Page 19 - Landscape Draft 1 copy

wonderful. We got quite a few nice gifts from them. Otto’s
The Reed Hess Holmes Family
Front: Reed, Eva, and Fannie
Back: Guy, Fahey, Mae, and Otto
folks gave us a bedroom suite, bed, and washstand. I had a
new dresser I had just bought. Sister Mae and husband gave
us a set of dishes, Eva a dresser scarf and I don’t recall what
else. The friends and neighbors didn’t give gifts like they do
now, and no receptions either.
The weather was soon nice but dry. No hay was raised that
summer so Otto and his father cut Russian thistles for hay
in 1917 and I stacked for them, built a large long stack.
That is what kept the cattle going, along with cotton seed
meal. Mother Holmes was a wonderful housekeeper and
cook (we lived with them for 2½ years). I helped with all
of the wash, cooking, etc. We always washed on Mondays,
ironed on Tuesdays, etc. I still wasn’t very well due to the
fall I’d had in 1916. I was so nervous. My back was out of
place in places, which caused it as we found out later. Med-
icine didn’t help very much but did relieve me. War was de-
clared six days before we were married. Otto was deferred
for a time as he was a farmer and his Dad needed him. He
was placed in the 4F class, and would have been called soon
had the war kept on. That’s the way they were called up,
first class 1 – then 2, etc. But the war was over just before
Part of my Life as a Story 19