in a bedroom. They hired a nurse to care for them. We would all gather in their bedroom & have prayer, many friends were gathering at the church praying for them. It was a very soul searching time. I remember that was when their son Lorne received his call into the ministry. I remember when we were all called into the sick room to pray while Elma quietly passed into heaven. She was such a loving child who often sang in church giving her testimony that she knew Jesus as her personal savior. She wasn't even 6 years old when she passed away. I was the only one who wasn't a member of the family. The nurse took me aside, told me "I need you to help me prepare the body for burial." I was a little over 18 years old, I went in to that room with a prayer for strength, knowing Elma had left her earthly house for a home in heaven with the savior she loved all her short life. The Nurse asked me to help wash the body, mostly just handing her what she needed. I was to hand her the two pennies she would use to keep Elma's eye lids closed. I don't remember much else but I felt the presence of the Lord in that room. They had the funeral in their yard by a window as the snow was gone if we even had any. The winters didn't give us much moisture at that time. Mrs Pritchard's bed was moved near the window, with Elma's casket just out side it. The family, myself & the nurse all were at the window. The neighbors & friends of the family were gathered farther out in the yard. I don't remember who preached the funeral as they stood near the window. No one could come near to comfort the family with words of love, but they were praying in groups & we could feel their love & care for us. I don't remember when the new baby boy arrived, I believe he was born in their home. He was a healthy boy, he is alive today. He was a farmer like his father, married with a family living as far as I know near Regina.

My family all moved to the Parry Sask

First I must tell what Cliff was doing. He didn't finish his grade12 until he was married. He liked to go places & see things, He was an sort of inventor, as he got a small motor & maybe with dads help, for dad was always making things. Cliff had an older model bike, now I was told this, he fastened a small motor on this bike & road it around town. Neighbour's were saying that he was going to kill himself if he gets it going any faster. There were no speeders in those days, for I remember Violet Mayo, a friend at school was driving, for the first time on Hwy 13 with a friend & ended up in the ditch. The saying at school was, she was speeding at 30 miles a hour, that must have been considered a reckless speed in the early years of driving a car on the gravel roads.

Cliff decided to get a job in a Ontario lumber camp to make some money. He had been catching rides on a slow moving freight train to the next town from Hazenmore which was Kincaid. When I was still home Paul Haase used to take several of us to the church for Friday night meetings in Kincaid ,Cliff often went & he liked to visit with the Pilgrim girls. I heard that if Cliff was on the station platform when a freight train was stopping he would be allowed to jump on a rail car & ride to Kincaid to visit at his friends. He would then catch a ride on the next train to come home. Now I wasn't home when he left for Ontario but whether he rode a freight train or hitched a ride to get his first job I am not sure. He did get a job in a lumber camp, but I am not sure for how long he worked there. He had a little money he earned but hardly enough to get back home. It was in the winter, so how or why he was on his way home in this cold weather, I don't know. He got as far as Winnipeg Manitoba. He had run out of money & hadn't eaten for a while. He had a friend Ted Joyce who lived in that city. The family used to spend summers at Uncle Oscars & the Harry Johnson, Ted was Cliff age so they had become friend. He contacted the Joyce's & they picked him up. He stayed with the Joyce family & here he was feed & well cared for. I think he got a ride back home. He then got a job with a farmer after my folks all moved to Parry. They lived at & worked for his brother Oscar & Alta Lincoln at first. Later they were able to rented a second house in the Rasmussen's yard which was 2 miles from my Uncles. Cliff got a job on a neighbour's farm. My sister Clara worked for a cousin, Ralph & Lottie Gay, for a summer in Milestone. next she got a job in the drug store in Lang Sask. She also worked in their home where she got her board & room as well. My brother Ralph wasn't finished school. He attended a country school called Hawthorne school district. He went to school with some of his cousins, Eldon , Arlo & the 2 Rasmussen's children, Rachel & Earl. My folks had a garden spot & dad was good with the hoe, kept his potato & garden spot clean from weeds. I believe they had a few chickens & laying hens for eggs, a cow for their milk. Ralph finished his public schooling here & then he worked for Uncle Oscar. Clara & I both worked at different times for our Uncle & Aunt, Oscar & Alta Lincoln, we felt like it was home for us there as well as at the Johnson's. When my sister Clara was married the reception was held in the Lincolns home with help from all our relatives. I have many good memories of many times in this community.

My work as clerk in 2 country stores

I enjoyed the jobs I had on the farm for that was where I was born. One year while at my cousins Cecile, she heard that the store keeper in their close town needed some one to help in the store & also in his home as his wife was ill. This was in Dummer Sask, about 2 miles from her place. She took me in for an interview & as I had my grade 12 Mr Mills asked me if I could work in the hotel where both he & his wife lived, she was a diabetic on insulin so needed help. He was in the store a short ways from the hotel. The store was opened only when the train came in Monday, Wednesday & Friday. The mail & supplies came in those days as well. I would help put these supplies away & be ready when the customers arrived to get mail & their groceries. His store sold everything the farmers might need. He even had a yards good counter. I could measure out the yardage they needed also cutting it. He had thread, buttons & various other sewing needs. He had some pop in the back but there was no cooler to keep it in. He had bins for bulk raisin's, nuts etc. One day he had me bring water over to the store for me to wash the raisin's as there were worms in them. I was to skim off the worms, drain, put them on a clean cloth to dry, clean the bin. Then I was to put them back in the clean bin. The nuts were cleaned as well as they also had bugs. I believe the bin of rice was cleaned in the same way. He also had his own soup mixture with sauce he cooked then put in tins cans. I didn't eat soup after I saw how he made it. The only ones who every stayed over night as well as a evening meal were the traveling sales men. Mr Mills always made a large pot of soup. He would scrape any left over food off his or the travelers plate into the soup. This is why I couldn't take soup for years. No one ever got ill from his soup & I never told this to anyone.This was in the time of the dry years but we survived. I would clean her house & when we had travelers I washed the bedding. This was summer time so I washed outside in a big wash tub. Water was heated on the coal
stove in the kitchen then carried out. I added some melted home made soap, put the wash board in the tub & rub a dub, I washed all the clothes in the tub. I had to ring them out by hand. When it came for the sheets to be rinsed, I would squeeze the water out by hand the best I could. Mrs Mills came out helped me squeeze some water out after the last rinse. She would say " that is good enough" then helped me throw the dripping sheets over the out door clothes line to dry. Those were the dry years so they dried well in the hot breeze.

Mail day I help fill the grocery orders for the customers. I had to write their order in a order book, which had a black tracing paper in between the order sheets so the customer could get a copy as well as the store keeper. We would have each order ready for the customer when they came back to pick their groceries up. Some paid cash. I pulled out a drawer to place the bills in one section & coins in separate places for pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters,etc. This is how it was done before cash register's were used. Mr Mills made a lot of the meals but I did what ever I was asked to do. I cleaned the living quarters each day made the beds & helped her as she needed help. She was a kind but a very large lady and not well, she didn't eat right as a diabetic. Mr Mills gave her insulin by needle each morning & some times she would go into a insulin shock if she didn't eat enough,he would spoon feed her until she came to.

I would go back to my cousins for each Sunday so I could go to church with them. Some days I would ride a old bike to come & go to work from the Johnson's. When this job was finished I got a job in the store in Parry Sask which was the next town. Mr & Mrs Sherr's were related to my cousins husband, as their daughter was married to Mr Harry Johnson's sister Mildred. The Sherr's lived up stairs over their store. I helped her with the house work & some of the meals. The same train stopped in Parry to leave off supplies for the store & the mail. The train days were the same days as in Dummer. My new employer was much cleaner & both of them were so good to work for. While I worked in this store the Sask Education tax came in, & it was either 2 or 3 cents on the dollar. We also used a drawer to put the money in as well. He had me to leave the tax charge for him to add when he did the books. This store had more customers, they carried more supplies. Saturday night was a very busy time & all three of us were in the store until after 11 at night. One day while in the store cleaning I was alone when a man came in. He ordered got some groceries then asked for a large bottle of vanilla. Then the next week he did the same thing. I asked my boss why he, a bachelor would use that much vanilla in a week. He also bought several bottles of pop so this was how he celebrated his week ends. They told me this mixture was very hard on the stomach. I enjoyed my time I worked in this store. Saturday nights the youth would walk around the main street block on the only side walks in the town, girls & boys looking at one another too shy to talk to each other, so they walked, giggling girls & whistling boys. The youth were actually shy then. Times have really changed sense those good old days!

My other job at my Uncles & 2 stores

I worked near my relatives for several years. I worked for Oscar & Alta Lincoln's north of Parry Sask. I did house work made meals & anything else that I was needed to help them. They gave me Sundays off, so I went to their daughter, my cousin Cecile Johnson. They would go to church each Sunday at Kedive where there was a small church which was moved through the years to different towns where ever it was central for the Grace Gospel congregations. Most of these folks had came to Trossash's camp each year. The preachers were several who had learned the scriptures at camp. Mrs Art Pritchard was main minister at the time they met in Kedive & then it was later moved to Pangman.

While at my uncles they also had a hired man. My uncle at this time was farming with horses, this was the time before tractors or power machinery. We had to get up at 4am, each work day, as the horses had to be fed & cared for. I was call to get up to make the breakfast for the men who would be in to eat in a hour. The stove was stoked & hot, I had to get a large breakfast ready. I would serve oatmeal, fried eggs, toast with home made Jam & coffee. I often had home cured bacon. The menu changed from day to day. My aunt taught me one day how to catch a young roaster, put a twine string around both its legs, then hang it upside down on the clothes line. She also showed me how to cut its head off, by finding the right joint then quickly remove its head, I then moved quickly away as the bird would flop around. (this may sound cruel to some,) but it as done quickly so it does not hurt the bird). We must have meat cooked for tired working men by 12 noon. I had to have a kettle of boiling water to bring outside to put the chicken in & when the feathers loosened I had to pluck them off & clean the bird. In the house I would have cold water from the out side cistern to clean & draw the bird & cut it in the right pieces for eating. I would have to keep water cool so it would be ready to fry in home made butter so this meal would be ready in time. I would peal the potatoes, have a vegetable from the garden or a jar of home canned veggie that had been done the year before. One summer I worked for a neighbour girl who needed to cook for the threshing crew, for her mother had died. A large crew of men arrived early, I was to help her with everything, They kept a coffee pot on the back of this coal fired cook stove all day long, it was very strong coffee as it brewed all day. It was a very large pot, they even had two pots on for these were men from Denmark who had coffee in the morning, 2 lunch times & also for the evening meal. Anna Hanson was a hard worker for her age & a cheerful person to work with. Next time I will tell more of working in the country store.

My Employment days

I worked one winter for a former neighbour, the ones I mention before, Bob & Alma Banks. They had a family of 4 small children. Alma had to go to either Moose Jaw or Regina for a operation. I was with them for several months that winter. I made the meals also doing all the house work. Some of the children went to school. I made home made bread, it was with the older type of yeast, which was a block of yeast which was slower to rise than we have now. I had to start the bread the night before. The yeast was soaked in warm water. I would put a large amount of the flour into the large bread pan add the soaked yeast mixing it into the flour until I had a large ball of bread dough which was put in a large bowl to rise. This was covered with a cloth & left to rise over night. It was all wrap in a heavy blanket where it would rise until early morning. This was how it was done in the winter. But in the summer I would get up early in the morning to make bread. After the dough had risen I punched it down & I would let it rise again, I may punch it down several time before I put it in the loaf pans to rise in a warm place for a hour. I had to be sure the oven was hot enough before I put the bread into the oven to bake for an hour or until it was a golden brown. There was nothing better than to have fresh baked bread for the evening meal.

While I as was still working here. Alma was home from the hospital, her husband Bob wanted to burn off some stubble back of this grove of trees behind their house. He was using one horse with one section of harrows. He lit the fire in the harrows, a wind came up caused the fire to come towards the horse. This horse lept towards the bushs then the wind sent the fire into the horse. Alma & I went out to see what was happening. Bob finally got the horse out of the fire but it was so badly burned it had to be put down. The sight of this caused Alma to wake up in the morning unable to speak. I don't remember if she saw a Dr but she did get her speech back, this was tramatic event for all of us as this was one of their driving horses.