Y Happy Valentine's Day Y

UPDATE -- an introduction to Lori Chap
(adapted from Lori's Powerpoint presentation)

Lori Chap, with family and friends.
Click here for an enlarged version of Lori's page.

UPDATE -- an introduction to Donna Richards
by Donna Richards
Eden Prairie, MN

Although I'm not a blood relative, your family has always made me feel welcome as the "other daughter, Donna."

I was born and raised in a small farming community, Buffalo Lake, Minnesota. Ashby reminds me much of my hometown, a small, close knit community. I lived on the farm with my parents, Derold and Erma, an older brother Steven, and a younger sister, Paula. My dad grew cash crops like soybeans, corn and wheat as well as hay to feed the livestock. We had about 30 milk cows, chickens, beef steers, and pigs. We had a few ducks and geese over the years, too. The farm also had its share of cats and dogs.

When my older brother graduated from high school and joined the Army, I became the barn assistant. I no longer had to help with the dishes after supper, which was fine with me. Hated housework even then (something that hasn't changed over the years!). Most days I got up before school to go out and feed the cows and help set up for milking. Evenings I helped my dad with the milking, tossed hay down from the mow, hauled bales of straw to bed down the cows, fed newborn calves their milk, and generally took care of the cows and their calves. In the summer, I was often the only one doing the evening milking as dad was in the field planting, plowing, cultivating, or harvesting into the night. I'm definitely the farmer's daughter.

By the time I graduated from high school, my dad had given up farming and milking, due to a bad heart. The two of us would drive to Hutchinson (about 20 miles away from home) each day where he would work for a manufacturer and I attended Hutchinson Vo-Tech. That's where I met Donna Anderson, now Johnson. Hutch Vo-Tech was a small school at that time, so everyone knew everyone and we all had a great time together. I remember cheering at broom ball games, attending slumber parties, and going to Waconia Ballroom to listen to the Jolly Brothers band. One of the members of the band attended Vo-Tech with us, so it was fun to follow the band. I'd be a lot slimmer today if I still danced to those polkas like I did back then!

Following that year of Vo-Tech, I found a job with an insurance agency in Bloomington, Minnesota. I lived with a cousin, initially. Donna (Anderson) Johnson was living with another Vo-Tech classmate, Lyla Dahl. We didn't live too far apart, and got together often. I have lots of stories about the early years with Donna and Lyla, but that's for another day.

Over the years, Donna and I stayed in touch even though we weren't always living in the same state. While Donna was dating Beaver, she moved in with me. By that time I had purchased a two-bedroom condo in Eden Prairie (where I still live today), so she "rented" my second bedroom. We really became close during those years together, and when my parents passed away, she and her family adopted the "poor orphan girl" into their family. Her home has become my second home. I always feel welcomed there, and get lonesome when I can't see her fairly often.

Today, I still work in the insurance industry. I started with RJ Ahmann Company in Eden Prairie about a year ago as a customer service representative. I spend most of my time on the phone answering questions on personal insurance.

I'm single and have two cats to keep me company, Beau and Tai. (Get it? Bow tie?? Too clever, huh?) I have always been an animal lover; I used to sneak barn kittens into the house so I could suck my thumb and rub their soft ears. I never had a security blanket; instead I used the kittens. As my mom didn't allow animals in the house, sneak was the word of the day.

I enjoy doing counted cross-stitch, and other crafty pursuits (knitting, crochet, even made some fleece blankets this winter), reading, and singing. I've sung with a contemporary music group in my church for over 10 years and enjoy it greatly. I've also sung at many weddings over the years. Most recently Anita Oliva and I sang for Shari and Ray Schweiger last March at their wedding on the beach in Florida.

I've enjoyed The Bulletin so much. Even though I don't have common ancestors with your family, the stories you tell remind me of my home and my family. My mom and dad were both raised on a farm and told stories of cold winter days, helping with farm work, and riding horses to country school. (My dad's school was close to their house. The horse he rode to school knew how to get home again on his own.) Even though we never had a horse on our farm, as a horse lover, I always enjoyed his stories. As I enjoy the stories provided by your subscribers.

Donna Richards

Starting with Bulletin 124, I planned to run biographical sketches of the members of our staff. Now that this has been done, I want to run sketches and pictures of the readers and subscribers who have not already done introductions. Please tell us about yourself. What is your work and what else do you do with your time? How are you related or what friend introduced you into the family? I am hoping that you can share family photos and background sketches. Send all manuscripts and pictures to me at dma49261@juno.com

I am a storyteller, not a historian -- the people in this story are real, but the events did not necessarily happen in the order, or at the time, I describe. I have taken liberties with some of the happenings -- but everything is based on my memories, whether they be 100% factual or artifacts.

I am going to tell you a story about a Smith Lake School happening. So that it is easier to tell it, I think I will tell you who we have in our school ... The Carlson kids go here; they came in the fall of this year for the first time. There are four of them: Elsworth, who is in the 7th grade; Carl, who is in the 6th grade with my Cousin Gilbert; Verona, who is in the 5th grade with me, and Genevive, who is in 3rd grade with my brother LeRoy ... besides, there is Gordon Mullen, who is in 4th grade. (He picks on my brother a lot -- but I try to keep him in his place!)

Our school is a really large white school. My Grandpa Mellon went here when he was a boy. He said it was made this large because there were about 50 to 60 children who went here then. Smith Lake was a good sized town at that time.

I especially like it that we have a steeple with a large bell in it with a rope hanging down through the upstairs where junior high used to be ... and down into the hall that is at the front of the room where we have our entry way and cloak hall. I love being allowed to pull the rope to ring the "recess" bell.

We all have our duties. It is fun helping Miss Johnson, as she is so nice (most of the time). We all like pulling the bell rope the best!

For the last two weeks we have not had to think of things to do with our free time ... we were making plans for our Valentine's Day party. First we discussed what kind of box we would make to put the valentines in! Gilbert came up with the idea of each having our own valentines box. Miss Johnson thought that was a splendid idea and offered to have a prize for the best one. I think we all knew who would win that. Gilbert was the one who always thought of such clever things to play, and projects to make, so it was "hands down" that he would win. But we didn't mind as he was such fun. He was good to all the little kids -- not like the "smarty" Gordon. We knew who would make his (his mother, of course!).

And besides our boxes, we would need to make lots of valentines. We were each given construction paper to use -- two sheets of each of three colors: red, white, and pink ... and we were allowed to use all we wanted from the big scrap box where the scraps from our year's art projects were kept ... it had almost any color you wanted. Every spare minute we had was spent in cutting, pasting, finding pictures from the seed catalogues we had brought from home, thinking up verses, and planning our boxes.

For doing the boxes we were allowed to use crepe paper from the packets that were with our art supplies, but the work really had to be done at home so they would be secret. It ended up that Bubsy (that is LeRoy's nick-name) and I worked on ours together; really, it didn't matter, as we were sure Gib was already the winner there. I used an empty oatmeal box and for his we used a box that crackers had been in. (Mom was nice and emptied them so we could have them to use.) I really think ours both turned out nice. We tried to be extra neat, but of course some paste did get smeared a bit.

So early this morning we got all our things together -- valentines, our boxes, our homework, and our lunch boxes -- and because Bubsy and I had so many things to carry, Daddy hitched up the horses to our sled and we got a ride. He and the horses would be busy for today! First we got a ride to school. Later they had to bring Mom and Gert to the party at two, as they were to be guests. Mom would bring some cookies and cocoa to heat up for our part of the party lunch. Then, at four, Daddy had to come back and pick us all up.

Miss Johnson had covered our reciting table with white paper and made a crepe paper streamer around the edge. The table was to set our boxes on. Ours were the first, as we had come the earliest. They looked nice! I wondered what the rest would bring.

Soon the front door blew open and I went out the left front door that goes into the girl's section and helped Verona and Genevive with their things. They had fixed one box, between the two of them, with a slot at each end. It was cute, with cupids by the slots with names, to tell us where to put their cards. The boys took their boxes in and put them way in the back and I will have to say I kind of knew why -- I don't really think either one them had put much thought into the project!

Now we sat and looked at each other and waited. Then I saw Gilbert coming across the field. He was carrying a large sack, which he put on the floor while he took off his boots and then hung his wraps up on the peg. First he fished out a smaller sized, lumpy looking bag and set it on the floor. Next he took out his lunch and put it on the shelves where our lunches sit until lunch time. Then his homework, and finally he was ready to put his valentines box out on the table.

He took the rather lumpy sack into the room and removed his contribution. Gorgeous is the word that comes to mind. It looked like a large plant, just blooming, with the prettiest pink and red blossoms. When I looked at it closely, I saw it was a tin coffee can. He had cut it in strips down to near the bottom. Out of crepe paper he had made flowers which were attached to the rolled up metal strips ... and into the center of it he had fitted a box, covered and decorated with little hearts... The flowers went all around it at different heights.. Well that was a winner for sure! We all just sat there and enjoyed the excitement.

Still Gordon had not arrived ... but that wasn't strange. His mom usually walked him to school from the main street and it was a few blocks. (They generally came about five minutes before it was time to ring the bell.) Just then we saw them coming down the last block. His mom was carrying a rather large object that appeared to be the valentines box. Hmm, it was pretty big...

After they finished in the cloak hall, in they came with Gordon looking so proud ... and do you know what? He had a right to! I don't know who made it -- but it doesn't really matter -- it surely was a winner. They had made the cutest little old fashioned car that you ever saw. All the boys crowded around to look at it and got in the way as we girls wanted to see it, too. But the handbell on the teacher's desk soon sent us flying to our own desks.

We had our morning classes. It all went OK, but I am not sure how much I learned. After recess each of us got our own box and put it on our desk. Then Miss Johnson let us go around the room and put valentines in the other boxes. We were to either buy or make a valentine for each person in school and for our moms and the teacher. Most of us had made many more than that. We had a good time "mailing" our cards.

All the time we "mailed" our cards I wondered what I might be getting from the others. I rather hoped I might get a pretty one from Carl. He seemed really nice. I had made him a nice one. I knew Gilbert had a boughten card for everybody, as well as lots of really pretty ones he had made. But I knew with the Carlsons it would be homemade as their family didn't have money to spend on valentines. We had a nice one from the store for the teacher and a penny one for each of the others -- but I had made some really nice ones besides the ones from the store. When I got back and shook my box as I put it back on the table it seemed full!

Well , the party has come and gone and I am writing in my journal and I have to say that the day was filled with surprises, not all so much fun. I hardly know what to think of it all.

Gordon won first prize for his valentine box.

I did get a card from Carl, but what good is that? He made one exactly like it for everybody in school!

After the party was over and the women were visiting, I heard Mrs. Carlson tell my mother that they were going to have to move, March 1st, as her husband had finally found a job. I guess that is good, but I really hate to see them move. I wonder if I will ever see them again after they do move!

The biggest surprise of all was the very beautiful card -- from the store -- that was in my box. I still don't know why, but Gordon had given me the nicest card of all.

I guess I am glad he won first prize for his box. And I am glad that I told him it was nice before I opened my box!

I just know one thing ... I am going to have to get Gilbert to show me how to make some of those gorgeous flowers!

Handmade valentines by Elaine Wold, left, & Janie Anderson.

Keep It Between The Lines
By Larry Dake

Before I could drive a semi-tractor-trailer, I needed to pass a written test and a driving test. To take the driving test it was required that I provide a tractor-trailer vehicle to take the test in -- and, of course, I had to know how to drive it.

I found an ad promising Class "A" Truck Driver's Training. The price was $100, including the use of the tractor-trailer for taking the test. What a deal!

I was to meet the driving instructor in the parking lot of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's testing facility, where I would later be taking my driver's test. I waited in my car for a semi-tractor trailer to pull up at the appointed time -- maybe a Freightliner, or a Kenworth. I expected the driver would go over the procedures used for connecting and checking the air brakes, he'd have me thump all 18 tires, check the taillights, and then I'd climb up behind the wheel and he'd teach me the finer points of driving the big rigs.

Instead, a rusty old Ford pickup, pulling a rusty old horse trailer, pulled up beside me. The driver, wearing T-shirt and blue jeans, jumped out and introduced himself to me as my driver's training instructor. He collected my $100 dollars and took me through the D.O.T. road test, step-by step.

He then announced that I had completed my training and was now ready to take the test.

I went inside and made the arrangements. I was a little humiliated with my "truck," and doubtful it would even qualify as a testing vehicle. But the officer didn't bat an eye.

In a combined 40 minutes of behind the wheel training and testing, in a rusty old Ford pickup with no air brakes and an automatic transmission, I had completed my semi-tractor-trailer driver's training and passed the driving test. I was now licensed to drive an 18-wheeler anywhere in the United States of America.

When I handed the keys to the Ford pickup back to my driving instructor, he shared this valuable piece of truck driving advice with me.

He said, "Keep it between the lines."

This Week's Special Days:
February 8-14---National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans
February 14---Valentine's Day

February Birthdays:
'
February 1---Kathlyn (Johnson) Anderson
February 4---Cameron Birkholz
February 6---Melody Printz
February 6---Kelli Jo Mellon (6 years old)
February 7---Rylie Johnson (3 years old)

February 28---Eric Anderson

Click here to find out Who's Who in The Bulletin 1