I still remember being at the Frontier Hospital on a Sunday morning, October 17, 1948. Nurse Christie Uglene was asking me if I wanted to see my little brother. I thought that was a strange thing to ask me as my little brother, Merv, was standing right beside me! So much for my knowledge that a new baby was on the way. We had been to town the night before as that was the thing to do on Saturday nights. Mom had done the usual floor washing and had everything spic and span before Sunday. We likely had had our Saturday night baths too in the old square washtub.
I'm not sure of the time that Alan made his arrival but I think it was around 6 am. Dad took Mom to the hospital and left Merv and me sound asleep at home. We lived just 5 1/2 miles from town so he wouldn't have been gone long. Fathers were not allowed in the delivery room in those days!
I remember sharing the baby news for show and tell on Monday morning and the kids laughing so I'm not sure just how I had presented the facts! I was in grade one with Miss Flora Davidson in charge of a grades one to three classroom. We started the year in the basement of the old school and moved in the new year to the brand new four room school across the road. It was just across the corner from Grandma and Grandpa Erickson's place. That's where I stayed during the week for my first three school years. Dad was busy with cattle and farming, Mom had a three year old and a new baby so this was the best solution as there was no school bus coming out our way.
Dad took Mom to the hospital in his 1927 Whippet and brought her and Alan home in a 1949 Ford, his first new car! There must have been a good crop that year.
I don't have any pictures on my computer of Alan alone but I came up with a few group pictures. The first one was taken when we spent the winter of 1953-54 in Salem, Oregon. Mom took massage treatments from her sister-in-law, Edna, to build up the muscles in her legs. I was in grade six and loved my teacher, Mrs. Mazac. I kept in touch with her for many years. Merv was in grade three and enjoyed his time there too. When we moved to a different apartment we were supposed to change schools as we had moved out of that school district. Somehow the rules were "bent" and we were able to stay at the same one until we headed back to Canada in March.
The next one was taken in front of our house at the farm with Runie and Lorne Hanson visiting with their parents. Our families visited back and forth occasionally. When I started school it was good to know some other "country kids" as the town kids were kind of a group by themselves.
This next picture was taken on October 17, 2005. We helped Alan celebrate his birthday at Tanya and Jody's. Kelsey, Madison and Macey were getting ready to help blow out Grandpa's candles.
When we celebrated our 40th anniversary at Lake Five, Montana in July 2006, Alan and Judy helped us celebrate. We'll always remember those yummy waffles and the huckleberry pie!
I can't resist adding this picture of Johan Munter, our great great grandfather. Alan is fascinated with his history. Johan, father of Mathilda who married Peder Stenson, was a soldier in the American Civil War. Alan has read volumes about this time in history. I tell him that he could teach a university class in it! The five in the group picture are the children of Johan and his wife, Kaisa. Our great grandma Mathilda is in the middle of the picture. They emigrated to the US from Sweden and eventually settled near Terrace, Minnesota. Mathilda, her sister Marie and brother Louis in the lower right were born in Sweden. Brothers next to Mathilda were born in the US, Alfred on her left and David on her right.
So you took a break from school for a winter while your mom got massages? What a story teller you are. It is a gift to learn of your history this way. You have an amazing memory.
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