Mom's Story Part 12

Sickness: 

            I had the usual run of illnesses.  I had the chicken pox when I was a little over a year old (Nov 1919).  I had whooping cough the next year (Dec 1920).  One disease I remember was the Scarlet Fever.  We were quarantined and cooped up in Mother’s bedroom.  Roscoe and I had the disease at the same time Mayola and Louise were convalescing.  I must have been pretty sick for my temperature went to 106 degrees.  It was during the time Dad was in England; so the boarders had to find lodging elsewhere during this time (Sept. 14, 1923).  A few incidents stand out in my memory.  Roscoe would keep getting out of bed and sneaking to the closet to get some little pink pills. He liked them.  So I was the watchdog and would call Mother.  Mayola and Louise entertained us with putting on plays in the “Sleeping Porch” through the French Doors.  They would have mock weddings marrying the broom and the mop.  We loved it and when the curtains (the blinds) came down on the final act, Roscoe and I applauded heartily.  

  I remember when I was able to leave the bedroom, Mother let us sit on a chair in the hall.  The impression I recall was how clean the floors and the house was.  The fumigation after we were over the disease was also something I remember.  We sat outside in the sunshine while the house was fumigated.  On February 12, 1927 I had the measles.  I remember how bumpy my face felt and how hot I was.  Dad was sleeping with me and I remember him stroking my face and hair.  Mother set up temporary quarters in the Dining Room where it was cozy and warm and dark.  We had a cot in the corner of the room. 

Dad's Story Part 8

Willis and bike

The Lewiston Idaho Period

            In 1924, Dad was transferred to Lewiston, Idaho.  The Continental Oil plant was a little bigger here, and Dad had a larger territory to cover.  Lewiston is a beautiful little city located on the Snake River where the Clearwater River joins it.  The town lies on the south bank of the Clearwater River, and the east bank of the Snake River.  Directly across the Snake River on its west bank is the city of Clarkston, Washington.  Of course the two cities were named for the famous frontier explorers Lewis and Clark who followed the Clearwater River down to it confluence with the Snake in 1805.  They continued on down the Snake and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific Coast. 

            Across the Clearwater River to the north is the famous Lewiston Hill with a winding highway that leads a torturous route from the bottom to the top in about nine miles.  This highway leads to Moscow, Idaho, the home of the University of Idaho, which is about thirty miles north of Lewiston. 

            South of the downtown or business portion of Lewiston is a “bench” or higher portion of ground, which is relatively flat.  The main residential section of the town and the “normal school” or college is located on the bench.  It was at the Lewiston College tennis court that I was introduced to the game of tennis.  I enjoyed the game, and seemed to have a “natural” ability for it.

            It was during this time of my life that I became interested and active in quite a wide variety of sports.  At our first residence in Lewiston, which was on “G” Street, located in the “downtown” part of Lewiston, I became an accomplished roller-skater.  Fortunately, all the streets had cement sidewalks, so I was able to skate from our house to the school, which was about a half a mile away. A year later, when we moved up on the hill, into the house where Frances was born, I became involved in the sports of basketball, baseball, and golf.  A neighbor across the street from us had a basketball standard or basket mounted on their garage.  I spent a lot of time over there pitching “free throws”.

Behind our house was a large vacant lot where the neighborhood boys gathered after school and on Saturdays to play baseball.  I had received a catcher’s mitt for Christmas, so I learned to be a catcher, and played that position most of the time.  There was a golf course clubhouse very near to us.  During our summer vacation from school I learned to be a caddy.  As I remember, we used to be paid fifty cents to one dollar for a round of nine holes.  While working as a caddy, I learned the fundamentals of golf, but never did have the time or money to play much. 

Lewiston was a warm climate because of its low elevation of about seven hundred feet.  One winter, at Christmas time we had roses blooming in our garden.  I also remember the California poppies that grew in front of our house.  Because of the hot summers we used to go on frequent camping trips to the mountains.  One especially memorable summer vacation was a two-week stay at Wallowa Lake, Oregon.  This is a beautiful large lake in the pine-covered mountains of east central Oregon.  We rented a little cabin at a summer resort.  There was a little rushing stream that flowed by the cabin, and lulled us to sleep at night with its musical sound.  The highlight of this vacation was a side trip I was privileged to take with Dad.  Just the two of us started early one morning and hiked to a little lake named Amatol about six or seven miles from our camp.  We took a lunch and some fishing equipment.  This little lake could only be reached by a trail.  This was a great experience to have Dad all to myself for a whole day, one that I will never forget. 

            On some of our summer camping trips there would be four or five other families go with us.  One that I remember particularly was the Phil Schnobee family.  He drove a laundry truck for the C.O.D. Laundry.  His truck was an old Dodge panel.  Phil would frequently take me with him in the summertime to help pick up the laundry bundles.  It was hot work, but my reward was several stops along the way for an ice-cold lemon pop, and then at the end of the morning, lunch at the Elk’s Club.  

Camping trip

Cabin (with a boy up top!)

Mom's Story Part 11

Joseph W Smith Grandchildren

Childhood Friends and Neighbors:

            The dearest people on earth surrounded us; most of them relatives but those who were not related to us always were addressed as “Aunt” or “Uncle” anyway.  Aunt Emma Freeman, Aunt Mae Larsen, Aunt Sarah T Smith, Aunt Rebecca, Aunt Augusta, Aunt Janet, Aunt Louie, Aunt Em – all Smiths—the list could go on and on all over town.  Aunt Dennie Hulet lived just across the street and her home was the most elegant house in town.  Uncle John R., her husband, was very well to do (an extremely wise business man) and he bought the most beautiful toys for his children.  Their playroom upstairs made my eyes boggle.  It was there I first saw a little play piano, china dolls, doll buggies and beds, tiny cupboards with dishes.  Only seldom did I ever get to go up to that wonderful room.  However, one time I slipped a small plaything into my pocket (I can’t even remember what it was now), but the joy was short-lived when I returned home and Mother saw it.  She had me go right back and return it with apologies.  How embarrassed I was.  It was a good lesson. 

            Two of my good friends were Maria Smith, who lived just across the block from me, and Guida Smith, who lived further up the hill.  Maria and I were bosom friends.  We were together constantly.  We had a little signal system set up in a tree nearby.  When we had urgent business we rang our little bell to summon each other.  It was fine until our brothers got wind of it and disrupted our bell system.  Maria and I loved to make playhouses and we would spend hours cleaning out a cellar, a chicken coop, or corner of the barn or garage to make a playhouse in. 

            It was on Guida’s new bicycle that I learned to ride.  She lived up on the hill so we could coast down hill once we got our balance on the bicycle.  That was the most fun, and Mother could hardly get me home.  I suppose it was pretty hard on the new bicycle for I’m sure we had plenty of spills.  Max Butler, the “dream” of all the girls in our crowd lived just over the back fence from us where Kay Hatch lives.  I was madly in love with him.  I used to try to time my chores of feeding the chickens when I knew he would be out doing his chores.  He was a wonderful violinist, later he became the Concert Master of  the BYU Orchestra, and also became a doctor of medicine.  His sister, Merlene, invited me to a birthday party one time and her mother took us all swimming.  Of course, Max was there and in my efforts to impress him, I tried to show him I knew how to swim.  I really didn’t know how, but I worked so hard that day, that I actually did learn how to swim.  When all the other girls left to attend the party, I stayed in the pool with Max.  The old swimming pool was ice cold located above the railroad tracks where the Little League Ball Park is.  Finally, Mother had to come get me.  I got a good lesson in etiquette that day.