"Dude" ate the eggs

Picture Jean Ann Richards Griggs and Eleanor Jeanette Richards Bateman
1926 in Canyonville, Oregon.

(In this true story I call the mom and dad Grandpa Dick and Grandma Maysel because they are my grandparents - but during this time they were not grandparents yet but parents of two little girls - my mom Jean Ann and her sister Eleanor.)

By 1929 my mom, Jean Ann Richards, and her family had moved to Bozeman, MT where my Grandpa Dick worked for Montana State University's Agriculture Dept. I am not sure of all that he did. I do know that he traveled the state a great deal on the train, starting and supporting 4-H clubs and working with the Extension Service. It was during this time that the famous "Dude" incident occurred. I heard the "Dude" incident every Easter I was with my Grandma Maysel.

On a business trip in Montana once Grandpa Dick took his car and also his family. They had gone for dinner and were walking back to the hotel when they passed a pet store. In the window was a little Boston Bull Dog. Anyone who has been with children can well imagine the scenario.

No matter what, Grandma and Grandpa were positive they could not afford the dog. Back to the hotel. But, as they thought about it, there was the money they were saving for a new suit for Grandpa Dick - one that he needed for work. He could probably go a little longer without a new suit.

Next day the girls were owners of a new little Boston Bull Dog that someone in the family named Dude!

Now - jump forward a year or so to Easter Sunday Morning. The eggs had been colored by the Eleanor and Jean Ann the day before. Grandma Maysel was up early and outside. She hid the eggs all over the back yard. She did NOT notice that Dude was outside also.

When the girls got up they ran out to find their Easter Eggs. Tears came as they couldn't find a single one. Not one egg.

When Grandma looked - she found Dude - nearly passed out - totally rounded tummy! Dude had followed her and eaten all of the eggs as she hid them.

The End!

Easter Lamb Cake

It was the 2002 Easter Sunday. During those years I traditionally made an Easter Lamb Cake - pound cake in a lamb mold. Frosted and the decorated with a licorice jelly bean eye and a pink jelly bean nose.

We had guests for dinner. They brought an amazing cheese cake. My Easter Lamb, uneaten, was covered and put into the refrigerator.

The next morning my oldest daughter called and I settled in to have a wonderful visit - to hear about all that she and her family were doing and what they had done for Easter.

As we talked I kept thinking about that lamb cake and thought that maybe I should just have a bite of the tail. YUM!! And cream cheese frosting!! YUM YUM!!

As we talked I slowly ate my way (a piece at a time of course) up the cake.

By the time we concluded our conversation only the head was left.

It was then that I remembered the words of my Weight Watcher Leader - she said - Eat with Dignity!

And so - I put the head on a plate - poured a big glass of milk - sat down at the table and finished off the Lamb Cake.

Karen

Easter Sunday

Warren, Oregon 1953 my sisters and I with our Grandma Maysel at the Joe Fisher Hereford Ranch. Our Grandfather was the manager. Grandma's Iris collection. These dresses look like dresses Grandma Maysel probably bought for us. They don't look homemade!

1953 my sisters and I (I'm the tall one in the middle) at our Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Rex's ranch on Geckler Lane in LaGrande, Oregon. Same dresses as above!

1954 Salem, Oregon My sisters and I and new chicks!

The new chicks under the heat lamp. They lived awhile in our kitchen.

It is April 3, 2010. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday - the celebration of the possibility of eternal life for each of us because of the Saviors sacrifice and for the fact that He was able to rise from the tomb. I am so thankful for that!!

In my growing up - and in my life as an adult - that has always been central to the holiday for me!

But, I am thankful also, for the traditions - the dressing up, the baby chicks and eggs and bunnies - all the signs of spring - of beginning! Celebrations of life!!

One of my clearest memories of Easter was a rainy Easter morning in Central Point - it would have been in about 1956. We were up early to go to an Easter Sunrise Service. We were members of a Pentecostal type of Church.

As we were getting ready to go the television was on and the music was by a wonderful choir called The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

It is interesting to me that I have that clear memory as now I am a member of the LDS Church and I start every Sunday morning listening to that choir!

I bought whisks yesterday. I read in the April Issue of Family Fun Magazine that one can put an egg in a whisk and it is a really easy way to dip the eggs in the dye.

I bought vinegar and Easter Egg dye and someone will get to dye eggs with me today! Even at 63 I love coloring on them with crayon and dipping them in the dye! Mine usually are covered with daisies.

I think of those days so long ago - taking my Saturday night bath - sitting on the floor by the couch with mama covering my head in pin curls - tying a scarf around them and then sleeping all night on those hard lumps!

I think of years later when I was a young Mom - getting Easter clothes ready for each of my 5 children - usually home made! I loved making their clothes! I remember the year of Cabbage Patch dolls. I made my daughters dresses for themselves and their dolls to match!

I remember making arrangements with the Easter Bunny so that he would arrive at our home on Saturday morning instead of Sunday. Then we would have ALL DAY to get that sugar out of our systems so that we could sit still at Church. I always loved it when he left licorice jelly beans!

And so - as I have this remembering time - I am SO thankful that most of all that I do remember that I am a Child of God and that because of Easter and our Savior Jesus Christ I can look forward to living with Him and with my family forever! Happy Easter - Karen

Found picture of Aunt Erma and Aunt Eva Richards

August 4, 1906
Erma Ruth Richards (b. 15 Feb 1906 Kalispell, Mt. d. 2 Feb 1972 Hawaii) and
Eva Jeanette Richards (b 21 Nov 1896 Devils Lake, N.D. d. 6 Feb. 1993 Battleground, WA)

This picture was found by someone looking on e-bay and then researching the names that were on the back online. He found my blog and made a comment and now - thanks to him and the person who advertised it - I have the picture. It must have been taken in Kalispell as that is where Aunt Erma was born. She would have been 6 months old! Hurray for the internet! More is written about Aunt Erma and Aunt Eva on other of my blogs.... Karen

Cora Ann Butler and Frederick Thomas Sanderson

Cora Ann Butler(b. 3 January 1874 Springfield, Illinois d. 10 March 1951 John Day, Or) and Frederick Thomas Sanderson (b. 23 July 1862 Russian River, Ca d. 29 July 1912 Ashland, Or)
Parents of:
Maysel Ellen Sanderson (b. 16 Feb. 1893 Canyonville, Or. d 6 April 1986 McMinnville, Oregon)
Lawrence Frederick Sanderson( b. 12 Dec 1897 Riddle, Or d21 March 1860 Berkley, Ca.)
Dorothy Gertrude Sanderson (b. 19 Nov 1901 Coquille, Or d. 14 Apr. 1948 Brookings, Or)

Cora and Frederick were my great grandparents. I know that Frederick was quite the entrepreneur. He and his brother had a general store in Coquille, Oregon. They later started one in Klamath Falls where he also owned the city swimming pool.

He was the mayor of Klamath Falls for a time. He died in Ashland of Appendicitis.

My Great Grandma Cora I do remember slightly. She lived with my Grandma Maysel and Grandpa Dick at the Oxbow Ranch when I was a little girl. She was quite the quilter and I slept under her wool quilts every night when I went to bed.

I remember her as tall and slight wearing black. I'm not sure if this is an accurate memory - but, it is the one I have.

One story Grandma Maysel loved to tell. When the family moved to Klamath Falls (around 1905) Grandpa Sanderson had heard about this place called Crater Lake. He loaded the family in the wagon along with camping supplies - hitched up the horses and headed out.

When they got to the base of the rim he hiked up to the top. When he looked over the edge he deemed it too dangerous for his family. He hiked back to the wagon and they set up camp. They spent the night in the meadow at the base of the rim and returned home. The family didn't get a chance to see the lake.

About 10 years later Grandma Maysel and her "beau" Dick Richards returned to Crater Lake. On this visit the young lovers hiked got to the rim and hiked the trail down to the lake where they took a boat to Wizard Island. They put their names on a piece of paper which they put in a bottle and left in the cone. I'm thinking they also went swimming - but, that could just be wishful thinking to make the story more romantic!

Frederick was the Great Grandson of Alexander Hamilton Willard of the Lewis and Clark Expedition!

Smokey The Bear

1957 Central Point, Oregon Karen with her 4-H lamb

In 1957 - 1958 my mom got a bunch of posters of Smokey Bear for my sisters and I to color - "Only YOU can prevent Forest Fires."

We then were sent out into the neighborhood to post them on telephone poles.

I felt very patriotic about this and I had the feeling that every child in America was doing their part to keep America Green!

About 4 years ago my "vision" of all of the children in America posting signs about Smokey Bear in their neighborhoods was shattered - I was sharing this experience with a friend about my age and he had never heard of it!

But - HURRY!! My faith in Smokey Bear and America's children has been restored. At a day camp meeting Wednesday the day camp director was sharing that she knew all 4 verses of Smokey the Bear (who doesn't?)! And so - I became brave - and asked if her mother had her color posters and put them up in her neighborhood!

But - of course she had!

Hurray for Mothers! Hurray for Smokey Bear! And "HURRAY FOR PROJECTS THAT KEEP KIDS BUSY" on hot summer days! Karen

"With a rangers hat and shovel - and a pair of dungarees......"

The making of Gluten

Here I am in 1974 with our new puppy Margie in the back yard of our first home!

At dinner tonight I started talking about the "gluten" era of my life. I have decided to share it!! The above picture of me in my "made it all by myself" orange shirt was taken during that time period.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We have a wonderful woman's organization called "Relief Society".

It was in the early 70's at Relief Society that I was introduced to "Gluten"!! It was "all the rage" amongst those of us becoming involved at that time with food storage - a two years supply was recommended!

We were purchasing hundreds of pounds of wheat! We stored the wheat in giant cans left over from the "civil defense bomb shelter" era. They would hold at least a hundred pounds of wheat - tall and dark green with all of the civil defense information printed in yellow on the outside. Made "moving" a real joy for everyone involved!

The book that we were all reading was called "Wheat for Man"!

(I need to insert here that I am a firm believer in Food Storage! I have been thankful many times for having it in my basement to use! I love grinding my own wheat and kneading my own bread! I am thankful, however, that we can now can our wheat in #10 tins and that it lasts up to 30 years that way.

I am sharing the "gluten" story because it is a slice of my life that I can't begin to think the young moms of today can even comprehend and probably will seem even more amazing to my granddaughters as they grow up and become homemakers).

So - back to the 70's! My husband had finished his graduate work and was teaching theater at the community college and designing sets for the local University!

When our first baby was born in the spring of 1973 I said "goodbye" to my professional career as a "Girl Scout" and embraced "motherhood"! The best job there is!!

I attended the weekly morning Relief Society meetings. They were wonderful! Three weeks a month we would meet for about an hour and a half - have a lesson - visit! When the children were 18 months old they could go into the nursery and play in a structured, educational environment. Most Mom's didn't work and it was a great opportunity to get some education and also socialize.

On the fourth morning the meeting would last for about 4 hours. We would have a lesson on different homemaking skills and then a luncheon.

It was here - in 1974 or 1975 that I was introduced to "gluten"! Whole wheat flour and water were mixed into a dough and kneaded until the "gluten formed". At that point one would rinse it under water - washing out all of the extra wheat and wheat germ (the nutritious stuff we now know).

What was left was this gluey mass.

The next thing to do was to boil the heck out of it in some kind of flavoring. Beef or Chicken!
Then one could either somehow chop it up so that it resembled "hamburger?" and add it to soup or slice it into pieces that were supposed to look like meat. Those "slices of meat" were breaded and fried to resemble "chicken fried steak".

We were dedicated Relief Society members of all ages and we practiced this at our monthly homemaking meeting. Then - we went home and practiced it on our families.

The "serving it to our husbands and children" part of the program did not always yield the enthusiastic results that we had felt as we were making it at church.

I, personally, after learning how to make gluten and having served it to my family decided that it was one of those"I am glad I know how to do this in case I need to use it someday"pieces of information I had gathered and have continued to gather throughout my life!

I, personally, am thankful that after further research BYU announced that gluten has been found to have NO nutritional value!