back left: Zina Ett (1882-1962), John Davis (1891-1960), Sophia (1894-1986), Ray Cecil (1901-1994), Charles Jr. (1884-1960), Laura Elizabeth (1889-1970), center left: Charles PARKER Sr. (1853-1935), Bruce Fayette PARKER (1903-1983), Elizabeth Ann DAVIS PARKER (1859-1927), front left: Samantha Ahlena (1897-1981), Esther (1886-1975). See: PARKER family photos Written by Elaine ROBB SMITH [1911-2007]
Published in "Together Again" 1976,
by Sophia PARKER STAPLEY [1894-1986]
pages 193-205
Photos added here by Lark
p193
Charles PARKER's Kanarra Home
with grandchildren Elaine and Parker ROBB
and son Bruce "Fay" PARKER about 1914
bring them home to be milked, where they then stayed in the barn overnight. When we grew to be a little older he let two of us go on the horses together without him along. Then we thought we were pretty smart 'cowboys'.
One time in the cold part of the year. I remember my Grandpa having to take this trip alone on horseback. When he returned home from his morning trip, he was so cold that his mustache had long white icicles hanging from it. He looked just like 'Jack Frost' in person.
Grandpa's present to the new-born babies in his family was a cow; that is, if the parents of the baby would give him the honor of naming rthe baby. I remember a few of my cousins who were the proud owners of their very own caws. He named 'Ruth [Lurena]' [POLLOCK REYNOLDS 1912-2011], 'Gerturde' [PARKER COSSLETT 1915-2000], 'Diana' [PARKER MILLER 1920-1995], and 'Dorothy' [WILLIAMS STUKI.1921-1999]. Some of the others I don't recall. I always thought my cousins were very lucky to have a pet calf to grow up with them. I never owned a calf or a cow. But we moved around so much [that] I wouldn't have had a place to have kept it anyway.
Others in the family to whom Grandpa gave cows were the newlyweds. That was always his wedding present to a son or daughter just married. Of course Mama had her cow, but as we were always on the move she had to let Grandpa keep it and take care of it for her. Mama would never part with her cow, although she could have sold it and used the money. She thought that someday she would be settled and have her own home where she could keep it.
One year I do remember, though, that she did take care of a cow herself. It was when I was in the third and fourth grade. We were living in Cedar City, with Fay and Cecil staying with us while they were attending their first year of college at B.A.C. It was a rather sever cold winter, with lots of snow and freezing weather. One day a big blizzard came up. It really made us worry, because Mama's poor old cow was standing out int he back yard with no shelter of any kind and we were just afraid she was going to freeze to death. The snow was coming down fast and the wind was blowing terribly. Fay or Cecil had not arrived home from school yet and Mama could not stand any longer to see her cow suffering in the cold. So she carried down our old canvas tent and set it up over the cow. It was a nasty job, her struggling with no help to set up this cumbersome tent in such a terrific snow storm and high wind. I was too little to give her any help. (In fact, she made me stay inside.) So I just looked out of the upstairs window and watch her. I shall never forget that day or how my mother looked, pitching a tent over her beloved cow. The cow survived through the night and we were all happy.
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We had a cow down on the Farm, E - I - E - I - O !
It gave milk without alarm, E - I - E - I - O !
One day it drank from a frozen stream
And it froze her tail like an iron beam,
And ever since then she's give ice cream, E - I - E - I - O !
"Grandma was confined to her wheel chair"
Elizabeth Ann DAVIS PARKER 1859-1927
[SEWING]
Grandma and I kept each other company many times. After lunch each day, everyone except the two of us would go off to their bedrooms and take a nap. But grandma sat in her chair wile I usually stood at the big table sewing on doll clothes. She could teach me quite a few things about sewing even though she was confined to her wheel chair. It was at one of these sewing sessions that I made the first dress for myself. I was only seven years old. I went to the Kanarra Co-op Store to buy my material. There was not much choice in yardage but I bought about one yard and a half of light grey printed percale, at 10 [cents] per yard, and proudly carried it home even though it wasn't my favorite color. I was all excited and could hardly wait to get home to start cutting it out. Grandma had dozed off into a cat-nap in her chair, but I went ahead, spreading it out on the big table and cut it out just as thought I were making a doll dress. It was a 'Butterfly' style just like all the doll dresses I made. (That is, a one piece, without sewed-in sleeves or any set waistline.) I had no pattern so just whacked away until I had it all cut and half sewn before Grandma woke up. It was sewn by hand with big running stitches, almost like basting. By the time everyone had returned from their naps, I had the dress all finished and ready to wear. It was lucky that I could even get it on, as I knew nothing about measurements -- I just cut it by 'guess'. I thought I had done a real good job. Grandma was always very proud of my sewing. Later on she let me use her old [treadle] sewing machine. One of the first times I tried it I ended up running the machine needle all the way through my finger, white thread and all! It took a major operation to get me detached from the sewing machine.
[EGGS]
Grandma gave the grandchildren the chore of gathering her eggs. We would search all over the farm looking for eggs. It was just like a big Easter Egg Hunt, as we found eggs in some of the most unusual places: in the barn, tucked down in the hay; in the stables; down in the manger; even out on the bare earth in the corral; around the bushes; and in other unusual places. Sometimes we nearly stepped on an egg before we saw it. Grandma warned us not to go into the chicken coop as most of the hens had deserted it. One day my brother [Parker ROBB 1912-1999] and I didn't mind Grandma's warning, and we went in anyway to see if we could find a few more eggs. As soon as we were in there for just a short time we both began to itch like fury. It was one of the worst itches I have ever experienced. We ran out like we had been stung by hornets,
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But the itch kept right on. So we ran to the house yelling to our mother. When she saw us she just about had a fit! We were both just swarming with little tiny black chicken mites and they were driving us both crazy. Mama would not allow us to enter the house. She hurriedly stripped us of our clothes, to the nude, and turned the hose on us full force to try and wash the insects off our bodies. It wasn’t much fun having that swift stream of ice cold water on the bare skin, and ending up with a soapy shampoo too. But we got what we deserved after not having listened to Grandma’s advice. From then on we stayed out of the chicken coop. Mama had to boil our clothes in lye water; I’m glad she didn’t have to boil us too.
I remember Grandma used to save eggs. Then when she had quite a few she sold them for money to buy things with. Many times she sent me to the Co-op Store with a half-dozen or dozen eggs to trade for something she needed. Or she would sell them to the store for money. One year she saved up her egg money until she had enough to buy yardage to make a new plaid gingham dress for each of her granddaughters. We all had a different color plaid, and each of us was so proud of our ’Egg Dress’ from Grandma.
[ICE CREAM]
Aunt Sophie [Sophia PARKER STAPLEY 1894-1986] used to let me ‘lick’ the cream skimmer after she had skimmed the cream from the big pans of milk. The cream rose to the top of the milk after sitting for awhile, and was thicker than whipped cream. I can’t remember anything tasting better jam the Bread-n-Sugar-n-Cream’ that all of us ate for treats. It was almost better than Aunt Effa’s [Effa Mariah MULLINER (adopted by WILLIAMS) PARKER 1885-1969] home-made Carmel ice cream. Every year when Grandpa went to the mountain he brought back a wagon load of ice and snow and then we would have a big family party. Aunt Effa made the ice cream. Everyone took turns turning the freezer handle. Some of the extra ice cream was frozen in gallon buckets. We always had plenty to go around for as many refills as we could hold. It was sometimes pretty late in the evening before the ice cream was ready to be opened, but the children waited so anxiously and patiently. When it was finally ready to dish out, some of the children were so tired that they fell fast asleep before they could finish eating their first dish. Others were already asleep before the freezer was even opened. But those who did stay awake sat up and stuffed themselves until they could hold no more, and were on the verge of being sick. I remember very well about some of my cousins eating so much that they really were sick, and maybe the next morning even had to miss school because they had a belly-ache.
[TREATS]
Before Aunt Effa and Uncle Dee had any children they spent all their time thinking us ways to spoil their nieces and nephews. One year they lived upstairs, over the kitchen. Any time any of the children went to see them they always got treats. It must
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Have been from them that the original ‘Trick or Treat’ term began, They used to say to us: ‘Open your mouth and close your eyes, and I’ll give you something to make you wise’. We always opened our mouths wide; then when we opened up our eyes again there was something good to eat in our mouths. Sometimes it might be raisins, dried fruit such as apples, apricots or maybe a prune, or whatever they had on hand. One day Aunt Effa led me to the top of the stairway and stood me right below the attic hole. She then told me to close my eyes and hold my hands, cupped, high over my head. Then I heard her with her ‘Hocus-Pocus’, saying weirdly ‘Old man, Old man! Come on out! I waited excitedly. Then she repeated: ‘Old man, Old man! Come on out! After another short wait I heard a rumbling, funny noise and then suddenly I could feel something dropping into my hands. When I opened up ;my eyes and looked into my hands, what a surprise! My hands were full of nuts and candy! Each time a child would visit them, the ‘Old man’ would drop treats into their hands -- but only while their eyes were closed. If any child ever dared to peek the ‘Old man’ was sure to disappear back up into the attic where he was supposed to live. It was a long time before the children were smart enough to realize that there was no ‘Santa Claus’ in the attic.
One day DeVere [William DeVere POLLOCK 1910-2004] came upstairs while Aunt Effa and Uncle Dee were away, He stood at the top of the steps, under the attic opening and closed his eyes holding his hands as he usually did, in a cup about his head, and used their call. He could not get any response. No candy came pouring into these hands. Nothing happ4ened, although he had used the same 'Hocus-Pocus' that Uncle Dee or Aunt Effa used. He continued to stand there calling 'Old man, Old Man', pleading, almost as though he were praying. Still nothing happened. After quite a while he became discouraged and gave up. He was so puzzled as the 'Old Man' had never disappointed him before. It was much later that DeVere and all of the other children became wise to the game of Uncle Dee and Aunt Effa continuing to play 'Santa Claus' all year round.
[MOUSE TRICK]
Aunt Effa was such a jokester, always clowning. If she wasn’t surprising somebody, she was trying to play tricks on them all the time. She sued to chase Uncle Dee all over the house and then out into the yard, telling him she had caught a mouse in a paper sack and that she was about to let it escape. Uncle Dee was frightened to death of mice, so he would run all over the lot with Aunt Effa hot on his trail But she could not catch up with him. She pulled this same trick on him several times before he finally found out that all she had was an egg rolling around in the sack.
[CHILD BIRTH]
Aunt Effa played a trick on me too. It was the middle of August. I was five years old. Mama and I went down to visit with Uncle Dee and Aunt Effa while they were living in their little…
p199
House down behind the meadow, beside Grandpa’s big barn. I was having a good time playing with the toads and enjoying myself, as my brother had stayed in town with Grandpa and Grandma. One night August 18, my mother woke me up and bustled me out of bed. Hurriedly she helped me dress and said I had to go back to Grandma’s house. Uncle Dee saddled the horses, at nearly 2:00 a.m. I hopped on the back of his saddle and we trotted across the meadow into town. That morning, when I woke at Grandma’s, I learned that Burns [living] had been born just a few minutes after Uncle Dee had hustled me out of there. I was so disappointed because I had always wanted to see a new baby arrive, and here I had just missed the best chance of my life by only a few minutes. I just thought Aunt Effa had played a really dirty trick on me...
[HAIR DO]
Aunt Sophia, another favorite of mine, used to fool me sometimes too. I remember when I used to coax to comb her hair. She wasn’t always in the mood to be pestered, but usually gave in to me. So nearly every day I would stand behind her chair and comb and comb. Her hair was not too thick and about medium length. One day I had to go upstairs to get some ribbons to finish the hair style. While I was upstairs a neighbor of ours Mrs. Balser, came to visit. Aunt Sophia got up and gave Mrs. Balser her chair. When I returned with the ribbons I did not know that Aunt Sophia had traded places. When I started to tie in the ribbons I couldn’t believe my eyes. Instead of Aunt Sophia’s rather skimpy head of hair, there was a heavy thick head that rather looked like a ‘Danderine’ ad. I was very confused, thinking that Aunt Sophia’s hair had really grown fast. Everybody laughed at me. I was so embarrassed that I felt like crying as I could not see the humor in it at the time.
[The brick for the PARKER home were all hand made by the PARKER men
at Grandpa James George DAVIS' brick yard in Kanarra.]
[RICH BEAU]
I was always proud because my Aunt Sophia's first Beau was so rich. At least the kids thought so. as he owned a big team of about eight well-groomed mules which pulled a big classy wagon. I remember seeing him driving in front of Grandpa's house every day to 'show off' himself and his mule team to Aunt Sop0hia. The kids would run to the front window to watch him pass by, as though it were a big parade. He would throw his long whip up into the air and snap it! The mules would pick up their pace, trotting past the house and nearly galloping across the stream, splashing water all over themselves and each other, proudly pacing as they too enjoyed showing off.
He had mules down on his farm, E - I - E - I - O !
They had beauty; He had charm, E - I - E - I - O !
'Us Kids' were always looking for
Team of mules or an old Ford car,
We hitched our wagons to a star, E - I - E - I - O !
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Mr. Aldus was his name, E - I - E - I - O !
He hoped Aunt Sophia to claim, E - I - E - I - O !
But she had feelings for her own,
The ‘Stapley’ name she chose, alone,
From him she made a happy home, E - I - E - I - O !
[SCHOOL BOYS]
I spent my first grade at school in Kanarra. Miss Rhoda Bryant was my teacher. In that class were my two best friends, Hilda and Alenna. I looked forward to each day at school; it was interesting and I thought it was fun learning Reading, ‘Riting and Rithmaticc;. The alphabet was in big letters, thumb-tacked across the front blackboard, We learned them from ‘A’ to ‘Z’, forwards and backwards One of the most impressive lessons that we learned was that of drawing and coloring the United States flag with color crayons. Drawing was to me one of the ‘fun’ things in school. There were some very mean boys who threw rocks at me and wouldn’t let me go home. The two meanest that I remember were Nelpher Graff and Nello Williams. I hated those two, especially because they were always picking on me. Sometimes the boys would even gang up and wait until they saw me go to the outside toilet at my Grandpa’s. (It was a good long walk from the house.) Then they threw rocks against the out-house while I was in there. I would be stranded there, afraid to come out.
There were a few good boys though. I always said that Leonard Davis was the best boy in the Kanarra School; then there was Willard. They never did anything bad. Blair Williams was a pretty good boy too, but his little brother Clark used to make me very mad! He tried to pattern himself after the ’Gangsters’ and wouldn’t let me cross the bridge in front of their big house.
[PHONOGRAPH]
After school sometimes I would go up to Aunt Lena's [Samantha Ahlena PARKER WILLIAMS 1897-1981] home on north Main Street and play with Carter [Carter Basil WILLIAMS 1914-1950] and Hilda. Aunt Lena had a wind-up phonograph, which stood on four legs, with a record storage cabinet below. (It would be classed as an 'Antique' now a-days, but then it was one of the few musical instruments of its kind in Kanarra). We played that thing nearly to death. My favorite record then was 'I'll Take You Hojme Again Kathleen', with a man's voice (I can't remember whose). That is the only record I remember but I played it over and over until I nearly wore it out. Maybe it was the only unbroken record that Uncle Noel [Noel Basil WILLIAMS 1893-1979] and Aunt Lean had' maybe that's why I played it so much.
[KITTENS]
Of all of Aunt Lena's children, Gordon [Gordon WILLIAMS 1916-1999] was the littlest Devil. We never knew what was coming next from him as he was always surprising us with some kind of a trick. I rmember oncew when he decided to drown the kittens in Grandpa's rain barrel. It was a large barrel, filled to the brim with water. Gordon was...
p201
so short that he could that he could hardly reach the top but he managed somehow to get the kitten in. Someone saw him just in time to rescue the poor little kitten before it was too late, and it was dragged out ‘meowing’ and dripping wet.
[HUGS]
Aunt Lena’s children were very shy about making friends with me. After I had been away from Kanarra for a long period of time, her children would peek around the corner of the house and when they was me they would take off like little rabbits and run away. I ran after them trying to catch one. If I ever did catch one , I just hugged him so hard that he screamed, scrambling to get away from me.
Wally and Zina POLLOCK
[DRY CREEK FARM]
Many happy memories were those of the days spent visiting with Aunt Zina and Uncle Wally [William Wallace POLLOCK 1875-1924] and their family. They lived on a farm down at Dry Creek. During the days they let us ride the horses. Their horse, I remember was a pretty red-colored horse named ‘Old Yardley’. He was a nice gentle one. The children could do anything around him and never fear getting hurt. One day several of us went riding down by the Wash where there was a big drop-off, I was bareback; it was one of the first times I had ever ridden a horse by myself. As we were trotting along, somegh9ing spooked one of the horses and they all began to run. I couldn’t stop my horse. He kept bolting and running so fast that I was very scared. I couldn’t control him at all and could hardly hang on. He ran and ran until he finally came to the edge of the Wash, where there was a deep drop-off; and suddenly he stopped short, as he wasn’t anxious to jump across. I shall always remember that as the most exciting and dangerous ride I ever had, as I was nearly scared to death and was shaking with fear after we finally stopped.
Aunt Zina's farm was the most fun for the kids. Aunt Zina worked very hard -- cooking, washing, and even making her own soap. At mealtime there were so many of us that we had to eat in shifts. There weren’t enough chairs to go around so the children all stood at the table while they ate. Besides that, there weren’t enough dishes either, so when the firs shift finished eating the second shift had to wait or else wash a clean plate.
After a late supper we went to bed all over the farm. They had beds set up outside the house. Some slept in the sheep-wagon (we thought that was a real privilege) and some slept out on the ground at the foot of the big windmill. The nights were warm and the sky was a beautiful deep blue, with millions of stars. We would lie on our backs and look up into the Heavens and see the shooting stars and try to pick out the Big Dipper and other noted star formations. Uncle Wally entertained us every evening by playing his guitar and singing many beautiful, romantic songs. We would hear his serenading late into the night, until all had…
p202
dropped off to sleep. We always hated to see our visit at Dry Creek Farm come to an end.
[COOKIES]
Ruth was the youngest cook in the Parker family. She learned to make cookies at the age of five or six. At each baking she made enough to fill a flour-sack. Which she sent tout to the men who were herding sheep or working away from home. Her cookies always tasted good. She spent hours and hours rolling and cutting the pastry into pretty shaped cookies. I never saw such patience. Her patience and her interest in cooking paid off, however, as she later became one of the best cooks in the Parker family.
left: Laura Elizabeth PARKER WOOD and John Andrew WOOD, unknown women, Charles PARKER Jr. is in the buggy.
[BLACK RIDGE]
Another annual trip that I shall never forget was that one from Kanarra to Hurricane, where Aunt Laura [Laura Elizabeth PARKER WOOD 1889-1970] and Uncle Andrew [John Andrew WOOD 1883-1932] lived, We traveled in Grandpa’s buggy over the most dangerous of all roadways. It was called the ‘Black Ridge’ and it nearly frightened a person to death to travel it. On one side it was a steep drop-off with a river winding away, many many feet below us. On the other side of the narrow road was a steep mountain, so if we ever net anyone coming toward us it was nearly impossible to pass. The horses were spooky and ready to jump or run away at any time. Grandpa used to pull his horses and buggy up on the steep side-hill and nearly tip the buggy over. We kids and women creamed with fright, butterflies in our stomachs and our hearts pounding in our throats. It was such a relief to get off that road, which we traveled for nearly the full day, and to see the bridge crossing the Virgin Riber where the road finally widened out again. On our way to Hurricane we usually stopped off to have a natural Warm Springs bath, in a big cave back under the rocks in the hills. The water came flowing out from between those big rocks, settling in a deep hole where we bathed. Our Sulpher Springs bath was something we always looked forward to on our way to visit ‘Dixie Land’ and Aunt Laura’s family.
"Aunt Laura was one of the most beautiful women I knew, with curly thick brown hair and a ‘peachy’ and ’cream’ complexion."
[PEACHES]
Aunt Laura and Uncle Andrew were the owners of a most delicious peach orchard, which was one very good reason to visit them. We made this trip at the height of the ripe peach season, and the visit was spent in picking and drying and canning peaches all the time we were there. Delna [Delna WOOD EAGAR HANSEN ALVEY 1907-1983], Roland [Roland 'Parker' WOOD 1913-1983] and Iris [Iris WOOD PETERSON 1915-2004] took us out to the orchard where we picked and ate as many peaches as we could stuff into ourselves. Them after wards we would go to the house and watch our mothers peeling tubs full to get ready for canning. It was hard work, as all the fruit in those days was canned by the ‘open kettle’ method, (that is, it was cooked in big pans on top of the stove, then transferred to the glass jars and sealed while boiling hot). The temperature of the wather was nearly boiling hot also and, besides, the old wood cook stove did not help to cool it down any. There was no air conditioning nor even a fan in the house. Every peach had to be peeled. This job lasted several days, until all the ripe fruit had been saved for winter. Each
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day, after a full day of work, we all sat down to a hearty supper of good vegfetables, fresh raw milk and, to top it off, 'peaches and cream' for dessert. A few of us may have ended up with a belly-ache besides. Whenever I think of ‘peaches and cream’ I think of Aunt Laura and the good times we enjoyed in Dixie Land, Utah. Aunt Laura was one of the most beautiful women I knew, with curly thick brown hair and a ‘peachy’ and ’cream’ complexion.
[REMODELING]
Uncle Charl [Charles PARKER Jr. 1884-19160], Aunt Emiah [Emiah Venita EVANS PARKER 1888-1974] and their family lived up on the East hill. They had the ‘view property’ of Kanarra. As soon as we were settled at Grandpa’s house, after our arrival, we ran up to Uncle Charl’s to see what new had been added to it. They were always fixing things up to beautify their house and yard. Aunt Emiah lived having pretty furniture and decorations in her home. Uncle Charl was always building and remodeling. His carpenter work was not professional, but it was different and he carried out his own ideas. I don’t think he owned a ‘T-square’ or a ‘Level’ but he owned a hammer and plenty of nails and lumber and he made good use of them. The yard also was one of the prettiest in Kanarra, as he had planted climbing roses and all kinds of flowers. Also he cemented together yard decorations from pretty stones and pieces of colored glass that he had gathered. It was interesting to see the new improvements he had made each year to beautify his home.
[DANCE]
Another memory is that one of the summers I taught dancing in Kanarra. I was fifteen then. I only had five or six pupils and three of those were my cousins. Dorothy, Gertrude and Diana [full names given above]. They learned quite a few balley steps and by the end of their six weeks course they had learned enough to perform several combinations and two dances for their parents. I was very proud of my first ballet class and my first recital. Hilda [Hilda's full identity unknown at this time] played the piano for my classes and after the recital she and I split the proceeds -- which amounted to about $1.20 for each of us, for our whole summer's work. Big wages! (but no income tax).
[FORD'S RANCH]
One more of my later memories in Kanarra is of Milford and our horseback trip up the old Indian Trail, on the way to Ford’s Ranch on top of the mountain. We traveled all day through the most beautiful Utah scenery -- red rocks and green trees and pastures. Ford’s ranch was in a beautiful setting, close to the mountain, with a background of Evergreens and Aspens. When we visited Uncle Cecil there at his sheep-wagon, he cooked dinner for us on his funny little camp stove. I was so stiff from riding the horses the day before, that I could hardly walk. Uncle Cecil said ‘Go out and ride some more! So I did -- all over the mountains all day until my stiffness had disappeared. That ride had limbered me up again. I learned my lesson that day from Uncle Cecil’s advice that if every you are stiff ‘ just ride some more!
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This I have always remembered.
Last but not least is a short story about my serious brother, Parker, and my good-natured cousin, Rhea. He has been holding the longest grudge ever held, and for this reason: Parker spent several days or a week gathering Squaw-Bush gum. Now Squaw-Bush gum is very scarce and very hard to pick. He added bit by bit until he had collected enough for a good chew. He was so proud of his big chew of gum that he tried to save it after each 'chewing session'. One day he took the gum out of his mouth and rolled it into a neat ball and stuck it on the old iron bed post. The next time he went to look for his gum it had disappeared. He was very unhappy, as he had worked so hard to get it and there had never been a chew of Squaw-Bush gum that large in history. A few minutes later Rhea woalked in. Guess what! She was chewing a mouth full of Squaw- Bush gum. Parker has never forgotten to this day.
“Food for Thought”
Things to eat can make one glad
Memories should mot be sad;
Ruth made cookies, by the peck,
Effa’s recipe, by heck.
Effa also made ice cream
Carmel flavor; it was keen.
Molasses cookies, Taffy chews,
She did lots of sugar use.
When Sophia learned to cook
Potato salad, from a book;
We had picnics by the score
Fresh sweet corn and even more.
Uncle Cecil loved raw eggs,
They put strength into his legs;
Cecil also watched his health,
Cottage cheese and lettuce; Wealth!
Zina’s milk and Apple Pie,
Oh so tasty, one could cry;
Peaches ‘n cream were Laura’s dish,
Uncle Noel would furnish fish.
Mama [Esther] made both bread and cake,
With all the fruit that she could bake;
Dear Aunt Lena made good stew,
Shelling peas she loved to do.
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Uncle Fay just loved to eat,
Bread and sugar was his treat;
Then he added bits of cream,
That to him was like a dream.
Squaw-bush gum is hard to chew
Many don’t or seldom do;
Rhea found hers on a post
Parker hates that story most.
I would rather dance than eat,
Riding horses can’t be beat;
This is all I have to say;
Hope you haven’t run away!
[by]- Elaine Robb Smith
The PARKER-DAVIES SIBLINGS
10. A Niece's Memories - Elaine Robb Smith
Esther's [Esther PARKER ROBB 18586-1975] daughter, Elaine -- my niece -- wrote a beautiful memory piece about her experiences with many of us, and it is problably the best way I know of to bring our part of the book to a close. Here is what she had to say, in her own words: 10. A Niece's Memories - Elaine Robb Smith
Charles PARKER's Kanarra Homewith grandchildren Elaine and Parker ROBB
and son Bruce "Fay" PARKER about 1914
When I was a little girl I always loved to go to Kanarra. When I was a big girl I loved to go to Kanarra. Now that I'm getting to be an old lady I still love to go to Kanarra. It brings back so many memories and fun things to think about that it makes me wish that I could start all over and do it again.
Kanarra hasn't changed. That is why it is fun to go there. My grandparent's [Charles PARKER Sr. 1853-1935] home still stands there by the stream where I used to wade and get my feet wet on a hot summer day. Seeing that house makes me remember a lot of things that otherwise might have been forgotten.
[BIG KITCHEN]
First, I remember the big kitchen where my Grandma [Elizabeth Ann DAVIS PARKER 1859-1927] always sat very patiently, hour after hour, with the biggest table I've ever seen and the oldest wood range where all the many good meals were cooked; such an inconvenient way to cook as compared to our electric push-buttons of today. It meant my Grandpa getting up at daybreak, chopping wood, and starting a fire hot enough for the cooks to take over the job of baking bread, cakes, pies, roasting meat, heating water for hand washing and dirty clothes. I well remember seeing these large heavy boilers filled with water and having to be lifted, emptied into wash tubs, and refilled, all through the day to keep the hot water supply going on, wash day or bath day. We took our baths in little round metal tubs while hiding behind a curtain to get a little privacy.
Behind the old kitchen stove was a little nest of kittens and Uncle Fay's [Bruce Fayette PARKER 1903-1983] mama cat. He was very proud of his cat and he gave us to understand that we were not to play with the kittens or the mama cat would eat them up!
We all loved Uncle Fay and Cecil [Ray Cecil PARKER 1901-1994] . They were always so good to us. They were pals to all the kids, playing games, babysitting,
p194while our mothers were busy at work. They always took very good care of us and even let us go riding on the horses. 'Old Button' and 'Bert' were our favorite horses. We also got to ride Aunt Zina's [Zina Ett PARKER POLLOCK 1982-1962] 'Old Yardley' and Uncle Dee's [John Davis PARKER 1982-1962] 'Stamps'. They were all so well behaved and loved by all of the children. We all enjoyed the horses.
Uncle Cecil and Uncle Fay
on horseback about 1904
[LITTLE GIRL]
I remember one day when I was very lonely and my mother [Esther PARKER ROBB 1886-1975] was too busy to be bothered. I wanted to go to Hilda's to play with her, but mama wouldn't let me. So I kept whining and pestering her, saying 'I want a little girl to play with!' Finally Uncle Fay became tired of listening to my whining so he decided to do something about it. As I looked up the stairway, coming down was a funny looking kind of fat girl with blonde, golden, silky hair. I had never seen anyone who looked like her before and I didn't know what to think. The girl said to me, 'You wanted a little girl to play with so here I am'. I looked at her funny boyish shoes and I listened to her odd sounding voice -- at first I just couldn't figure her out. Then gradually it dawned on me that this little girl was only my Uncle Fay, dressed up to fool me. I became so mad at him for trying to trick me that I screamed and yelled, calling him bad names. He pretended to have his feelings hurt so much that it brought me to my senses and I told him that I'd never call him a bad name again. I decided from then on to call him 'Uncle Fay Dear', which I did -- even until the time we were both grown up. Incidentally, the golden silk hair he wore was a wig made from my mother's silk worm crop, several years before.
[SNAKE]
It was at my Grandpa's that I saw my first snake. I was about five or six. I was wading in the ditch and as I looked down, beside a big cottonwood tree at the edge of the stream, I saw what appeared to be a beautiful, shiny silk glove at the base of the tree. It did not move and as I was just putting my hand over it to pick it up something told me 'No'. I jumped back and instinctively I screamed 'SNAKE'!!! (I had never seen a snake before.)
I ran crying to my Grandpa who immediately took his shovel and went with me to see it. Sure enough it was still there, all curled up asleep. My Grandpa shoved the sharp shovel down upon it, cutting it into many pieces and carried it away to bury it. Before he buried all of it, he cut off the tail end and showed it to me. It had ten rattles. Since then, every time I have ever thought of this true story I have become panicky all over again.
[COWS]
Our annual summer visits to Grandma's and Grandpa's farm were something we always looked forward to. Grandpa used to let me ride on the back of the saddle and take me to the field when it was my turn. We used to ride down each morning to take the cows from the barn to the fields, then in the evening we would go and
Grandpa - Charles PARKER Sr.
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Kanarra hasn't changed. That is why it is fun to go there. My grandparent's [Charles PARKER Sr. 1853-1935] home still stands there by the stream where I used to wade and get my feet wet on a hot summer day. Seeing that house makes me remember a lot of things that otherwise might have been forgotten.
[BIG KITCHEN]
First, I remember the big kitchen where my Grandma [Elizabeth Ann DAVIS PARKER 1859-1927] always sat very patiently, hour after hour, with the biggest table I've ever seen and the oldest wood range where all the many good meals were cooked; such an inconvenient way to cook as compared to our electric push-buttons of today. It meant my Grandpa getting up at daybreak, chopping wood, and starting a fire hot enough for the cooks to take over the job of baking bread, cakes, pies, roasting meat, heating water for hand washing and dirty clothes. I well remember seeing these large heavy boilers filled with water and having to be lifted, emptied into wash tubs, and refilled, all through the day to keep the hot water supply going on, wash day or bath day. We took our baths in little round metal tubs while hiding behind a curtain to get a little privacy.
Behind the old kitchen stove was a little nest of kittens and Uncle Fay's [Bruce Fayette PARKER 1903-1983] mama cat. He was very proud of his cat and he gave us to understand that we were not to play with the kittens or the mama cat would eat them up!
We all loved Uncle Fay and Cecil [Ray Cecil PARKER 1901-1994] . They were always so good to us. They were pals to all the kids, playing games, babysitting,
p194while our mothers were busy at work. They always took very good care of us and even let us go riding on the horses. 'Old Button' and 'Bert' were our favorite horses. We also got to ride Aunt Zina's [Zina Ett PARKER POLLOCK 1982-1962] 'Old Yardley' and Uncle Dee's [John Davis PARKER 1982-1962] 'Stamps'. They were all so well behaved and loved by all of the children. We all enjoyed the horses.
Uncle Cecil and Uncle Fayon horseback about 1904
[LITTLE GIRL]
I remember one day when I was very lonely and my mother [Esther PARKER ROBB 1886-1975] was too busy to be bothered. I wanted to go to Hilda's to play with her, but mama wouldn't let me. So I kept whining and pestering her, saying 'I want a little girl to play with!' Finally Uncle Fay became tired of listening to my whining so he decided to do something about it. As I looked up the stairway, coming down was a funny looking kind of fat girl with blonde, golden, silky hair. I had never seen anyone who looked like her before and I didn't know what to think. The girl said to me, 'You wanted a little girl to play with so here I am'. I looked at her funny boyish shoes and I listened to her odd sounding voice -- at first I just couldn't figure her out. Then gradually it dawned on me that this little girl was only my Uncle Fay, dressed up to fool me. I became so mad at him for trying to trick me that I screamed and yelled, calling him bad names. He pretended to have his feelings hurt so much that it brought me to my senses and I told him that I'd never call him a bad name again. I decided from then on to call him 'Uncle Fay Dear', which I did -- even until the time we were both grown up. Incidentally, the golden silk hair he wore was a wig made from my mother's silk worm crop, several years before.
[SNAKE]
It was at my Grandpa's that I saw my first snake. I was about five or six. I was wading in the ditch and as I looked down, beside a big cottonwood tree at the edge of the stream, I saw what appeared to be a beautiful, shiny silk glove at the base of the tree. It did not move and as I was just putting my hand over it to pick it up something told me 'No'. I jumped back and instinctively I screamed 'SNAKE'!!! (I had never seen a snake before.)
I ran crying to my Grandpa who immediately took his shovel and went with me to see it. Sure enough it was still there, all curled up asleep. My Grandpa shoved the sharp shovel down upon it, cutting it into many pieces and carried it away to bury it. Before he buried all of it, he cut off the tail end and showed it to me. It had ten rattles. Since then, every time I have ever thought of this true story I have become panicky all over again.
[COWS]
Our annual summer visits to Grandma's and Grandpa's farm were something we always looked forward to. Grandpa used to let me ride on the back of the saddle and take me to the field when it was my turn. We used to ride down each morning to take the cows from the barn to the fields, then in the evening we would go and
Grandpa - Charles PARKER Sr.One time in the cold part of the year. I remember my Grandpa having to take this trip alone on horseback. When he returned home from his morning trip, he was so cold that his mustache had long white icicles hanging from it. He looked just like 'Jack Frost' in person.
Grandpa's present to the new-born babies in his family was a cow; that is, if the parents of the baby would give him the honor of naming rthe baby. I remember a few of my cousins who were the proud owners of their very own caws. He named 'Ruth [Lurena]' [POLLOCK REYNOLDS 1912-2011], 'Gerturde' [PARKER COSSLETT 1915-2000], 'Diana' [PARKER MILLER 1920-1995], and 'Dorothy' [WILLIAMS STUKI.1921-1999]. Some of the others I don't recall. I always thought my cousins were very lucky to have a pet calf to grow up with them. I never owned a calf or a cow. But we moved around so much [that] I wouldn't have had a place to have kept it anyway.
Others in the family to whom Grandpa gave cows were the newlyweds. That was always his wedding present to a son or daughter just married. Of course Mama had her cow, but as we were always on the move she had to let Grandpa keep it and take care of it for her. Mama would never part with her cow, although she could have sold it and used the money. She thought that someday she would be settled and have her own home where she could keep it.
One year I do remember, though, that she did take care of a cow herself. It was when I was in the third and fourth grade. We were living in Cedar City, with Fay and Cecil staying with us while they were attending their first year of college at B.A.C. It was a rather sever cold winter, with lots of snow and freezing weather. One day a big blizzard came up. It really made us worry, because Mama's poor old cow was standing out int he back yard with no shelter of any kind and we were just afraid she was going to freeze to death. The snow was coming down fast and the wind was blowing terribly. Fay or Cecil had not arrived home from school yet and Mama could not stand any longer to see her cow suffering in the cold. So she carried down our old canvas tent and set it up over the cow. It was a nasty job, her struggling with no help to set up this cumbersome tent in such a terrific snow storm and high wind. I was too little to give her any help. (In fact, she made me stay inside.) So I just looked out of the upstairs window and watch her. I shall never forget that day or how my mother looked, pitching a tent over her beloved cow. The cow survived through the night and we were all happy.
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We had a cow down on the Farm, E - I - E - I - O !
It gave milk without alarm, E - I - E - I - O !
One day it drank from a frozen stream
And it froze her tail like an iron beam,
And ever since then she's give ice cream, E - I - E - I - O !
"Grandma was confined to her wheel chair" Elizabeth Ann DAVIS PARKER 1859-1927
Grandma and I kept each other company many times. After lunch each day, everyone except the two of us would go off to their bedrooms and take a nap. But grandma sat in her chair wile I usually stood at the big table sewing on doll clothes. She could teach me quite a few things about sewing even though she was confined to her wheel chair. It was at one of these sewing sessions that I made the first dress for myself. I was only seven years old. I went to the Kanarra Co-op Store to buy my material. There was not much choice in yardage but I bought about one yard and a half of light grey printed percale, at 10 [cents] per yard, and proudly carried it home even though it wasn't my favorite color. I was all excited and could hardly wait to get home to start cutting it out. Grandma had dozed off into a cat-nap in her chair, but I went ahead, spreading it out on the big table and cut it out just as thought I were making a doll dress. It was a 'Butterfly' style just like all the doll dresses I made. (That is, a one piece, without sewed-in sleeves or any set waistline.) I had no pattern so just whacked away until I had it all cut and half sewn before Grandma woke up. It was sewn by hand with big running stitches, almost like basting. By the time everyone had returned from their naps, I had the dress all finished and ready to wear. It was lucky that I could even get it on, as I knew nothing about measurements -- I just cut it by 'guess'. I thought I had done a real good job. Grandma was always very proud of my sewing. Later on she let me use her old [treadle] sewing machine. One of the first times I tried it I ended up running the machine needle all the way through my finger, white thread and all! It took a major operation to get me detached from the sewing machine.
[EGGS]
Grandma gave the grandchildren the chore of gathering her eggs. We would search all over the farm looking for eggs. It was just like a big Easter Egg Hunt, as we found eggs in some of the most unusual places: in the barn, tucked down in the hay; in the stables; down in the manger; even out on the bare earth in the corral; around the bushes; and in other unusual places. Sometimes we nearly stepped on an egg before we saw it. Grandma warned us not to go into the chicken coop as most of the hens had deserted it. One day my brother [Parker ROBB 1912-1999] and I didn't mind Grandma's warning, and we went in anyway to see if we could find a few more eggs. As soon as we were in there for just a short time we both began to itch like fury. It was one of the worst itches I have ever experienced. We ran out like we had been stung by hornets,
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But the itch kept right on. So we ran to the house yelling to our mother. When she saw us she just about had a fit! We were both just swarming with little tiny black chicken mites and they were driving us both crazy. Mama would not allow us to enter the house. She hurriedly stripped us of our clothes, to the nude, and turned the hose on us full force to try and wash the insects off our bodies. It wasn’t much fun having that swift stream of ice cold water on the bare skin, and ending up with a soapy shampoo too. But we got what we deserved after not having listened to Grandma’s advice. From then on we stayed out of the chicken coop. Mama had to boil our clothes in lye water; I’m glad she didn’t have to boil us too.
I remember Grandma used to save eggs. Then when she had quite a few she sold them for money to buy things with. Many times she sent me to the Co-op Store with a half-dozen or dozen eggs to trade for something she needed. Or she would sell them to the store for money. One year she saved up her egg money until she had enough to buy yardage to make a new plaid gingham dress for each of her granddaughters. We all had a different color plaid, and each of us was so proud of our ’Egg Dress’ from Grandma.
[ICE CREAM]
Aunt Sophie [Sophia PARKER STAPLEY 1894-1986] used to let me ‘lick’ the cream skimmer after she had skimmed the cream from the big pans of milk. The cream rose to the top of the milk after sitting for awhile, and was thicker than whipped cream. I can’t remember anything tasting better jam the Bread-n-Sugar-n-Cream’ that all of us ate for treats. It was almost better than Aunt Effa’s [Effa Mariah MULLINER (adopted by WILLIAMS) PARKER 1885-1969] home-made Carmel ice cream. Every year when Grandpa went to the mountain he brought back a wagon load of ice and snow and then we would have a big family party. Aunt Effa made the ice cream. Everyone took turns turning the freezer handle. Some of the extra ice cream was frozen in gallon buckets. We always had plenty to go around for as many refills as we could hold. It was sometimes pretty late in the evening before the ice cream was ready to be opened, but the children waited so anxiously and patiently. When it was finally ready to dish out, some of the children were so tired that they fell fast asleep before they could finish eating their first dish. Others were already asleep before the freezer was even opened. But those who did stay awake sat up and stuffed themselves until they could hold no more, and were on the verge of being sick. I remember very well about some of my cousins eating so much that they really were sick, and maybe the next morning even had to miss school because they had a belly-ache.
[TREATS]
Before Aunt Effa and Uncle Dee had any children they spent all their time thinking us ways to spoil their nieces and nephews. One year they lived upstairs, over the kitchen. Any time any of the children went to see them they always got treats. It must
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Have been from them that the original ‘Trick or Treat’ term began, They used to say to us: ‘Open your mouth and close your eyes, and I’ll give you something to make you wise’. We always opened our mouths wide; then when we opened up our eyes again there was something good to eat in our mouths. Sometimes it might be raisins, dried fruit such as apples, apricots or maybe a prune, or whatever they had on hand. One day Aunt Effa led me to the top of the stairway and stood me right below the attic hole. She then told me to close my eyes and hold my hands, cupped, high over my head. Then I heard her with her ‘Hocus-Pocus’, saying weirdly ‘Old man, Old man! Come on out! I waited excitedly. Then she repeated: ‘Old man, Old man! Come on out! After another short wait I heard a rumbling, funny noise and then suddenly I could feel something dropping into my hands. When I opened up ;my eyes and looked into my hands, what a surprise! My hands were full of nuts and candy! Each time a child would visit them, the ‘Old man’ would drop treats into their hands -- but only while their eyes were closed. If any child ever dared to peek the ‘Old man’ was sure to disappear back up into the attic where he was supposed to live. It was a long time before the children were smart enough to realize that there was no ‘Santa Claus’ in the attic.
One day DeVere [William DeVere POLLOCK 1910-2004] came upstairs while Aunt Effa and Uncle Dee were away, He stood at the top of the steps, under the attic opening and closed his eyes holding his hands as he usually did, in a cup about his head, and used their call. He could not get any response. No candy came pouring into these hands. Nothing happ4ened, although he had used the same 'Hocus-Pocus' that Uncle Dee or Aunt Effa used. He continued to stand there calling 'Old man, Old Man', pleading, almost as though he were praying. Still nothing happened. After quite a while he became discouraged and gave up. He was so puzzled as the 'Old Man' had never disappointed him before. It was much later that DeVere and all of the other children became wise to the game of Uncle Dee and Aunt Effa continuing to play 'Santa Claus' all year round.
[MOUSE TRICK]
Aunt Effa was such a jokester, always clowning. If she wasn’t surprising somebody, she was trying to play tricks on them all the time. She sued to chase Uncle Dee all over the house and then out into the yard, telling him she had caught a mouse in a paper sack and that she was about to let it escape. Uncle Dee was frightened to death of mice, so he would run all over the lot with Aunt Effa hot on his trail But she could not catch up with him. She pulled this same trick on him several times before he finally found out that all she had was an egg rolling around in the sack.
[CHILD BIRTH]
Aunt Effa played a trick on me too. It was the middle of August. I was five years old. Mama and I went down to visit with Uncle Dee and Aunt Effa while they were living in their little…
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House down behind the meadow, beside Grandpa’s big barn. I was having a good time playing with the toads and enjoying myself, as my brother had stayed in town with Grandpa and Grandma. One night August 18, my mother woke me up and bustled me out of bed. Hurriedly she helped me dress and said I had to go back to Grandma’s house. Uncle Dee saddled the horses, at nearly 2:00 a.m. I hopped on the back of his saddle and we trotted across the meadow into town. That morning, when I woke at Grandma’s, I learned that Burns [living] had been born just a few minutes after Uncle Dee had hustled me out of there. I was so disappointed because I had always wanted to see a new baby arrive, and here I had just missed the best chance of my life by only a few minutes. I just thought Aunt Effa had played a really dirty trick on me...
[HAIR DO]
Aunt Sophia, another favorite of mine, used to fool me sometimes too. I remember when I used to coax to comb her hair. She wasn’t always in the mood to be pestered, but usually gave in to me. So nearly every day I would stand behind her chair and comb and comb. Her hair was not too thick and about medium length. One day I had to go upstairs to get some ribbons to finish the hair style. While I was upstairs a neighbor of ours Mrs. Balser, came to visit. Aunt Sophia got up and gave Mrs. Balser her chair. When I returned with the ribbons I did not know that Aunt Sophia had traded places. When I started to tie in the ribbons I couldn’t believe my eyes. Instead of Aunt Sophia’s rather skimpy head of hair, there was a heavy thick head that rather looked like a ‘Danderine’ ad. I was very confused, thinking that Aunt Sophia’s hair had really grown fast. Everybody laughed at me. I was so embarrassed that I felt like crying as I could not see the humor in it at the time.
[The brick for the PARKER home were all hand made by the PARKER menat Grandpa James George DAVIS' brick yard in Kanarra.]
I was always proud because my Aunt Sophia's first Beau was so rich. At least the kids thought so. as he owned a big team of about eight well-groomed mules which pulled a big classy wagon. I remember seeing him driving in front of Grandpa's house every day to 'show off' himself and his mule team to Aunt Sop0hia. The kids would run to the front window to watch him pass by, as though it were a big parade. He would throw his long whip up into the air and snap it! The mules would pick up their pace, trotting past the house and nearly galloping across the stream, splashing water all over themselves and each other, proudly pacing as they too enjoyed showing off.
He had mules down on his farm, E - I - E - I - O !
They had beauty; He had charm, E - I - E - I - O !
'Us Kids' were always looking for
Team of mules or an old Ford car,
We hitched our wagons to a star, E - I - E - I - O !
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Mr. Aldus was his name, E - I - E - I - O !
He hoped Aunt Sophia to claim, E - I - E - I - O !
But she had feelings for her own,
The ‘Stapley’ name she chose, alone,
From him she made a happy home, E - I - E - I - O !
[SCHOOL BOYS]
I spent my first grade at school in Kanarra. Miss Rhoda Bryant was my teacher. In that class were my two best friends, Hilda and Alenna. I looked forward to each day at school; it was interesting and I thought it was fun learning Reading, ‘Riting and Rithmaticc;. The alphabet was in big letters, thumb-tacked across the front blackboard, We learned them from ‘A’ to ‘Z’, forwards and backwards One of the most impressive lessons that we learned was that of drawing and coloring the United States flag with color crayons. Drawing was to me one of the ‘fun’ things in school. There were some very mean boys who threw rocks at me and wouldn’t let me go home. The two meanest that I remember were Nelpher Graff and Nello Williams. I hated those two, especially because they were always picking on me. Sometimes the boys would even gang up and wait until they saw me go to the outside toilet at my Grandpa’s. (It was a good long walk from the house.) Then they threw rocks against the out-house while I was in there. I would be stranded there, afraid to come out.
There were a few good boys though. I always said that Leonard Davis was the best boy in the Kanarra School; then there was Willard. They never did anything bad. Blair Williams was a pretty good boy too, but his little brother Clark used to make me very mad! He tried to pattern himself after the ’Gangsters’ and wouldn’t let me cross the bridge in front of their big house.
[PHONOGRAPH]
After school sometimes I would go up to Aunt Lena's [Samantha Ahlena PARKER WILLIAMS 1897-1981] home on north Main Street and play with Carter [Carter Basil WILLIAMS 1914-1950] and Hilda. Aunt Lena had a wind-up phonograph, which stood on four legs, with a record storage cabinet below. (It would be classed as an 'Antique' now a-days, but then it was one of the few musical instruments of its kind in Kanarra). We played that thing nearly to death. My favorite record then was 'I'll Take You Hojme Again Kathleen', with a man's voice (I can't remember whose). That is the only record I remember but I played it over and over until I nearly wore it out. Maybe it was the only unbroken record that Uncle Noel [Noel Basil WILLIAMS 1893-1979] and Aunt Lean had' maybe that's why I played it so much.
[KITTENS]
Of all of Aunt Lena's children, Gordon [Gordon WILLIAMS 1916-1999] was the littlest Devil. We never knew what was coming next from him as he was always surprising us with some kind of a trick. I rmember oncew when he decided to drown the kittens in Grandpa's rain barrel. It was a large barrel, filled to the brim with water. Gordon was...
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so short that he could that he could hardly reach the top but he managed somehow to get the kitten in. Someone saw him just in time to rescue the poor little kitten before it was too late, and it was dragged out ‘meowing’ and dripping wet.
[HUGS]
Aunt Lena’s children were very shy about making friends with me. After I had been away from Kanarra for a long period of time, her children would peek around the corner of the house and when they was me they would take off like little rabbits and run away. I ran after them trying to catch one. If I ever did catch one , I just hugged him so hard that he screamed, scrambling to get away from me.
Wally and Zina POLLOCK[DRY CREEK FARM]
Many happy memories were those of the days spent visiting with Aunt Zina and Uncle Wally [William Wallace POLLOCK 1875-1924] and their family. They lived on a farm down at Dry Creek. During the days they let us ride the horses. Their horse, I remember was a pretty red-colored horse named ‘Old Yardley’. He was a nice gentle one. The children could do anything around him and never fear getting hurt. One day several of us went riding down by the Wash where there was a big drop-off, I was bareback; it was one of the first times I had ever ridden a horse by myself. As we were trotting along, somegh9ing spooked one of the horses and they all began to run. I couldn’t stop my horse. He kept bolting and running so fast that I was very scared. I couldn’t control him at all and could hardly hang on. He ran and ran until he finally came to the edge of the Wash, where there was a deep drop-off; and suddenly he stopped short, as he wasn’t anxious to jump across. I shall always remember that as the most exciting and dangerous ride I ever had, as I was nearly scared to death and was shaking with fear after we finally stopped.
Aunt Zina's farm was the most fun for the kids. Aunt Zina worked very hard -- cooking, washing, and even making her own soap. At mealtime there were so many of us that we had to eat in shifts. There weren’t enough chairs to go around so the children all stood at the table while they ate. Besides that, there weren’t enough dishes either, so when the firs shift finished eating the second shift had to wait or else wash a clean plate.
After a late supper we went to bed all over the farm. They had beds set up outside the house. Some slept in the sheep-wagon (we thought that was a real privilege) and some slept out on the ground at the foot of the big windmill. The nights were warm and the sky was a beautiful deep blue, with millions of stars. We would lie on our backs and look up into the Heavens and see the shooting stars and try to pick out the Big Dipper and other noted star formations. Uncle Wally entertained us every evening by playing his guitar and singing many beautiful, romantic songs. We would hear his serenading late into the night, until all had…
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dropped off to sleep. We always hated to see our visit at Dry Creek Farm come to an end.
[COOKIES]
Ruth was the youngest cook in the Parker family. She learned to make cookies at the age of five or six. At each baking she made enough to fill a flour-sack. Which she sent tout to the men who were herding sheep or working away from home. Her cookies always tasted good. She spent hours and hours rolling and cutting the pastry into pretty shaped cookies. I never saw such patience. Her patience and her interest in cooking paid off, however, as she later became one of the best cooks in the Parker family.
left: Laura Elizabeth PARKER WOOD and John Andrew WOOD, unknown women, Charles PARKER Jr. is in the buggy.Another annual trip that I shall never forget was that one from Kanarra to Hurricane, where Aunt Laura [Laura Elizabeth PARKER WOOD 1889-1970] and Uncle Andrew [John Andrew WOOD 1883-1932] lived, We traveled in Grandpa’s buggy over the most dangerous of all roadways. It was called the ‘Black Ridge’ and it nearly frightened a person to death to travel it. On one side it was a steep drop-off with a river winding away, many many feet below us. On the other side of the narrow road was a steep mountain, so if we ever net anyone coming toward us it was nearly impossible to pass. The horses were spooky and ready to jump or run away at any time. Grandpa used to pull his horses and buggy up on the steep side-hill and nearly tip the buggy over. We kids and women creamed with fright, butterflies in our stomachs and our hearts pounding in our throats. It was such a relief to get off that road, which we traveled for nearly the full day, and to see the bridge crossing the Virgin Riber where the road finally widened out again. On our way to Hurricane we usually stopped off to have a natural Warm Springs bath, in a big cave back under the rocks in the hills. The water came flowing out from between those big rocks, settling in a deep hole where we bathed. Our Sulpher Springs bath was something we always looked forward to on our way to visit ‘Dixie Land’ and Aunt Laura’s family.
"Aunt Laura was one of the most beautiful women I knew, with curly thick brown hair and a ‘peachy’ and ’cream’ complexion." [PEACHES]
Aunt Laura and Uncle Andrew were the owners of a most delicious peach orchard, which was one very good reason to visit them. We made this trip at the height of the ripe peach season, and the visit was spent in picking and drying and canning peaches all the time we were there. Delna [Delna WOOD EAGAR HANSEN ALVEY 1907-1983], Roland [Roland 'Parker' WOOD 1913-1983] and Iris [Iris WOOD PETERSON 1915-2004] took us out to the orchard where we picked and ate as many peaches as we could stuff into ourselves. Them after wards we would go to the house and watch our mothers peeling tubs full to get ready for canning. It was hard work, as all the fruit in those days was canned by the ‘open kettle’ method, (that is, it was cooked in big pans on top of the stove, then transferred to the glass jars and sealed while boiling hot). The temperature of the wather was nearly boiling hot also and, besides, the old wood cook stove did not help to cool it down any. There was no air conditioning nor even a fan in the house. Every peach had to be peeled. This job lasted several days, until all the ripe fruit had been saved for winter. Each
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day, after a full day of work, we all sat down to a hearty supper of good vegfetables, fresh raw milk and, to top it off, 'peaches and cream' for dessert. A few of us may have ended up with a belly-ache besides. Whenever I think of ‘peaches and cream’ I think of Aunt Laura and the good times we enjoyed in Dixie Land, Utah. Aunt Laura was one of the most beautiful women I knew, with curly thick brown hair and a ‘peachy’ and ’cream’ complexion.
[REMODELING]
Uncle Charl [Charles PARKER Jr. 1884-19160], Aunt Emiah [Emiah Venita EVANS PARKER 1888-1974] and their family lived up on the East hill. They had the ‘view property’ of Kanarra. As soon as we were settled at Grandpa’s house, after our arrival, we ran up to Uncle Charl’s to see what new had been added to it. They were always fixing things up to beautify their house and yard. Aunt Emiah lived having pretty furniture and decorations in her home. Uncle Charl was always building and remodeling. His carpenter work was not professional, but it was different and he carried out his own ideas. I don’t think he owned a ‘T-square’ or a ‘Level’ but he owned a hammer and plenty of nails and lumber and he made good use of them. The yard also was one of the prettiest in Kanarra, as he had planted climbing roses and all kinds of flowers. Also he cemented together yard decorations from pretty stones and pieces of colored glass that he had gathered. It was interesting to see the new improvements he had made each year to beautify his home.
[DANCE]
Another memory is that one of the summers I taught dancing in Kanarra. I was fifteen then. I only had five or six pupils and three of those were my cousins. Dorothy, Gertrude and Diana [full names given above]. They learned quite a few balley steps and by the end of their six weeks course they had learned enough to perform several combinations and two dances for their parents. I was very proud of my first ballet class and my first recital. Hilda [Hilda's full identity unknown at this time] played the piano for my classes and after the recital she and I split the proceeds -- which amounted to about $1.20 for each of us, for our whole summer's work. Big wages! (but no income tax).
[FORD'S RANCH]
One more of my later memories in Kanarra is of Milford and our horseback trip up the old Indian Trail, on the way to Ford’s Ranch on top of the mountain. We traveled all day through the most beautiful Utah scenery -- red rocks and green trees and pastures. Ford’s ranch was in a beautiful setting, close to the mountain, with a background of Evergreens and Aspens. When we visited Uncle Cecil there at his sheep-wagon, he cooked dinner for us on his funny little camp stove. I was so stiff from riding the horses the day before, that I could hardly walk. Uncle Cecil said ‘Go out and ride some more! So I did -- all over the mountains all day until my stiffness had disappeared. That ride had limbered me up again. I learned my lesson that day from Uncle Cecil’s advice that if every you are stiff ‘ just ride some more!
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This I have always remembered.
Last but not least is a short story about my serious brother, Parker, and my good-natured cousin, Rhea. He has been holding the longest grudge ever held, and for this reason: Parker spent several days or a week gathering Squaw-Bush gum. Now Squaw-Bush gum is very scarce and very hard to pick. He added bit by bit until he had collected enough for a good chew. He was so proud of his big chew of gum that he tried to save it after each 'chewing session'. One day he took the gum out of his mouth and rolled it into a neat ball and stuck it on the old iron bed post. The next time he went to look for his gum it had disappeared. He was very unhappy, as he had worked so hard to get it and there had never been a chew of Squaw-Bush gum that large in history. A few minutes later Rhea woalked in. Guess what! She was chewing a mouth full of Squaw- Bush gum. Parker has never forgotten to this day.
“Food for Thought”
Things to eat can make one glad
Memories should mot be sad;
Ruth made cookies, by the peck,
Effa’s recipe, by heck.
Effa also made ice cream
Carmel flavor; it was keen.
Molasses cookies, Taffy chews,
She did lots of sugar use.
When Sophia learned to cook
Potato salad, from a book;
We had picnics by the score
Fresh sweet corn and even more.
Uncle Cecil loved raw eggs,
They put strength into his legs;
Cecil also watched his health,
Cottage cheese and lettuce; Wealth!
Zina’s milk and Apple Pie,
Oh so tasty, one could cry;
Peaches ‘n cream were Laura’s dish,
Uncle Noel would furnish fish.
Mama [Esther] made both bread and cake,
With all the fruit that she could bake;
Dear Aunt Lena made good stew,
Shelling peas she loved to do.
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Uncle Fay just loved to eat,
Bread and sugar was his treat;
Then he added bits of cream,
That to him was like a dream.
Squaw-bush gum is hard to chew
Many don’t or seldom do;
Rhea found hers on a post
Parker hates that story most.
I would rather dance than eat,
Riding horses can’t be beat;
This is all I have to say;
Hope you haven’t run away!
[by]- Elaine Robb Smith
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