Celebration of a life - part 13

Describe the military experience of someone in your family.

I had an uncle and a cousin that took training and were involved in World War One.

Share a memory involving a war during your childhood or youth.

When I was a youth I can remember during World War II when Germany was bombing England, in the 1939's and 1940's.

Share another memory involving a war during childhood or youth.

During my childhood I remember my parents talking about World War I which started in 1913 to 1917.

Tell about your graduation exercises or traditions.

My graduation exercises from the 8th grade were held in Clarinda, Iowa about the first part of June.  With students from all of Page County.  There were approximately 145 students.  I graduated June 1, 1931.  I still have my 8th grade graduation picture.

Describe a very proud moment in your childhood.
The proud moment of my childhood was when I got my first pair of long pants to wear to Sunday School and Church.

Tell about Memorial Day traditions during your youth.
Because we lived in the country we didn't attend any Memorial Day traditions, there might have been some things that were done in the town of Shen. to honor Memorial Day.  I am sure that the War Veterans also honored the day.

Share a special memory of Memorial Day.
The special memory I have of Memorial Day was that my folks always went to the cemetery to put flowers on my Grandpa's and Grandma's graves.

Tell of the closest friend you had during your childhood.
During my childhood we moved to a farm in an area called High Prairie.  There was a family that lived on a farm close by and they had a boy about my age and we were close friends.

Is there anything you have now that you have kept from your childhood?
There is one thing that I have and it is a 24-inch folding ruler.  I also have a 6-inch pipe level wrench.

Do you have any good bathtime stories?
I suppose that my folks did tell us bathtime stories but I don't remember any.  When I was in my childhood we didn't have indoor plumbing so I had to take a bath in a washtub.

Unknown naked Anderson in washtub.  Grandpa thinks it's Elroy.

Tell about a strange person that lived in your town.
This man's name was Little Charlie Olson (Lilla Kalle Swedish name), he would walk on the road by our place in the country.  He sold books for a living.  He was a strange looking person with book packs on his back, a very honest and friendly person.

What was the funniest name or nickname in your town?
I didn't live in the town of Essex but I knew a girl who lived in Essex whose name was Eleanor and her nickname was Eenie.

Did you ever sleep under the stars?
When I was a youth, two fellows beside me, were on our way home from the harvest fields in Minn(esota), we stopped at a grassy spot by the side of the road and slept under the stars, until a train came by on a track.  We didn't realize the track was there.  That really woke us up.

Celebration of a life - part 12

What were May Baskets made of and what did they contain?
We made May Baskets out of heavy paper and in them we put small flowers, candy, cookies and such.

How much do you remember paying for an ice cream cone?
I remember paying 5 cents for an ice cream cone, in my childhood an ice cream cone was a big treat.

Did you ever have a treehouse?
No I didn't have a treehouse, but I would climb a tall tree, and when the wind blew I would sway back and forth.  I really enjoyed that.  I would like to do it again at 79 years old.

Were you ever bitten by a dog?
I went to work on a farm for a family that had a large dog, as he didn't know me he bit me on the leg.

Did your mother ever make a special gift for you?
I can't think of a special gift, but I am sure that she made things for me.

Tell a favorite memory of your mother.
My favorite memory of my mother would be that she would read interesting stories and also Bible stories.  We had a weekly paper that were for children.  My mother would read me stories from it.  The paper was called (WHAT TO DO).

Tell about some good advice your mother gave you.
The good advice my mother gave to me was to be courteous to my friends, both girls and boys.

Relate your family Mother's Day traditions.
In my childhood I don't remember observing Mother's Day traditions.

Do you remember any childhood songs or rhymes?
In my childhood I remember the song Jesus Loves Me.  I also remember nursery rhymes.  I can still quote some nursery rhymes.

Name some popular hit songs from your youth.
In my youth we didn't have a radio at our home in the country so I didn't hear any hit songs.

What was your favorite singing group or band?
I didn't have any favorite singing group or band that sang or played hit songs.  I did have a favorite men's quartet in our church that sang spiritual songs.

Tell a favorite singer and a song that he/she sang.
I didn't have a favorite hit song singer, but my mother was my favorite singer.  She sang He the Pearly Gates Will Open in Swedish.

What kind of dances did you do as a youth?
I didn't dance when I was a youth and I still don't.  And Kerri you would laugh if you saw your 78-year-old Grandpa dance wouldn't you.

Celebration of a life - part 11

When you played make-believe, what did you pretend?
My brother and I would play horse, we would have leather straps hooked on our bib overalls.  The one in front would be the horse, the one behind the driver.  I liked to be the driver because I could outrun the horse.

The "horse" (Elroy) and "driver" (Glen/Grandpa) - at least, I assume it's Elroy he could outrun, not Delbert.

If you could return to your childhood, what would you do differently?
If I could return to my childhood I would do my best to please them and obey them more.

Is there anything you would do differently as a teenager?
As a teenager the thing I would do differently would be to run around with more girls than I did.  Of course I did have some girl friends.

Did you ever write something that you were really proud of?
Yes I am really proud of something I wrote and that is when I wrote to you.  Kerri I hope that you understand what I mean.  Like writing letters to you.

What is the best book you ever read as a child?
I enjoyed detective books.  My favorite books were the "Hardy Boys" books.

What is the biggest physical problem you had to deal with?
I had an appendectomy when I was a teenager.

Where were your best hide-and-seek places?
The best hide-and-seek places would be behind a large bush, or behind a tree, or around some dark corner of the house.  Sometimes we played in the barn and hid in the hay.

Tell about the first time you were ever behind the wheel of a car.
The first time I can remember was when my Dad was teaching me to drive.  I took too wide a turn when I turned a corner and my Dad corrected me.

Did you ever take anything that wasn't yours?
I can't remember if I took anything that wasn't mine, at least not on purpose.

What did you do with it?  Did you get caught?
I didn't take anything, so I didn't get caught.

Do you have a story about a big surprise?
One day my Dad came home from town, he had bought a bright yellow coaster wagon for me and my two brothers and sister to play with.  Our friends and us really had a great time with it.  That yellow wagon was a surprise to me.

What childhood fear do you remember?
At night time if there was some kind of noise outside and I didn't know what it was, I was afraid.  Then my Dad and Mom would comfort me, and then everything was O.K.

Celebration of a life - part 10

Make up a limerick about yourself.
I met a gal from New York,
that said I should use a fork,
to dig up the weeds,
that grew from the seeds,
from the bottle I forgot to cork.

Make up a limerick about me.
At Kerri's I'm not able
to watch my show on cable,
so I cannot see
how Lucy will be,
all wrapped up in her sable.

Relate a favorite spring memory.
In the spring my folks would hang the parlor rugs on the clotheslines, and we would beat them with rug beaters or sticks to get all the winter dust out.

Share a memory of going to church as you were growing up.
My memory of going to church was going to Sunday School and morning service, then for evening service.  Also young people's meetings, when I got older.

Share a memory about a church social activity.
The young people of the church had social activities once a month.  There was singing and reading.  After the services there was refreshments and visiting among the young people.

Tell about an Easter egg hunt.
I don't remember having Easter egg hunts while I was growing up.

If your family went to Easter sunrise services, tell about it.
The young people of the Covenant churches of Shen., Red Oak, Stanton, Essex, and Fremont (in the country) held Easter sunrise services on a hill by the Fremont church.

Tell about any other Easter tradition.
As a child our church held a program in the evening with singing, and the children said verses from the Bible.  At the end of the program we all got a large orange.  That was a big treat.  This program was held on Easter Sunday evening.

Celebration of a life - part 9

What bones have you broken and how?
I have been very fortunate.  I have not had a broken bone to this day.  I'm 78 years old.

Did you ever need stitches?
The only time I had stitches was when I had an appendectomy.  I was a teenager then.

Do you have any other good stories about being injured?
No I don't have any good stories about being injured.  I was very fortunate about not being injured much.

Tell of a childhood illness.
The childhood illness I had was called yellow jaundice, also I have had the measles.  I don't remember if I had the chicken pox or not.

Tell about an experience at the doctor's.
When I was a teenager I went to the doctor and it was my appendix, then I had an operation.

Name your best school chums.
My best school chum was a guy by the name of Ray.  Our school was crowded with students so Ray and I sat together in a seat that was room for two students.  Sometimes we would laugh between us instead of studying.  Those were good school days.  We lived on our dad's farm, so we were together during vacation time.

What were some crazy names or nicknames in your school?
In our country school I can't recall any of the students having crazy names or nicknames.  In our school there were approximately 20 students.  From 1st grade thru 8th grade.

Tell about a practical joke or prank you played on a person.
I can't remember if I played a joke or prank on one certain person, but I'm sure I did as my friends said that I was the ornery one.

Tell about a practical joke or prank someone played on you.
One night I seen a car stop on the road by our place.  A knock was heard on our back door.  I opened it and our neighbor grabbed me.  Boy I got scared.  That was a prank that was played on me.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a carpenter.  When I was 10 years old (on my 10th birthday) I got a tool box of carpenter tools, of which I still have some to this day.

Have you ever hunted, or tried to capture a wild animal?
I have hunted rabbit and pheasant.  I have not tried to capture a wild animal.

Celebration of a life - part 8

Do you have a good story about yourself cussing?
I am glad to say that I and my family did not use cuss words.
(I really wanted to skip that one...)

Tell about how you spent your Saturdays during the school year.
On Saturday, I would play with the neighbor "kids."  I had a miniature golf course.  Also I would play with our dog and cats.

Tell about how you spent your Sundays.
I would go to Sunday school and church in the morning and evening service.  In the afternoon I would visit with friends or just relax.

What was the naughtiest or meanest thing you remember doing in school?
I can't think of any mean thing that I did, but I'm sure there were some pranks I did to my schoolmates.

What were the consequences?
The consequences were to stay in the school building and would not get to go out and play at recess.

What was your favorite radio program?
My favorite radio program was called "Gang Busters."  It was sort of a police story.

What was your favorite movie as a youth?  Why?
When I was a youth I didn't go to movies.  My parents didn't approve of movies.

Did kids ever tease you?  About what?
I can't remember if the kids did tease me, but my older brother would tease me about girls.

Tell of a difficult school essay or term paper assignment.
We didn't have school essays or term paper assignments in our country school.  We did have tests on different subjects.  Like English, history, math, geography, hijegen spelling, hygiene, reading.
:)

Tell about your first smoke.
I am glad to say that I didn't smoke at all at any time.
Does anyone else get the feeling he thinks he's going to run for President someday or something?

Do you remember your first pizza?
I have yet to taste my first pizza.  I am now 78 years old.

Did people wear green on St. Patrick's Day?
When I was a youth I don't recall people wearing green.

Do you have any other memories of St. Patrick's Day as a youth?
When I was a youth I don't have any memories of St. Patrick's Day.

If you ever hitch-hiked, explain.
Yes I did hitch-hike.  (Finally!) :) When I was in the service during World War II I would hitch-hike quite often to my home and family in Wichita, KS and to my parents' home in Essex, Iowa.

What do you remember as your favorite time of year?  Why?
I remember two favorite times of the year.  Christmas and the 4th of July.  At Christmas we celebrated Christ's Birth.  And at the 4th of July, because of the Independence of our Great Nation.  At Christmas we gave and received gifts.  At 4th of July we had church and S.S. picnic, also had fireworks.

Describe some household chores you had as a child.
Keep the corn cob basket full of corn cobs for the cooking range or stove.  Carry wood from the woodpile into the wood shed for the heating stove in the winter.  Also carry water into the kitchen for drinking and cooking.

Describe some outside chores.
The outside chores were to mow the lawn in the summer and also shovel snow in the winter.  Feed and care for the cows and horses, feed chickens, take care of our dog and cats.

Which chore did you dislike the most?
To shovel snow in the winter I disliked the most.

Celebration of a life - part 7

Tell about your first favorite TV shows.
When I was growing up there was no TV.

Tell about family reunions in your childhood.
There was one family reunion that I can remember.  It was very enjoyable.  We also had picnics with family and friends.

What do you remember as your favorite subject in school?
I had no favorite subject in school.  Many subjects were hard for me.

What do you remember as your least favorite school subject?
My least favorite subject was math.

What is the biggest problem you remember having in grade school?
I was sort of a shy guy when I was in grade school.  That was my biggest problem.

What is the biggest problem you remember having in junior high school?
I never went to jr. high school.  I only went thru the 8th grade.  First grade thru 8th grade were in the country school.

What is the biggest problem you remember having in senior high school?
I did not go to sr. high school.  I stayed home and worked on the farm.  School was hard for me so I didn't go after I graduated from 8th grade.  I was too fright(ened) to go to jr. or sr. high school.  My father called me "Sun" son.

Describe a place you liked to go to be alone.
When I wanted to be alone I would spend time in our garage.  I liked to be around cars and tractors.  We had 1 car and 1 tractor.  Also I would spend time laying on the running board of our Model A Ford and think of different things.

Tell of a place that you discovered or built as a "haven" for your gang.
We lived in the country so I didn't have a "haven" for a gang.

Tell about the best pet you ever had.
The best pet that I had was a dog.  His name was "Jack."

Tell about other pets you had.
The other pets I had were cats.  My family used to talk about Glendon and his cats.  One cat would follow me as I walked around the yard.

Tell about being in a school play or program.
In our grade school we had the annual Christmas program.  All pupils had different songs and pieces.

Tell about a school principal you remember.
In our grade school we didn't have a principal.  Our teacher was in charge of the school.

Did you ever pretend to be sick as an excuse to stay home from school?
No I never did pretend to be sick to stay home from school.  The last 3 years, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, I never missed a day, nor was ever tardy.