Horses for Sale

This old photo of "horses behinds" has always fascinated me. The horses were being readied for a farm sale during the depression when my G'ma and G'pa Hanle were giving up farming in South Dakota and moving to Canton, Ohio. There were jobs there and hope !! Draft horses were used to pull plows, planters and other farm implements. My Dad had four of these type horses before he purchased his first tractor in the early 40's. We kids always wanted a riding pony, but, Dad would never give in to that idea. He had enough of dealing with these animals and had been kicked one too many times !! Consequently, he was short on love for any kind of horse !!

Another Wedding Photo

This vintage wedding photo is my Mom's older sister, Bertha and her new husband, Lyle Strand. I don't have a date for this marriage, but, I believe it would have been in the late 1930's. Mom and Dad were married in 1933 and Mom was the first of the children in the Hanle family to tie the knot and leave home. G'ma and G'pa moved from South Dakota during the depression, with G'pa going to work in coal mines and later on building and owning a mobile home "court". Lyle was a teacher and I remember he and Bertha were in various self-owned businesses. They made and sold ceramic salt and pepper shakers of various designs for collectors. I think Mom had every different style set they had. Later on, there was some kind of hand puppet business. It was fun to stay with them when we made the trip to Ohio. There was a wonderful hill on the back of their property for sledding in the winter. Our cousin, Ivan, had every toy imaginable and a pony !! Mom said he was a spoiled "only child" -- we thought he was fortunate and lucky, as children will !!!

Hanle Family

I love these old formal family portraits !! This is my Mom, top left, with her siblings and parents, probably about 1933, the year she was married and left home. She was the first to get married, even though sister Bertha, top right, was older. Ervin was the older of the two brothers and died at the young age of 28, leaving behind a wife and two young children. Heart ailments run rampant in the family, and unfortunately, medical technology was not then what it is today. Robert (Bobbie) and Delores (Sis) were the youngest siblings and always seemed to me the most mischievous of my aunts and uncles. Albert, immigrated to South Dakota from Germany at 16, and Katherine's parents had immigrated years earlier. They moved to Ohio in the mid 30's during the depression for Grandpa to work in coal mines and later in the steel mills. They eventually became owners of a mobile home park, which grew and flourished. My first memory of a visit to Ohio was for Uncle Ervin's funeral - I was 5 years old. Gandpa and Grandma had the first TV I ever saw - a tiny little box with a black and white moving picture. Three years later, 1948, we had our first TV in our home on the farm.

Special Jewelery Box

This ornate brass and glass, hexagon shape box was amongst the things that once belonged to my G'ma Hanle. My Mom brought it back from Ohio in that truckload of things from Aunt Bertha's, and of course, it was love at first sight for me !! I really didn't think Mom would let me have it, but, she did !! The jewelery that I display in it are vintage pieces I have purchased at the antique mall shopping trips -- pieces that I "just couldn't live without" !! A pair of G'ma Lottie's earrings, a teddy bear pin, and a tiny green glass kitten have found a home in this box, also. It sets on my dresser in my bedroom and when I am dusting and cleaning, I always spend a little extra time on it - just admiring it, because it is beautiful and special, as are the pieces within it !!

Pickle Dish

This pretty little 8" long piece was once my G'ma Hanle's. My Mom called it a pickle dish ! There are so many beautiful vintage glassware pieces that defy explanation. Your imagination is unlimited as to what they could have been used for. For me, this would have been something I saw in the store and that particular day, I just couldn't live without it ! Mom brought it home from Ohio when she and her sister were sorting through G'ma's things. I spent a lot of time with Mom and Dad in the early 80's when your Dad was traveling a lot with his job. During one of my "stays", Mom had me help her hang this little dish on a kitchen wall, along with a couple of other pretty plates. It remained there until I brought it to my home when my brother, sister and I were sorting through Mom's things. Mom had labeled it on the back with adhesive tape as "G'ma and G'pa Hanle's". It is now at home in my china cabinet.