Thanksgiving Friday Tradition

According to this title, I know you are thinking I will write about shopping on "Black Friday". No, I am not. For 6 years my daughter and I have had a Friday after Thanksgiving "tradition"of going to the pianist, Lori Line's Christmas concert at the D.E.C.C. It has always been a fun way to start the holidays with my daughter, here in Duluth, putting us both in the Christmas spirit. Last year we took my Granddaughter with us. It was great.

This year, Dawn and her family were not able to come up for Thanksgiving or the weekend. As this week came closer, my husband commented to me that "you will really miss not attending Lori Line's concert". He suggested I go myself. (He is not interested, plus there's football on TV tonight you know). I decided I would go if I could find someone to take along that I could share the joy with. I found someone, and purchased the tickets the other day. So, tonight my friend, who I haven't seen in a very long time, and I will be enjoying Lori Line's Christmas music! I can't wait!! I'm all ready to go!

Hunting

When I was looking for photos to post, I came across this one, another photo that my Aunt gave me. I believe it was taken in the early 50's. All of the men in my Dad's family were hunters of game, pheasant, rabbits, squirrels and of course, deer. Even the Brother in Laws, who grew up in the city, became hunters. There was a lot more small game back then on the farms, than there is now. I thought of this photo today, since this weekend is the first weekend of Deer Hunting here in Minnesota. My husband is not a hunter. He grew up in the city, but never had any friends here that hunted, so he never took it up. When I hear some wives complain about their husbands hunting, maybe I'm glad. But then again, one of my friends tells how when her husband goes out of town to hunt, she usually gets a new piece of furniture for the house! My Mother was never thrilled with hunting season because all of the relatives and friends from the city would come and hunt with Dad. She always made large meals to feed them too. I know that my Grandma Della, that I post about on this blog did a lot of cooking for hunters too. She really enjoyed cooking for them, even if she let on she didn't...ha ha...she and Grandma both enjoyed cooking for their loved ones!!!

I liked hunting season, because then I saw Uncles and Dad's friends, and I enjoyed helping Mom in the kitchen and sitting around the dinner table listening to them tell stories and talk.

In this photo my Dad on the right with the hunting dog. The other two are my Uncles...(his Brother in Law's who both grew up in the city). They look like a "motley crew" don't they!

This was taken at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Dad's Farm

This is the home I grew up in. This farm was just down the road from the farm that my Dad grew up on. This was taken in 1953 by one of my aunts, and she gave me a copy. My Grandma helped my Dad to buy this farm by co/signing for him at the bank. He bought it around 1945 or so, before he and my Mother married. He farmed both this farm and his parents farm, as his Dad worked a job in the city. My Mother went to Harrisburg Hospital Nursing School while Dad farmed. After graduating nursing school, they got married.

The farm has stayed in the family. My second to the youngest brother and his family now live there. My sister bought a piece of the land and lives by the farm too.

Grandma's Journal - Youngest Grandchildren visit

This journal entry was written in December, 1991 when her youngest son, Samuel's family visited. Alyson and Jessica were Grandma's two youngest Grandchildren, and my youngest cousins. They each wrote something in Grandma's journal, as the children and Grandchildren often did. I don't think they would mind if I quoted here what they wrote to their Grandmother:

"Every time I pass a church

I always pay a visit

So when at last

I'm carried in

The Lord won't say

Who is it?'

--- Love, Alyson

"Sweet is the Grandma who reads these lines,

May her sweetness all be mine"

--- Love, Jessica

Then their Mother wrote:

"We just ran out of our literary knowledge". - Peggy and Sam

Grandma's Journal - Meals

This is a photo of the farm house that Grandma and Grandpa raised their 7 children in. This photo was taken after they didn't live there anymore. My Aunt and Uncle bought the farm after they retired, and they fixed it up quit a bit. I took this on one of my trips home, when I realized that I didn't have any photos of the house. When Grandma and Grandpa lived there, there was a hedge around the yard, by the road.

November, 1991

"I just had a good dinner I always appreciate the good meals here, because I always made good meals for my family In the summers I had lots of cantaloupes, cucumbers, watermelon. Herbert was a good farmer and we had a big, good garden and a big patch. He had a motor and cultivator that worked the ground. I canned and froze and got ready for the winter. That was good eating. The family did come around to eat, after they were grown. I liked to feed them. I miss them so very much. I have a good window to look out, and some may be around later today. "

December 24, 1991

"A very nice clear morning. I just had a good dinner. Potatoes, meat, bread, pie and fruit. A nice meal. I had big meals to make back when I was on the farm. Lots of visitors, workmen, neighbors, friends. I have a nice big place here, a big bedroom, phone and a good chair Bill brought in for me. My window is full of photos of the little ones."

Grandma's Journal - A Sunday

Sunday, November 3, 1991

"A nice clear, cool morning. I just had a very good dinner. Their meals here are just right. Prepared and tasty. I have a nice, pleasant room to live in and to sleep in. I look for my family to come to see me. They do come. The little ones are so dear and cute. I have a lot of them. You see I have 7 children, Sylvia, Grace, Sara and Jane and 4 boys, Gerald, Fred, and Samuel. A nice good family. They grew up and went to school and college and now they have families that come to see me. This Brethren Home is a good home for the aged. They are good to us. Herbert, my husband, died here. He was a good Husband and Father, worked very hard. I can say this home is a wonderful good home. Everyone is nice to us who live here. I have good neighbors. "

(Here is a photo of my brother and my Dad visiting Grandma in the nursing home. My Dad was Grandma's oldest. I am the oldest Grandchild)

Grandma's Journal - School Days

From Grandma Della's Journal: November 10, 1991

"Good Morning - A bright sunny day. It is now 10 am. What do I have to write about in this nice new book. Mr. Joseph, a cousin and good friend gave me these books to write in. I like to write and tell all I know about our school and Two Churches, all side by side only a road in between them. My Brother in Law and my sister Sara taught us there at the two churches. They were good teachers. The two churches were two separate church buildings. One a Lutheran and the other a Reformed church. I didn't go to the churches, they were also a school, where we went everyday. Some of our parents and friends were teachers, like my sister Dora Smith and sister Sara Powers and brother in laws, Smith and Powers. They were all real good country teachers. And I went to school with them. I got along fine with them. I was a county champion speller. I studied hard, and went regularly to school."

We had good teachers and had lots of good times. Now I can write about what good times we had, playing ball, Friday evenings, and we had programs singing and reciting and invited the parents to come and listen to us sing and recite.

I liked spelling and was one of the county's best spellers. Now I can still spell. All those big words we used to have, I used to study hard. I believe I can spell them yet, but I am not so sure. I will not try today.

Grandma's Doll

From my Grandma Della's journal: (She was 91 when she wrote this) on November 1, 1991

My Doll

"On day I went to Grandma's,

and forgot to take my doll

I could not play without one

I had no fun at all,

So Grandma made a dollie -

just like the one you know -

she had when she was little

so many years ago.

She took a nice clean corn cob

And made the face with ink -

The undershirt had lace on-

The dress was made of pink.

You couldn't fasten arms on,

So Grandma made a shawl,

and pinned it round so nicely,

you wouldn't know at all.

The hair was made of corn silk -

A pretty color brown.

I think my corn cob dolly -

Is the nicest dollie in the town.

Buddy Holly Played in Duluth

We just finished watching the 1978 movie "The Buddy Holly Story" on one of the cable stations. It was so good to hear Buddy Holly's music again. My husband and I saw the movie in the theater when it was out in 1978. We were commenting that we can't believe that was over 40 years ago.... then think how long it's been since 1959 when Buddy died in the plane crash!

I remember him when I was growing up. There is a connection between Duluth and Buddy Holly. He, along with Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper, played here at the armory, the night before he was in Clear Lake, IA. The 1959 Winter Dance Party Show. Bob Dylan has told how he was there that night in Duluth to see Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan was only 16 or 17. From Duluth, they went to Clear Lake, and of course you remember they chartered a plane to go to their next stop and it crashed. We lost all that were on the plane.

Yes, it was good to hear his songs again, but sad to remember that he died too young.

Grandmothers

Here is a very special photo that I took on my brownie camera, January, 1968 at Grandma E's house, after one of her big meals she had for the whole family. She invited my other Grandma to come too, and so it was a good chance to take a photo of both of them. Grandma Della is the one with the apron.

Speaking of Saints....

Speaking of Saints - I regard both of my Grandmothers as "Saints". They were both strong in their faith and role models for each of their children and grandchildren. My Dad's Mother was the role model that I know my Dad took after. And, so too, my Mother's Mother passed so much on to not only my Mother, but also to me. She took us kids to Sunday School on Sunday's that my parents didn't get there. I was influenced by the things that they would both read. I know how much time both of them did in prayer and reflecting. I know they prayed for their children and their grandchildren

My paternal Grandmother spent almost 10 years in a nursing home. She wrote in her "journal" everyday. Her daughters kept her supplied with writing notebooks. They kept every one of them, and I was fortunate enough to be given quite a few of them. When I first brought them back to MN with me, I sat down and read through everyone of them. I come across them, whenever I am "cleaning" and trying to sort through all my things, and I have to find a special place to put them, so they don't get misplaced, or so someone doesn't throw them out when I am gone. I often thought I would like to write them all up and do a book, and in the 80's I actually started working on that, but then I found myself back in the employed world, and it went by the wayside. I still want to do it, just as I want to make family photo books. (Oh, I wish I could retire...think of the time I'd have then to do both of these things!)

So, now I just came across the journals again last week. I've been looking through them again.

One of them starts on November 1, 1991. Today is November 1st, and in my last post I talked about remembering all the saints. This morning I kept thinking of both of my Grandmothers, all that they did for their church, and for their family, and how much they loved God.

I thought it would be fun to put some of her writing into my posts, some of my readers might like to read about her, as you might all be tired of reading about me and my family. I'd like to have all of you know more about my Grandma Ebersole. So, the next post will be from her journal, written on November 1, 1991. She passed away in April, 1992 - so this will be from the last journal that she wrote.

From the Journal of.....

My Dad's Mother, my paternal Grandmother, Della spent almost 10 years in a nursing home. Her heart was very weak, and when she was moved there after a heart attack and being told that she didn't have long to live, she lived for almost 10 years. She was a woman of faith, and I believe that God gave her more years, so that she could be around for all of us to learn from her. Every time I went home to PA for a visit, I spent time with her, and it was always inspirational to me. I was home in the fall of 91, and I think I must have had a feeling, because I went to see her quite a few times and spent more time with her at the visits. So, when she passed away that spring, I was so thankful that I had spent so much time with her on the last visit.

Here is her journal entry from November 1, 1991:

"I was to church services this morning We have a good pastor here. He is a good speaker, and pleasant. I wish some one would come to see me today. Some of my family - where are all of them? I will forget about them - never - I love them all very much. My seven children and in-laws, make 14, so that makes a table full for dinner. I used to make it often. I liked to get them all together and that was my way. I am here a good many years. I was sick and came here to get well. I am here in a nice room with a good roommate. She goes out often. I like my room and stay here most times. My children come to see me."

From my Grandmother Della's journal.....

All Saints Day

This morning was our Hope UMC's observance of "All Saints" Sunday. On this day we remember those loved ones and "saints" of our church who have gone before us. We remember all, but most especially on this day we honor in memory those that we have lost from our church family from last November through today. I liked the poem that was printed in our bulletin, and have copied it here. I was hoping it would be larger. Hope you can read it. We remembered 4 from Hope, who we all miss very much. Family members of each, came to the front and lit candles in memory/honor of each of them. We also remembered in our hearts those that have gone from our church and personal families through the years.

Remembering

"All the saints, who from their labors rest"