Late Summer 1916 to Summer 1921- Ephraim, Utah with Mother, Don and Reva (4 yrs old to 7 yrs old)

Late summer 1916 to late summer 1918 (2 1/2 yrs old to 4 yrs old)

Salt Lake City with Grandparents- on 8th south between 9th and 10th E. (house torn down later for apartments)

Thomas (Tommy) and Lydia Edmunds and aunts-
Grace- abt 19-20 yrs old and at the University of Utah
Irene- abt 18 yrs old and at the University of Utah
Ruby- abt 16-17 yrs old- in highschool
and uncle- Clifford (Cliff) abt 14 yrs old- in jr. highschool

- many memories about this period- will add them later (note: memories were never added)

1918-1921

I slept in a double bed with Mother. One night (fall 1918) I woke up and she wasn't in bed so I went to look for her. I found her in the darkened parlour. She was in her night gown with her long hair down and sitting in the rocking chair and crying quietly. I felt so sorry for her and wanted to distract her so I climbed into her lap, and hugged her, and asked her to tell me what school would be like. After a short time we went back to bed.

The house (of adobe brick in colonial style!) was old and the porch had never been added so there was a door on the second floor that opened into space instead of the balcony formed by the roof of an entry porch below. We kids sometimes waited for mother to go downtown (4-5 blocks away) and then we'd throw the "feather tick" (a homemade mattress filled with feather) out the door and take turns jumping down onto it. It's surprising that there were no broken bones or injuries. Finally a neighbor lady saw us and told mother. The door was nailed shut.

We had a swing between 2 close plum trees near the kitchen back door, a "play- house" in the middle of a circle of lilac bushes. One bush was missing so we made that space the door. There was a shed so we could use 1 interior wall for a "blackboard" to play school. Ours was a large corner lot and 1 side was lined with holyhocks from which we made dolls. An old low-spreading apple tree (1 limb was almost horizontal) was my favorite hiding and reading spot.

I got my arm caught in the wringer of mothers new electric washer (with the tub made of wood). The muscles in my lower forearm and hand were permanently pushed out of place but I learned to favor the right arm for carrying (as much as possible)- otherwise I ignored the difference.

Don had a best friend, Kenton Armstrong, who lived beyond town at the mouth of the canyon. One day, while Don was at his house, we had a "cloudburst" above the canyon and a flood. We could hear it roaring down the canyon. Mother had us kneel as she prayed for Don's safety. He arrived home with the flood a few feet ahead of him. It spread out so he only had wet feet and legs.

One day mother sent him downtown to buy a few groceries. A young girl who was just learning to drive ran into him. He was brought home unconscious and stayed so for 3 days. Gradually, in about 3 weeks, he recovered.

We had 1-2 young men students at Snow College ( out of towners) as boarders during the school year. They were very good to us kids and helpful to mother.

One day the bishop of the ward (note: church congregation) brought a man to our door. He was ill and needed a place to stay and rest to recover (no hospital near). His name was Johnny Bulascus and he was a vaudeville. He was a gentle, kind person- very gentle- manly and respectful to mother. He used to rock me and tell us stories. He tried to talk mother into letting him take Reva (then 7 yrs old) into his vaudeville acts. He would send mother money for her "wages". Mother refused to consider such an idea. Reva later said, "Thank heaven mother wasn't "stage-struck"!"

In 1918 Mother, Don, and Reva all had "the flu"- the famous epidemic with so much loss of life. They figured I'd get it anyway so I continued to sleep with mother. Mother was pronounced dead once by the doctor but when he returned to the room a little later she was alive. I never did get the flu.

In winter mother made ice-cream and froze it with ice made in a pan and broken up. A pan was set in the ice and the pan handle turned till the ice-cream was frozen.