The Bulletin
May 5, 2003
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      A heartfelt "Thanks" goes out to my gracious Sister, Donna, for submitting these heirlooms. Say, isn't it about time You sent in a recipe? My recipe "In" pile is getting mighty low! I can't wait to hear from you!

      Next week: An experiment in contrast and comparison!

Memory Lane

Don has done a collection of "Memory " items and from them I have chosen a few to run in the Memory Lane column. This is the first. -DMA

Chapter One

In 1940 our Dad wanted to buy the home farm Section 20. Hannah Carlson was ready to sell. Able DeMesy was living on the place and he wanted to buy it also. However, times were tough and Able could not get the $$$ together and wanted to live there another year. Hannah agreed. They said Harry would get to buy it in 1941. I remember a price of $6000 was agreed on.

The fall of 1941 found us busy plowing and getting the land ready for the next crop. After DeMessys moved, we began building repair, house first, to make it warm for winter. There was no electricity or phone so we had to convert to "old methods." Mom's washing machine and clothes iron were "obsolete." Our lives were back into hand power: kerosene lanterns, no refrigeration; we used a gas lantern in the barn as needed and then when we were done with the chores there we took it in the house and set it on the piano in the living room.

A parlor stove in the living room furnished heat for the whole house -- along with the cook stove in the kitchen. In 1943 we used flax straw (of which there was plenty) to bank the house to keep it warmer in the winter. It worked quite well until the next spring, when one day Mom took out the ashes and a spark ignited the dry straw and we had a good fire going in no time. We got it out, as we had a good supply of water in the water trough. Some neighbor saw it from the highway and came to help. The East side of the house bore scars of this as long as it was used.

Down Memory Lane
by Doris Anderson
(Jr.'s wife)

I went to visit my 91-year-old aunt Saturday afternoon with another aunt and cousin. Had a really nice time. We picked up a big bucket of KFC, with all the trimmings, and had lunch with her. Then we spent the afternoon going down "memory lane." Lots of surprises! :-)

She is the eldest in the family and her health is failing. She had my grandmother's Russian Bible with info written in fly leafs. Dates, births, etc. I wrote this down.

The Bible was printed in Moscow, Russia, 1904, and was brought to this country when they immigrated to the U.S. Have more family photos to duplicate -- younger generation wants copies. Lisa bought a new scanner last weekend, just in time to scan family photos.! :-)

A Little Additional Information
by Doris

My grandparents, both sides, came to the US in a large group from a particular locale. According to tradition, they had been warned by one of their pastors (in a vision) about severe turbulence that would come to their homeland. (Russian revolution). They came from the Georgian area of Southern Russia, where longevity is a common occurrence. My grandmother lived to be 99 years of age before she passed away. :-)

These people were known as "milk drinkers" (a religious sect) and did not drink alcoholic beverages. This was an oddity due to the heavy vodka drinking. This sect consumed large quantities of tea. They also ate sour cream and yogurt-like food. Now, we know that these foods are considered good choices!

The Molokan religious sect separated from the Russian Orthodox Church during the time of Nicholas I (1796-1855) because of their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were persecuted, lost their property and possessions in the major cities, then were exiled. They settled in Central and Southern Russia as farmers.

They refused to bear arms in turbulent years, and came to America in search of religious freedom. Approximately 3,500 left Southern Russia between 1904 and 1912 and migrated to the US. We believe that my grandmother's Russian Bible was bought just prior to their long journey. It was estimated that the cost for a family to make the journey from Causcasus to Los Angeles was $100, according to the records.

A book, entitled "A Stroll Through Russiantown" tells of their history and early settlement years in the US. A museum has been established and more literary info is available for those who want to dig into their "roots." :-)

Grandpa Hans C. Anderson
by Dorothy Anderson

Grandpa came from Denmark as a young man. He never learned to speak the English language quite like a native. When I first met him, I immediately liked him. He was a very pleasant man --but to communicate with him was nearly impossible, as he was very nearly totally deaf. He was a smaller man than his children and was bent from the arthritis from which he suffered. He had a mustache, and as most of the Danish people, he was a tobacco user -- pipe, cigar, or cigarettes -- he didn't seem to mind which!

He spent from spring until fall with his son Harry and the family. In the winter he was at his daughter Lydia's, first in Iowa and then when she moved to the state of Washington he would go there. I am sure the mild weather was pleasant for him as he reached old age. He had been a farmer when he was younger, but from the time I met him, he was retired.

When he was at Harry and Cleo's, he usually helped in the garden, and to the kids' disgust seemed to keep pretty close tab on what they were supposed to be doing and let them know when they were slacking. He liked to go to town with the family or really wherever they went he was eager to go along. I don't think they would have minded that as much IF he hadn't been so quick to "light up."

I have asked Elaine to provide us with some information about her Grandpa, Hans Christian Anderson:

When he lived with us on the farm, he would sit on the front porch and often tell us about coming to this country from the "old country" as Europe was called. We kids would tell him, "Yes, but this is the new country!" Now I wished we would have written it all down and had it on record. but that's the way it is ... and that is a good reason for the Bulletin too, to save some of this family history.

He came from Denmark with his wife and son Maurice (and Carl was expected), and he stayed with a brother in law, John Anderson, in Ibsen Township. At that time, Ibsen was a part of Dwight Township, for those researching history. Later Harry (our ancestor) and Inga were born, also Earl Willie and Earline.

He knew lots of sorrows in his lifetime ... Little Earl Willie died at a year old, then his wife, Inger, died, leaving baby Earline, who was adopted into the John Anderson family. Then his mother came from Wisconsin to help raise the family.

H.C. then married Bertina Olson and had Lydia and Oswald, and then Bertina died in childbirth, and the baby was buried in her arms. Hannah and Anna Carlson often said she was a good woman, and a pretty person.

When Earline and Inga married and had small children, they both died very young, also. H. C. also saw his son Carl die before him. At the time of his death, Oswald, Lydia and Harry were survivors.

I remember him being in a wheel chair when they lived on the Dwight Bonanza farmhouse... However, he recuperated and walked again. He had bowel obstruction surgery when nearing 90 years but died of an aorta aneurism at the age of 90.

Besides farming, and having Holsteins, and Purebred Angus herd, he worked for the Highway department and mowed roadsides with teams for many years.

I often remember how he liked all the things that are not recommended for healthy eating. He loved ham and eggs, and bacon and eggs for breakfast ... smothered with lots of salt.... Also, he ate a lot of cream and bread...

It was hard for him to socialize with his poor hearing ... and now as we get older we can understand his frustrations. Maybe that is why he read a lot, and endorsed "The LEADER," the Non partisan League newspaper.

He had a hard time keeping up with the latest of ideas and inventions, and often would quote these words: "MY, MY, NEVER SEEN SUCH TINGS!"

Another quote we kids would say when we met someone new came about like this ... one of the boys (don't remember which?) put on an ugly Hallowe'en mask and came into the living room one evening ... and he said, "I DON'T KNOW YOU, FELLOW." It is strange he didn't have a heart attack!

We have many special memories of him; he taught us many things... He was kind and caring. He had very little money, only an old age pension which was very meager, but it taught all of us how to appreciate all the good things we have compared to the hard times in his life.

+ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Donna:

I decided to share the bulletin with Anita Oliva....this is her answer:

"Wow, this is fabulous! What a perfect way to keep the family in touch. I passed the Bulletin on to my mother in hopes of starting something similar in our family."

Hello from Southern California. Thanks for E-mails and family news. I think your Memory Lane section is a neat Bulletin feature, Dorothy. Kids are waking up to the fact that unless the stories are told now, they may never know later...

Time to get ready to go for a walk through the park -- now, where did I put my shoes?

Doris

The Bulletin is so good , Dorothy, I wonder how you come up with so many good ideas ... and thanks to all those who have contributed things...Have a good evening.....E.

CHUCKLES

Hi there everybody -- hope you enjoy this new feature -- and feel free to contribute your favorite smile maker! It would be nice to share some funny personal (Jaycie-Markie) stories -- but I didn't get any this week. Here are a couple "fillers" until I can do better!

Grandma's on the Net (or Grandpa, Too)
sent to me by Elaine who got it from Mavis--
whose grandkids could have written it
(or then again, maybe it was one of mine!)

Grandmas's on the net again, the kitchen's not her home,
She used to make us cherry pies, and call us on the phone.
She would talk to us for hours, now she leaves us all alone.
We miss her homemade biscuits and I'll make this little bet
If you want to contact Grandma, you will have to surf the net.

Grandma's surfing on the net, you bet,
She is surfing on the net.
We've been calling her all morning and we haven't got her yet.
She's on the E mail network with her electronic friends
If you want to talk to Grandma, you will have to surf the net.

She's never surfed at Malibu, or caught a wave at Waikiki,
She's never seen a surfboard; hang ten doesn't mean a thing,
She's never met a beach-bum--- Moon Doggie is just a pup.
But when she heads for her computer, you know the surf is up.

Grandma's getting older and her eyes are getting dim,
Her random access memory is half of what it's been.
When Saint Peter comes to call someday, She'll say I can't go yet.
He'll have to wait for Grandma, cause she's surfing on the net.


Subject: Who Makes the Coffee

Who makes the coffee at your house?
Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible!
It says.............
"HEBREWS"


A SENIOR ALPHABET....

A for arthritis,
B for bad back,
C is for chest pains. Perhaps cardiac?
D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight--can't read that top line.

F is for fissures and fluid retention
G is for gas (which I'd rather not mention)
H high blood pressure (I'd rather have low)
I for incisions with scars you can show.

J is for joints, that now fail to flex

L is for low metabolism, (or none, I say)
Wait! I forgot about K!
K is for my knees that crack when they're bent
(Please forgive me, my Memory ain't worth a cent)

N for neurosis, pinched nerves and stiff neck
O is for osteo- and all bones that crack
P for prescriptions, I have quite a few
Give me another pill; I'll be good as new!

Q is for queasiness. Fatal or flu?
R is for reflux--one meal turns into two

S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears
T for tinnitus--I hear bells in my ears
U is for urinary: difficulties with flow
V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy", you know.
W is worry, now what's going 'round?
X is for X ray--and what might be found.

Y for another year I've left behind
Z is for zest that I still have my mind,
Have survived all the symptoms my body's deployed,
And kept twenty-six doctors gainfully employed!!!


I wish You a day of Peace, Happiness and Joy

Our Present Staff:
EDITORS: Mom, Grandma, Sister, etc.
COLUMNISTS:
Doug -------St. Cloud Correspondent - "Family Cookbook"
Beaver------"By Beaver"
Rich---------Mr. In-A-Jam(b) &
Kim------his assistant
Donna------Researcher for "Memory Lane" & "Chuckles"

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