BIRTHDAYS

Mom on her 21st birthday, Aug. 11, 1940

August 11 is here again and I am remembering two very special people who were born on this date.  My mother, Hulda Svanhild Haaland, was born to pioneers Hans and Bertha Haaland on August 11, 1919.  She was the seventh child in the family and was joined by her younger sister Ruth Bergliot two years later.  We were never impressed by the second names those two girls were given and so far no girls in the family have been given those names!  One of Mom's nieces has her first name as Aunt Helma Parkins named her only daughter Rosalie Hulda and Aunt Marie named her first girl Ruth.  Strangely, Aunt Helma was never given a second name.  A note of interest, in Norway they do not refer to "second names".  Each name is regarded equally and often both names are used when referring to that person.  For example, Todd might be referred to as Todd Erick.  

I have always been called by my second name as officially my name is Caroline Elaine.  When I was in grade eleven we had a new teacher.  I remember Mr. Lightfoot going down our row of four girls and finding out that we all went by our second names - Ann Marilyn Anderson, Merle Sandra McLeod, Eva Ruth Lavik and Caroline Elaine Erickson.  When I travel I am Caroline as that is how my passport reads.  I also get mail addressed to Caroline Johnson.  It's a good thing they use my box number or the post mistress might be confused!  I also answered to Caroline at University.  I don't know how the name Caroline was chosen.  I know that Dad had a cousin named Doris Caroline.  She gave me a pair of pink bootees when I was born and I still have them.  Mom enjoyed literature and chose the name Elaine from the poem "The Lady of Shalot"  Actually, the name "Elaine" is not used in that poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, but it is used in another poem of his, "Lancelot and Elaine".  I remember Howard's cousin, Ruby Enget, reciting the first lines of that poem for me "Elaine the fair, Elaine the loveable, Elaine the lily maid of Astelot".  I just looked up info on the poem and learned that "Elaine of Astelot is the maiden who dies of unrequited love for Lancelot and floats in a barge to Camelot with a letter  for Lancelot clutched in her lifeless hands."  So my name has quite a romantic, but tragic history!  But I digress, now back to the birthdays.

Mom and Dad on their 15th anniversary, July 23, 1957

  This picture was taken at Banff on one of our annual camping trips.  Mom made matching red shirts for all six of us that year.  I wore hers, and her "pedal pushers" at one of our Erickson reunions at Cypress Park.  I remember the colours of our station wagon as being "buckskin brown and Alaska white."

The package on Mom's lap in the picture was her anniversary gift from Dad - black diamonds set in sterling silver.  I have the set now and should get the earrings made into pierced ones so that I can wear them.  Howard and Mom shared the same birthday and Howard and I shared Mom and Dad's anniversary, as Howard and I were married on their 25th anniversary in 1966.

Shirts made by Mom in 1957
modelled by Dawson, Elaine, Megan

Howard was born on August 11, 1935, the second child and only son for Horace and Clara (Bergum) Johnson.  He was born at home, about a mile north of our present home, and his mother had a very difficult delivery. Had she been in a hospital, she might have had a C section and spared both mother and baby a trying arrival. Sadly in 1940, his older sister Doris died at the age of nine from appendicitis.  Later that year, his sister Ardis arrived and the family was complete.  Aunt Viola remembered being out in the field stooking when Howard was born.  On Friday Jeff Marcotte started swathing peas across the road from our farm so harvest is underway for some on this August 11. Farming methods and crops in SK have seen a lot of changes in those 78
 years!   

Howard in the back row
singing at Salem

I am busy harvesting a good crop of apples from our two trees.  One is Heyers #12.  They are a green apple, not a good keeper.  Once they start turning yellow, they are over ripe.  They are great for pies and apple crisp as the skin is so thin that it can be left on, a great feature with small apples.  The other tree I'm not sure about.  Those apples turn a reddish colour when ripe and are great for eating, as well as for cooking.  I'll be making apple sauce out of many of them.  I'm hoping the grandsons can climb the ladder and pick the higher up ones next weekend.

Last year we gathered here for a mini Johnson family reunion the weekend of Howard's birthday.  This year we will do it a week later as Kirk's and Clare's are still on holidays.  They will bring their campers to the farm for a few days and the cousins will have fun together.  We'll be missing Ardis, Kris and family as well as Todd and family but look forward to seeing them next summer.  

The annual service at Salem Lutheran Church, just two miles north of the farm, will be held on Sunday, August 18th at 10:30.  You are welcome to join us.  Bring a picnic lunch for your family to enjoy after the service as we visit together on the grounds.  We are so thankful for Keith Hanson's gift of service at Salem.  He is the faithful grounds keeper, has come out from Estevan many times to cut the grass, never lets it get shabby looking. Your work is much appreciated, Keith and such a fitting tribute to your  parents and other family members who are laid to rest at Salem cemetery.

It's been quiet here at the farm this week.  Clare's are on holidays so he hasn't been around and my boarder, Jeff, is on holidays with his family in Ontario.  He goes back to work on Monday so will be getting here sometime tomorrow after a long drive.

I will be spending some time at Salem today, doing some weeding in the flower beds and watering the flowers.  I planted marigolds in front of the bell tower.  In the middle are three volunteer "Angel trumpet" plants.  I am hoping they will be in bloom on the 18th so I will show you pictures on next Sunday's post.  Have a wonderful week!

I just got a picture from Todd's camping trip this weekend.  They stopped at the same eating place that the four of us enjoyed at Valldal after driving up Trollstigen.  Maybe they are eating at the same table as we did back in 2005.  Precious memories of four trips to Norway with Howard.
It was great to get several comments on my 400th post!  Thank you for being faithful readers.