Tuesday

It was a very long day. It was a very nice funeral and so shocking to see all the people who were there. You would think for someone 89 there might not have been too many. I think lots were friends of his children.

I happened to be near when Aunt Eva had a "talk" with Uncle Myron. She was explaining that she couldn't be with him right now, but it wouldn't be too long before they would see each other. Then I had to leave because it was too touching to be eavesdropping. I watched her from across the room, and she was so calm and collected. You might have thought she was having a normal conversation with someone if you didn't know difference. She was amazing through the whole service. I have to wonder if she thinks she will be joining him soon.

I have an uncle and an aunt left on my mothers side through marriage. Aunt Eva being one and Uncle Len being the other one. Uncle Len, who is 92, decided the morning of the funeral that he wasn't up to going. But, his brother Gus who will be 94 came. Gus was a good family friend of my parents and would stop in at the farm as ofen as Uncle Len and Aunt Evy. He is living in a nursing home and gets around very well with a walker. He says he has a wheel chair at "home" but he uses his walker as much as he can for excersise . My brothers and I had him sit at our table and we reminiced about old times.

It was our memories of when Gus, a confirmed bacholer, would show up for a visit. Not the summer visits, but if he showed up in the winter, all hell was apt to break loose. One year in particular. It was winter. It had started to snow early that day and didn't let up. Gus showed up that morning for a visit. It snowed harder. Sometime after lunch a Nash Finch truck from Norfolk showed up at the farm seeking shelter from the storm. He couldn't see to drive. Of course he was welcome to stay but Dad and Bud got to worring about us kids getting home safe. We were in a one room country school, nine pupils and a teacher 3/4 of a mile from home. The truck driver volunteered to drive his truck, if the guys would come along. They had shovels and what they could bring. There were 9 kids and one teacher at the school. Three kids from each family. The father of the ones living the fartherest away showed up first riding a horse and bringing enough for his children and they took off for home. The other family's dad showed with a little Ford tractor at the same time the guys showed up with the truck. The kids stood on that thingamagiky behind the tractor and held on tight while George drove them home. Our teacher had 2 choices. Stay alone at the school or get in the truck. She got in the truck. We made it home safely.

My mother must have had a sixth sense that day. I don't know when she started cooking, but cooking she did. We had a freezer full of meat, a cave full of canned vegetables and she had her home made bread. She fried chickens, roasted beef and I can't remember what else. The guys got us home safely and wondered who else might be in trouble out on the highway. ( Either that or they were just feeling like it was an adventure.) They decided to take the truck and go up and down the highway for a short distance to see if anyone else was stranded. When they stopped, we had 57 people at our house.

What a variety. A candy salesman who grabed his sample case to bring to the house. We loved that. A carful of ministers heading for a meeting. Dad wasn't too excited about that as he had to watch what he said, and of course we remembered to say grace at meals.... A young soldier with his Japanese bride and young child. She was so new to the US. Couldn't speak english. Wore only kimonoes and bowed at everything you said. People everywhere. I don't remember the sleeping arangements, but if you had a chair or what ever, they made do. They were safe, warm and well fed.

The next morning broke clear, bright sunshine and bitter cold. The drifts were enormous. Dad and Bud had help with the chores. Mom cooked breakfast for all of them. Then we waited for the snowplows. Mom fixed lunch for all of them. The truck driver delivered them to their vehicles while Dad and Bud each drove tractors to dig out their vehicles and Gus went along with a shovel. NO SCHOOL !! Gus was the last to leave.

Our mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer about the next fall. I think it was a combination of not knowing what to say, the lose of those good meals ( I was no substitute for my mother) or heartbreak, but we don't remember Gus coming much after that. But, we did have fun passing aound the story Tuesday.

Gus even brought copies of the obituariy for those of us who don't have access to the local newspaper. I am sure he had someone from the nursing home copy and print them, but it is amazing how someone that age was so thoughtful.

Life is made up of memories. Some not so good, and those that are so very special...... Thank you Gus. You made my brothers and my day by surprising us with your presence. None of us even knew you were still alive, much less how much fun we would have talking about the "old days". Life is sad, life is good.