Way Back When

I came across this old photo when I was going through a drawer in my desk. Why it became mislaid with a few other things, I have no idea !! I don't remember why I even have it, but it is a wonderful old picture of my Mom and Dad and Mom's sister, Bertha with her husband Lyle. Mom's handwriting is on the back plus a stamp from a film processor in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. So, I think maybe this is what happened !! These two couples look young, happy and in love. By looking at Mom and Dad, I think the photo would have to have been taken in the early to mid 1930's. Bertha and Lyle were married after Mom and Dad and maybe came to Iowa from Ohio on their honeymoon, then the four of them took a trip together to Wisconsin to visit relatives there. I love the guys dressed up in their suits and ties. Those were the days when people dressed in their Sunday best anytime they went away from home !!

Cousins

This faded photo taken in Ohio, is dated November, 1945. That is me on the right and my sister is on the pony that belonged to cousin Ivan, on the right. Ivan was a long awaited child and always seemed to have everything any child could want. The other cousin is David, whose father had just died. Erwin was my mother's brother and had just been to visit us in Iowa a month before, on his way to South Dakota to go pheasant hunting with family and friends. Of course, this was my first funeral and the image of my Mom lifting me to view my uncle's body in the casket, is as clear to me today as it was that day. If it were not for this photo, that would be the only thing about that trip to Ohio that I would ever have remembered. Odd, the remembrances of childhood experiences that stay with you all of your life !!

Playing Dress-up

The date on the back of this photo is 1948 -- that's me on the right, sister Shirley in the middle and cousin Davy on the right. I don't recall this particular moment, but, I know as kids, we were always taking on roles of someone we idolized or read or heard about, by "playing dress-up" !! I have no idea who any of us were impersonating on this particular day !! Luella, this one friend of Mom's, had a couple of trunks full of beautiful old clothes, hats, jewelery and shoes. We loved visiting her home because she would turn us loose to play with all those wonderful things in those trunks. Luella and Mom would be visiting in the kitchen and Dad and Elmer, her husband, in the living room or outdoors. They all oohed and aahed as we and their daughter, Claudene, paraded our outfits for them. Remember the day we were looking at the old prom and formal dresses your G'ma Schultz had in that closet upstairs ?? I must hunt for the photos of that "dress-up" day !!!

"Pet" Sheep

I'm not sure if I remember this sheep because of this picture or if I really remember the sheep !! I do remember how her wool felt when I put my hand through it, so I guess I remember her !! Or, was it him ? The sheep didn't have a name that my sister or I could recall. We had a fence around the yard of the house and the sheep was good at keeping the grass mowed down a bit. When I was four, we moved to another farm and the sheep was sold. Questions I never asked and now have no one to ask are, why did we have just one sheep ? Did we get it when it was a baby ? Why did we never have any more ? Did she have a name ? I guess we don't always know what questions we might be interested in knowing the answers to.

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 !!

Four Generations

This is another photo taken at that Heckel family reunion in South Dakota back in 1959. There you are at one year old, then me, and I'm not even 20 yet !!! Was I ever that young ?? Seems like a long time ago, yet, only yesterday !! Mom would have been in her mid -40's, and I suppose my Grandma Hanle was probably mid-60's. Mom once told me that my Grandma came up with my name, Virginia. Mom never said so, but, I think they were looking for a boy since I was the second child and probably didn't have a girl's name picked out. And then, I was bestowed with my grandma's name for a middle name, Katherine !! I have always liked my name, but was that ever a lot of letters for a little kid to learn to print !!

Tied to the Chair

Here I am at a few months old tied into a chair with a dishtowel !! Mom told me that I always wanted to be where there was something going on in the house, so this was her solution to keep me happy and still be able to get all of her chores done !! I think I still like to be "where the action is" !! Better not try to tie me down, though !!

A June Bride

June 5, 1954, before I knew your Dad, his sister, your Aunt Joan, married LaVerne. That is your Dad on the far right. I look at this photo and wonder if Joan was allowed to help pick out her wedding gown. Knowing what she has told me about her mother picking out all of her apparel when she was growing up, I think I will have to ask her about this !! At the time I started dating your Dad in high school, Joan and Verne had two little girls and I was called on to babysit quite often. I guess being Dad's girlfriend was good enough reference !!

My Favorite Aunt

This is a high school photo of my Aunt Delores, my Mom's youngest sister, probably taken in the late '30's. "Sis", as she was called by the entire family, was thirteen years older than me, so whenever we were around her, it was like having a big sister more so than an aunt. I was always told that I looked like her, which of course, always pleased me because I thought she was beautiful. My Mom outlived all of her siblings --- although she never said, I'm sure that was very sad for her. In remembering my years of growing up, my family was never open with their feelings -- Hugs were far and few in between -- I remember seeing Mom and Dad kiss each other only one time and that was because I was looking out a window and they didn't know I was looking. Riding in the backseat of the car, I would catch them holding hands if I peeked over to the front seat. I still wonder to this day, why demonstrations of affection were seldom shown. It certainly was not that they didn't care for each other and for us, because it was shown in many other ways.

Celebrating Life

I believe this snapshot of your Dad and me was taken as we were on our way out for an evening to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. I clearly remember us dressing up to go out to dinner to this wonderful little local steak house in Beaver, Iowa. Would we ever have dreamed that day that 40 years would pass so quickly ?? And, would we have thought after 40 years, that our time together was nearing an end ? Time passes all too quickly -- "we do not remember days, we remember moments". This date in May, I celebrate your Dad's life --

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 !!!

Hunting Season

This snapshot of your Aunt Shirley and me is dated September, 1945. We were on a trip to South Dakota to visit the Schultz clan that fall during pheasant hunting season. Dad and his brothers came home with enough birds to feed the family dinner that evening. I remember thinking how good everything was around that huge dining room table with all of the aunts, uncles and grandparents. My grandpa had a mustache and I told him it looked like feathers. From that day on, he called me "Feathers". Sometime during those days, I was sitting on his lap and he showed me this "trick" on how he could take his teeth out of his mouth. I knew nothing about false teeth, so, I really thought he had some special sort of magic !! I kept trying to figure out how to do the trick, but, could never get my teeth to come out !!

"Pet" Chickens

This old photo was in an album that was included in a box full of "stuff" I purchased at the Saturday auction last weekend. It brought back memories of how my sister and I would play out in the farmyard amongst the chickens. There were a few that were friendly and willing to let us pet them. One day, one of the roosters became jealous, jumped on my back and began beating on me with his flapping wings and pecking at me. Mom came running out with a broom when she heard my screaming. Needless to say, it scared the heck out of me and I wasn't willing to pet chickens for quite awhile after that experience !!

Tippy and Spot

This photo was cut and stuck into a glass furniture caster to be used as a paper weight. Every Christmas in country school, the teacher would pick a project for us to make gifts for our parents. The photo was taken around 1950, so it was probably a gift that Christmas. The teacher furnished the materials so the parents wouldn't know what the project was, but, we had to come up with the photo we wanted to use. The paper weight was on Mom and Dad's desk forever after and it is now on mine. Mom always had these caster cups under the legs of furniture, whether is was on carpet, wood floor or linoleum. I think they are now considered antique !! Tippy was the runt of a litter of rat terriers when we adopted him from family friends. Spot, who was totally white with one black spot on a shoulder area, appeared at our farm one day. No one ever came looking for him, so he became ours. We always thought someone had dumped him off nearby, knowing we would take care of him because they couldn't.

The Johnson Kids, circa 1947

There is something about those old professional photos taken back in the '40's that are so charming and "real". No props, plain backgrounds, and just get those kids to smile, all at the same time !! And, those "cardboard" decorative frames !! Your Dad is standing while "big" sister is holding onto baby brother. G'ma Ruth once told me that all of her children were "planned" -- there is approximately 5 years of age between them, so, I never doubted her statement. Joan has said that she was never given the chance to pick out her own apparel until after she was married and on her own. Her clothes were laid out for her to wear to school each day. I wonder if G'ma Ruth was raised in that same manner by her mother. Were the boys given any choices in what they were to wear ?? Your Dad never said that he wasn't !! I like to think he would have chosen a black shirt versus this white one , though !! He rarely shopped for his own clothing as an adult. He relied on me to pick, choose and purchase. Maybe, I just took up where his mother left off !!

Brothers

Another old picture that I just love !! My Dad's family were members of a Lutheran church and this was taken on Dad's confirmation day, which as I understand, took place when he was 16. This would date the photo at 1927. His youngest brother, Calvin, looks to be just a few months old, so he may have been baptized at that same time, since they are pictured together. It always has amazed me that no matter how financially stressed families may have been, they always had at least one nice "dress" suit of clothing. And, it seems, there was always enough money to have professional photographs taken.

Ben and Ada

I love looking through the old family photos - wouldn't it be fun to be able to have a bit of conversation with those long gone relatives ?? This couple is your great-great grandparents, Ada Kendall and Ben Trealor with their only child, Minnie, your great grandmother. I don't have a date for this photo, but, Ada and Ben were married November 16, 1882 and Minnie looks to be a young teenager, so I would guess late 1800's, early 1900's. Your Aunt Joan is creating a wonderful scrapbook about this side of the family. I think I need to be asking her some more questions !!

First Grade

This old 1946 photo came to mind when out of the blue, an old high school classmate called Thursday evening and he had just arrived here in Las Vegas. His hobby is skeet shooting and he came to enter a tournament. I see Dennis most every time I go back to Iowa as he is a neighboring farmer. We grew up down the country road from each other and our parents were good friends nearly all of their lives. His time here is well filled with his tournament, but, we managed to have dinner together Friday evening, then played black jack for a little while. The Bristle farm was in a different country school district than the one I went to, so he is not pictured here with me and my classmates sitting in the school yard. Arthur and I, on the right, were in first grade -- Richard, Terry, and Linda were in kindergarten. With nine grade levels in a one room country school, lesson planning for the teacher had to be quite a chore. I regret not having more photos of the schoolhouse, the teachers and the classmates.

Elda and Elmer

This wedding portrait of my Dad's only sister, Elda, was taken in 1946 when she married the love of her life, Elmer. I was again a flower girl, along with a niece of Elmer's. We were dressed in yellow and shared a basket of yellow and white carnations with baby blue ribbon trim. This time, the flowers were real !! It's really strange that I don't have as vivid of memories of this wedding as the one a year earlier. The only other person in this photo I can name is the man on the far right -- Delbert -- a brother to my Dad. Elda and Elmer spent their life together as dairy farmers in South Dakota. They raised 3 sons, one of who now manages that same farm. I don't do well with keeping in touch with "far away" relatives. Mom always kept me updated and now my brother does a pretty good job at it !! Your Aunt Shirley is probably our best family historian, though.

Lehman and Irene

This wedding portrait, dated 1945, is of my Dad's first brother, Lehman and his new wife, Irene. I was the flower girl, dressed in blue and carrying a basket of blue and pink crepe paper carnations. On the far left is the best man, Lloyd, another of Dad's brothers. The woman on the right is Dad's sister, Elda, who a year later, married Elmer, the man next to her. The maid of honor was Irene's sister whose name I do not remember. After the wedding at the country church, there was a reception at the Schultz farmstead. The party went on into the wee hours, even after the bride and groom had disappeared. Kids were allowed to stay up as long as they wanted (or as long as they could keep their eyes open). A fun time was had by all !! I love these old photos in their "cardboard" frames.