Page 20 - Landscape Draft 1 copy
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his call came up. gravel roads in those days. We were afraid to be twenty
miles from the doctor, so packed our clothes and went to
Dad Holmes was a blacksmith, he was kept busy at that
Utica, where we stayed with Guy and Vera Holmes. They
but had cattle and milked a few cows. Therefore I helped
only had a two room house so we were somewhat crowded,
him milk. Eva (Otto’s sister) never learned to milk cows.
but made out. They had one child, a boy of three years old.
Mother Holmes always raised lots of little chickens by set-
We couldn’t afford to rent an apartment or house. The flu
ting hens so she had enough to do besides milking, but did
was terrible the winter of 1918 and 1919. So many died
help part time. We always had our meals right on time, and
with it especially expectant mothers. Around March 12 ,
th
nearly everyday men who brought work to the shop were
Guy and Vera came down with this dreaded disease. Otto
always invited in to eat. She always kept a white tablecloth
th
and I came down with it March 13 . Otto was real sick but
on the table, and always kept it set with a table cover over
didn’t go to bed as I too was bad sick. Our son, Edward
it, when we washed the dishes we set the table as we dried
th
Earl, was born soon after midnight March 15 . They didn’t
them. Same old routine every day.
think he or I would pull thru but we did. I slept so much, I
In the winter time when the ice would get to be 11” and 12” remember really waking up and the sun was shining bright
thick the men would put up ice. The folks had an ice house. thru the east window. Otto was feeling better. He hadn’t
These were built underground with a roof and the ice was had his clothes off for two days and nights. It was on a Sun-
then packed in sawdust. It was a blessing in the hot sum- day morning, but we were all so happy to know we had all
mer months for cooking, drinks, and making homemade survived.
ice cream.
You couldn’t hardly hire anyone to care for people but we
Summer passed, I hadn’t felt too good, as we were expecting were lucky enough to get a neighbor lady to come in ev-
our first baby in March. January was a wet snowy month, eryday and care for me and the baby. I don’t think she ever
the roads began to get bad with freezing and thawing – no got the flu. I was up and around in two weeks helping with
20 Part of my Life as a Story
