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GROWING UP ON THE DRY FARM

{PICTURE: 44 Ralph, Arlene, Ruth, Wanda & Karma}
{PICTURE: 44 Back Row: Wanda, Karma, Arlene; Front Row: Ruth & Ralph}
{PICTURE: 44 Arlene, Karma, Wanda}
{PICTURE: 44 Arlene & Wanda}
{PICTURE: 44 Ralph}
{PICTURE: 44 Ralph & Ruth}
{PICTURE: 44 Arlene, Dog-Mike, Wanda}
{PICTURE: 44 Linda, Wanda}
{PICTURE: 44 Karma}

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{PICTURE: 45 Wanda, Dad, Karma, Arlene}
{PICTURE: 45 Arlene, Karma, Wanda}
{PICTURE: 45 Wanda & Arlene}
{PICTURE: 45 Karen}
{PICTURE: 45 Karen as baby}
{PICTURE: 45 Quakenasp Grove Near Our Dry Farm}

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When Millie came home from any of her deliveries she never had any one to come and help her in the home. She did it all herself with what little help I could give and later with the help she could get from the older children. Wanda was early a real helper to her mother as have also the others as they got old enough.

{PICTURE 46 Millie}

We taught nursery rhymes to Karen and Karma. They learned quickly and liked to get up and perform before the family and friends. One time Ralph and Ruth were given a verse each to learn for Sunday School two and a half minute talks. I helped Ralph learn his while he accompanied me to get the horses to bring them to water. By the time we got back he knew his. Ruth just couldn't master hers but she did learn Ralph's. So mother let her say Ralph's and taught him her verse, which worked, out all right.

We read the children Bible stories as well as others. I loved to rock and to play with the children. I seemed to have a real knack to getting on well with the little ones, I would bounce them over my head and on my back in fun play.

I tried to help with them if they needed something at night. One time Karma kept waking up at night and wanting to get in our bed. It was winter. Mother suggested I take her out on the back porch. It was cold out there. She clung to me like glue. I couldn't pry her loose to put her down on the floor. We were only out there a few minutes. She learned the desired lesson and never ever disturbed us after that.

The snow depth on the dry farm would be anywhere from one and a half to six feet deep in the winter. One year was an exception because I remember getting the horses in from the straw stack to plow in December some 50-60 acres. The winters did seem to get lighter in the latter years on the dry farm. The first nine years they were tough. The first one we were there it snowed eighteen inches in one night. I didn't have a bob sleigh and I had gone to Ashton to purchase one on November II. It was Armistice Day and all the stores were closed so I stayed with Ward and Fern Costley. The next day I bought one and the store delivered it so I rode back with them.

There was two or three winters we had from five to six feet of snow - that was measured in the trees where it had not drifted. Most winters it covered the fences. Often in the early spring (March) as the snow melted it would freeze so hard at night I could go anywhere with the horses and they would not sink. This was the time I generally covered a large snow bank on a North facing slope with four or five loads

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of straw. This preserved the snow all summer until about August so we had home made ice cream all summer. 1 sure liked that stuff even though the freezer had to be turned by hand.

We had good times skiing in the moon light as a family this time of year.

{PICTURE: 47 Arlene, Lester, Hendricksen, Lloyd, Millie & Vera Hendricksen}
We lived on the dry farm until 1940 - about 15 years. We were members of the Farnum Ward which was about ten miles from our farm. Our bishops were Tom Murdock, Percy Hawkes and Lester Hendrickson. I served in the Sunday School Superintendency in this ward. There were about 250 people in the ward. We could not go much in the winter because of the snow and cold. After the school was built between us and Franc Siding we held Sunday School there in the winter. I was President of this Branch.

{PICTURE: 47 28 (AB) National}
{PICTURE: 47 Horsepower}
{PICTURE: 47 Final 4-cyl. Model}
{PICTURE: 47 4 - Wheel Brakes}
{PICTURE: 47 Chevrolet Interior}
{PICTURE: 47 This was like ours 30 x 4.5 Tires}

We got our first car in 1928. It was a 4 cylinder car that Chevrolet made. It cost less than $1,000.00. It served us well for nine years. It was great going

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through snow up to three feet in depth. Sometimes we would have to back up and hit the snow drift again, but it would get through. John was with me when Millie went down to have Karma. We had to get to Johnson's store where the road was plowed to Ashton. We got out and were able to get back three weeks later with her and the new baby. It was enclosed but had no heater. It had windshield wipers but they didn't work very well.

When Wanda was old enough to go to school, we had to take her to Drummond. It was by car in the summer and by sleigh in the winter. Mother drove the car until the roads got bad then 1 would take over. We'd pick up several other students from our area and take them down too.

{PICTURE: 48 School Wagon}
During this time we were in very hard times. I had purchased some spud machinery - a used planter and cultivator for $65.00. That was about to come due. I had no money to pay it so I took the School wagon job for $60.00 a mo. I made two trips every day with a team all winter long. Karma used to ride with me. Every fence we'd pass she would ask: "Daddy, whose garden is this?" I did this for two years. For winter time I made a canvas cover for my sleigh and had installed a little stove in it. This would keep us fairly warm on the long winter trips back and forth. In the spring when thawing ocurred on the east west roads the runners would slip off the built up tracks of the winter and we would tip over onto our side rather easily. I could generally see it coming and would warn the children saying: "We're going over." They would all scramble out and we would lift it back up and continue on. They thought it was great sport to have this happen. We picked up 8-9 kids along the way. We'd begin in the dark in the winter and it would be dark when we got home. The team I drove knew the road so well I'd never have to touch the reins - they'd never miss the road - even when it wasn't visible to the human eye as in times of storms or blizzards. The kids had a great time going and coming.

I farmed with horses about five years. It was a job each day to just get ready to go to work. It took about two and a half hours to get them ready each morning. Sometimes when they were in the pasture fartherest away from the home place I'd have to go and get them first. Then they had to be combed and curried and harnessed. I had nine horses and they worked well together. When I sold them to a Mr. Cordingly from Ashton I got less than $300.00 for all of them. Horses were going out and tractors coming in for use at this time.

{PICTURE: 48 Lloyd Bean At Work}
I got a gas crawler Allis Chalmer tractor for about $3000.00 and had to have gas delivered to the ranch to run it. This made it possible to farm more effi-

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ciently with less help and to do it faster. I took on about 200 acres more of land about this time.