Time Travel Tuesdays ~ Ida Lee, Part 9 ~ Five Little Girls & Happy Times

When last we left the Hamblin family the year was 1915, their sixth daughter, Priscilla had been born, (their 1st daughter, Ida, had passed away at birth). They had survived a round of whooping cough where daughter Fern had nearly died. They were living on a ranch between Nutrioso and Alpine, Arizona, enjoying the beautiful, cool summer days. I now continue my Grandmother Hamblin's story in her own words:

Fern 1910, Blanche 1909.

Faye 1913, Priscilla 1915, Klea 1911.

"One Saturday evening I was bathing the little girls so they would be clean for Sunday School. Carl had started for the cows. I had bathed Fay who was next to Priscilla (in age) and set her out in the back yard to play while I bathed the others. She had seen her Daddy go up the road to get the cows. She started to follow him. He had gone up to the gate and left it open in order to drive the cows back through. He had not gone too far when he was prompted to return to the house. He turned around and went back. He met Fay toddling along the road nearly to the gate. How nice it was for him to heed the spirit of the Lord that had prompted him to return, for had she gotten through the gate and into the trees outside, no one would have known which way she had gone and in which direction. There were bears and other wild animals in the woods. Again God had been watching over us and by His Holy Spirit, Carl had been prompted to turn back. What a blessing.Another time Carl came home from Springerville and Parked his wagon on the brow of the hill just off the road. Soon afterward the children were playing in it and we heard them crying and screaming. We got outside as soon as possible and there they were, rolling backwards down the hill, hollering, "woah! woah!" One of them had pulled the brake off. (I wonder which "one"?) Carl ran after it and pulled the brake and stopped the wagon. Thank God that Carl was home. No telling what would have happened had I been there alone. I am not sure I would have had the strength to stop it. Now there was a bunch of very serious children. I can laugh about it now, but at the time it was very serious.

During the summer, my sister Lillian's husband, Willard Hamblin, was away for awhile. They were living in Alpine and I think he was in Utah after horses. She was alone and lonesome with her little children, so she came and spent several weeks with us. We enjoyed the hours together, caring for our children and making them happy. In the evenings we sang songs which echoed back from the hills around. hose were very happy days, as all the days were that we spent together in each others homes while out husbands were away.Some time later, Carl decided we should move back into town, for, as he said, he wasn't cut out to be "Robinson Crusoe". We decided to move to Eagar as Blanche was ready for school, and it was easier to obtain work there. So we packed up our things and made another move. His brother Jake, and family, had moved to St. Johns as he had been elected Sheriff of Apache County. So we lived in his house that winter.

She writes about a friend who fixed her "nice things to eat" which helped her very much as she was expecting another baby and not feeling so well.

After this sickness passed we had a pleasant winter and in the spring moved back to Nutrioso. I had lost track of the many times we had moved since our marriage. We could have been called the "Moving Tribe".

 A couple of things ...first of all, in typing this story I am so intrigued by the restraint my grandmother and people of her generation are in their use of exclamation marks! Back up to where Grandpa had to chase the wagon and pull the brake while running alongside it because the team was running away with his children! She wrote, "what a blessing." Period! Maybe I just use them too much? ...Nah!!! 

The other thing of note is that this little family did, indeed, move around a lot. (I just typed and exclamation point after this sentence, then thought better of it.) Grandpa did not have a profession. He found jobs wherever he could. He didn't really farm, but had pasture for the horses and milk cows. To be settled in one place for very long was not something they had experienced in their 8 years of marriage up to this point, nor would it be that way for quite a few more years. To be a "Jack-of-all-Trades" was a difficult thing for a family man. Thank goodness Ida was very easy-going and loved him with all of her heart! (That deserves and exclamation mark!)

Since St. Valentine's Day is this weekend I thought I'd look up a few Valentines from 1915 to share with you. They are fun because they show some of the style and fashion of the day.

This one shows Cupid as a phone operator, connecting two lovers.

There were phones in use at that time but not in Grandma Ida's life!

Love the big bow. My aunts Fern and Blanche are sporting big bows in the top photo of this post. 

I think the fasihons of the 1980's were calling back

 these days.

Cupids and Doves were quite fashionable.

 Also stylish during that time were rosy cheeked, plump little kids, 

like those Campbell's Soup Kids and Kewpie Dolls.

So, Happy Day of Love to all of you...until next time!