Dwight and Ruby Rice sealing June 2, 1950

My Story by Teril Lee Rice (I was 12 when I became a Beehive at church.  One of the honor badges I did was to write a life history. Here are some of the excerpt from that honor badge.)

It’s been a great life.

I, Teril Lee Rice, being born of goodly parents, Mr. Dwight Bert Rice and Mrs. Ruby Rogers Rice, being taught much in the knowledge of my parents, say to you, it’s been a good life.

I was born to my mother, Ruby Rogers and my dad Dwight Bert Rice and my sister Danawn Rice on March 14, 1955 at 12:30 pm in a hospital in Tempe, Maricopa, Arizona.  Although I was  born in Tempe, we lived on North Horn in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona.  Dad was 27 years old and Mom was 24 years old.  Dad was born to Audrey Maggie Guinn (born 29 July 1908) and David Elzie Rice (born 12 Feb. 1899)  in Chandler, Maricopa, Arizona on the 14 of January, 1928.

(2015 Dad was the first in his family to be converted.  He tells his conversion story like this. He was released from the military on a medical leave and found his mother and half brothers taking the missionary lessons.  He had always been asking the questions, "Who am I really? Where did I really come from?  What is my purpose in this life?" He asked these questions of these missionaries and felt the spirit confirm to him that these boys knew the answers to these questions.  All his life, he could tell the person he was asking those questions of did not really know the answers but these two boys did.  He asked them to start over with the lessons from the beginning.  Each lesson, he would ask them to come again the next night until all the lessons were over and he was baptized.  He helped convert his brothers, all 3 of them and his mother.  He baptized them.  He then found out Aunt Arvilla, Grandma Audrey Guinn Rice Folsom's sister was also a member of the true church.  He now has more than 150 descendants all members of the church.  There is no telling how many others are members because he helped in converting his 3 brothers and mother.  This same grandma, Audrey Guinn Rice Folsom was endowed at our sealing in the Cardston Temple those 40 or so years later, August 20, 1975.  She came up with Randy and me to Cardston, Alberta to be with us and also to receive her own endowment.  It was shortly after his baptism that he found my mother, Ruby Rogers.  They waited a year later to be sealed in the Mesa, Arizona temple.  Each of us children were born under the covenant.  He gave each of us a father's blessing and name and baptised us each at 8 years old.  He attended all 6 sealing to our(his own children's) spouses and has tried to be to each of his grandchildren's special spiritual events as well.  He is 87 years old this year and just came back from driving himself to his grandson's farewell mission event.  He is amazing!)

Daddy is an average sized man and I think he is perfect. (Dad was about 5’10” with light brunet hair.  He was big boned but strong and dark skinned.  He was handsome, handsome with big brown eyes, a square jar and loving of us children.2014 addition) He loves the outdoors and I do too.  Daddy has a temper but he only has to use it when he is mad or angry and that is irregular. (Dad does have a bad temper.  I inherited it and have found the greatest blessings in my working to overcome this temptation to exercise a bad temper. Dad chose to exercise his temper but mother would soften him down whenever she was around.  I believed we deserved his wrath when he lost his temper and were better because of this attitude trying hard to be on his good side.  I love him for it and because of it.  However, I see what I do not want to pass on to my children.  I spent much of their growing up years thinking “I deserve to lose my temper because….” I lost lots of “teaching school good” because of this attitude before I found ways to curb my temper and replace it with a more acceptable way to discipline.  I hope I can pass this on.  I am not proud of the temper tantrums I exhibited while growing up. 2014)Daddy teaches school in the winter and does odd jobs in the summer.  He has six children to cope with and if that is easy there is something wrong.  He likes to go hunting but does not get to go very often now because of money but he gets to go hunting every once and a while.  He has three deer heads in his den.  One is an elk,.  The other an antelope.  The last is a white tail deer.(the den referred to here was in our new house we built when I was 12.  Oh, what an experience that was.  I will describe that at a later time.)I think they are very pretty.  While school is going on he runs two miles with me each morning. (When I was twelve, Dad trained with me.  He planned to take me down into the Grand Canyon with his scouts which he did.  We got our running 2 miles down to 12 minutes.  That was our goal at least.2014)  The thing I like about Daddy is his ambition and that is most of him.  I love him.  

Here is a video of a reunion at my Aunt Arvilla's house.  Aunt Arvilla is Grandma Folsom's oldest sister.  She lived in Yuma, Arizona at this time. There were 10 children in my Grandmother Folsom's family. This video was before my birth and shows my Grandmother Audrey Maggie Guinn Rice Folsom's mother and father, William Anson Guinn and Ella "J" Fain.  William was born 18 February 1870 and Ella was born 4 May 1880.  These are Dad's grandparents.  Grandma Guinn lived until I was 8 years old.  I remember seeing her in bed at Aunt Arvilla's home. 2014

  Mom, Ruby Rogers, was born in Snowflake, Navajo, Arizona on the 13 of January 1931 to Cora Rogers (born 9 Mar 1901) and Leroy Rogers (born 2 Jan. 1892)  Ruby and Dwight were married in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona in the Mesa Temple on the 2^nd of June, 1950.

She also has six kids to cope with but she does it pretty well.   She is about average too, (5’5’’, blond to brown hair, beautiful smile, blue eyes, thin and shapely legs and full of energy and creativity.2014)but a very sweet mama.  This coming year she is going to go to school to learn how to speak Spanish in the same way they teach the Spanish English, but each night she is coming all the way back to see and help us and I think that is quite a lot because the school is down in Tuscon. (Mom got her masters in bilingual education in Tuscon this year.  She drove a VW bug and was run off the road once.  She said this guy was egging her on by passing her then slowing down so much that mom would pass him. Then he would speed up and pass her and slow way down to cause her to worry. There was something with a truck once too.  She had lots of adventures driving from Chandler to Tuscon.  This experience taught me to take more charge of my life.  I learned to make breakfast and make bread while she was going back and forth.  It was a good experience for all of us I thought. 2014) Both Mom and Dad teach and she and Dad used to try to get home about the same time we did so we would not be home alone too long.  She likes the outdoors and turquoise jewelry.  She likes art and is very artistic.  I love her very much.  I don’t know what I would do without her.  The reason why I like Mama is because she is so considerate.

(There is a page of pictures showing when mom was 3 and when she was in the 7^th grade and when she was relaxing in a lounge chair. There are pictures of her and Aunt Alice and when she was acting Hawaiian and one where she looks just like me and one showing her excellent shape and long legs.)

When we do something bad she just calmly tells us what to do either change our attitude or go to bed or get a spanking.  Most of the things we do deserve a spanking but I love her anyway. 

(Mom comes from a long line of Latterday Saints.  She comes from the Aurelia Spencer Rogers line.  Aurelia was the first Primary President called by Joseph Smith himself.  She had a strong testimony when she met Dad and insisted they be sealed in the Mesa, Arizona temple when they were married. 2015) 

 


  Mom could not have kids for 3 years and then my sister Danawn Rice was born on the 7^th of July 1953 in the Tempe, Maricopa, Arizona.
 She is my oldest sister.  She is big.  She has big bones which come from Grandpa Rogers and the Guinn side.  She is also a very good artist.  She likes pretty things and admires the luxuries.  What I mean is she does not love housework but who does.  She likes to play records of all kinds.  She too likes turquoise rings. (Mom loved turquoise and so on our 8^th birthdays, we all got turquoise rings.  Mine was too big for me so I laced it with mohair.  That was the rage at that time.  I remember losing that ring in lots of places.  I lost it when we were cleaning up the branches that fell from the eucalyptus tree and in the ditch out front of our house on Dobson and Germann road in Chandler and in Farnsworth’s pool.  I always found it but it was traumatic each time.  Now that Mom has gone on, I have her turquoise necklace and earrings that I will cherish.  They remind me of Mom.Danawn was sealed to Monte Schumann and they have 2 boys and 2 girls.2014) Danawn has two turquoise rings.  One has 36 stones in it.  It is real big.  The other one has only one stone in it so she bought a silver ring to go on her little finger.  She can get awfully mad when she wants to but most of the time she is sweet.(Danawn is a real beauty with blond hair turning brown, hazel eyes, nice shape, even though she is 5’10” tall and is big boned with a shoe size of 11 and a wonderful smile.  She is talented in everything she does.  She sings, plays piano, teaches the hardest to teach wonderfully and lead the church in every calling she has been given.  She has raised 4 children all sealed in the temple to their spouses.  She has lived in Canada all these years but never misses a family reunion after the Hawaii trip.  At that sealing of Shana to Todd Hamblin, she swore she would never miss another family reunion all her days and she never has. 2014)Danawn sells makeup and would love to sell to you.  She loves that kind of work and money.  Danawn can play the piano beautifully but she can’t when her nails are too long. I think she likes long fingernails better than playing the piano.  Danawn loves to run the lawn mower. (Dad had gotten us a sit down lawn mower.  Danawn was all over that, controlling something with an engine.  She could hardly wait to drive and be FREE 2014)I guess the best thing I like about Danawn is she is fun. 

Here is a video of Danawn's first Christmas.  You will see Aunt Leola, Grandma and Grandpa Rogers, Grandma Folsom and Grandpa Rice and Uncle Eugene along with Danawn who is 6 months old.
Aunt Leola is my mother, Ruby Rogers Rice's older sister.  Mom was one of 3 girls.  Aunt Alice 1932-1948 is Mom's younger sister who died at age 16 marching in the band in Yuma Arizona.
Mom's dad: Leroy Rogers born the 2 January 1892 in Snowflake, Navajo Arizona married Cora Rogers on 24 February 1928 and died shortly after I was born 28 July 1955 in Yuma, Arizona. He was 10 years older than Grandma Cora.  He married Cora so she could keep her promise to never have to change her name.  Cora Rogers was born 9 March 1901 in Snowflake, Navajo, Arizona and Died 11 Mar 1984.  I got to sing "Oh Divine Redeemer" at her funeral and again at my mother's funeral. Mother, Ruby Rogers Rice died 6 January 2014.
My Dad, Dwight Bert Rice had both of his parents in this video.  His father, David Elzie Rice was born 12 February 1899 in Kerville, Kerr, Texas.  He married Audrey Maggie Guinn on 22 October 1924 and died 5 May 1971 in Chandler, Maricopa, Arizona.  Audrey Maggie Guinn divorced David Elzie Rice and married Lester Edmond Folsom 21 Mar 1937. He died 1944.  I knew her as Grandma Folsom.  She was born 29 July 1908 in Charlston, TLLHTC, Miss.  She had 4 sons, two by my grandpa, David Elzie Rice and two by Lester Folsom, Jay and Eugene.  Eugene is in this video.  He had polio when he was 8 years old and lived with the results all his life.

 There is movie of several of my Grandmother Folsom's brother's and sisters.  Theres's Uncle Mack and Uncle Roy.  Uncle Mack was married to Tewanda Lee Diggars.  Their child, Margie stayed in close contact with my mother and father.  I knew her as Margie Johnson.  She married Fred Johnson and had 7 boys.  THe oldest was Mackay (I thought after the prophet, President McKay.)THere are several of my cousins as well. One was Kathy.  She was Aunt Betty's daughter.  Aunt Betty and Uncle Bill (my father's brother)were married when Kathy was a few years old.

In this movie clip, I see Aunt Maude, and Aunt Irene.  These are my grandfather, David Elsie Rice's sisters.  He had 3 sisters older than he.  His mother had four children.  David was the only boy.  When his father died, David was sure he would inherit the land.  His sisters thought since they were older, they should inherit the land.  It became a big rift in their relationship.  My grandfather never talked to any of them again after his mom died.  My mother tried to keep the channels of communication open between them.  Cousin Marcele was Aunt Maude's daughter. She is in this video too and her daughter Gracie was the young one with pigtails in her hair.  Danawn went to California to stay with Cousin Marcele and play with her two girls.

Back to me!  I was blessed on the 5^th of May, 1955 by my dad Dwight Bert Rice in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona.  My blessing is in my book of Remembrance.  I seemed to be all in working order.  I had 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot and I surely knew how to cry and eat.  Mom and Dad say they could sing to me all night long if they would because when they put me to bed, all I would do is scream.  I was fitful, a nonsleeper, a tantrum thrower and no one ever wanted to play with me except mother.  I got many a spanking but I usually got my way because I was determined to get it.  Mom and Dad say I continued this strong will power(negative) until I was about 3 years old.  Danawn can remember me throwing the bottle across the nursery at church and breaking it and also biting off the nipples.  Aunt Leola just hated to tend me because I was so cranky and down right ornery.  Danawn became the favorite because of this.   By 3 years old , I was able to turn my will power to good.

 I got a little sister,  Kalene Rice, who was born on February the 8^th 1958.  We were still in the Mesa but out in the country. I remember Mother substituting.  We had a really good babysitter names Rebba Button.  She had two older daughter and a loving husband that really loved us three kids and let us play with their old dolls and dress ups.  I remember one time Kalene drank the coffee grounds (Buttons were not members of the church) and Rebba had a fit.  Kalene did not even whince.  There was a school playground just across the street where we used to play until Mom came to pick us up.  We always had a lot of fun.  Danawn got to go to school about that time to kindergarten.  She would bring us all her goodies home and taught us how to jump rope and play jacks and play hop scotch.

  Kalene is my younger sister.  She is about average in size but an oddball of the family .  She has dark hair which no one else has.  She is little boned compared to the rest but I love her just the way she is.(Kalene had interesting skin too.  I always thought it was green and orange.  I guess that is how I described olive complexion.  That is what she has.  She turned out to be the beauty queen of the family with her dark hair, her light eyes and her winning smile.  She is the most mild mannered one of all of us.  Gentle and soft spoken.  She is and has always been sweet to a fault. Kalene is sealed to Cody Walker and they have 3 boys and 2 girls.2014)Kalene loves dolls and is artistic.  I think she is more interested in dolls and art than she is in school.  She loves to play with Breck, the smallest of the family.  She dresses him up just like he was a doll.  She also plays the piano.  Kalene can be terribly uncooperative but most of the time is good.  She likes boys even though she says she hates them.  She likes fancy things and luxuries also.  (Taken from an honor badge requirement)The reason why I like Kalene is she is fun and easy to get along with.

I was an elephant in a china closet from these experiences I am writing.  Another time, I was swinging a play iron around.  Kalene walked in the way of the iron and I hit her hard in the front teeth.  They turned black.  She lived with that black tooth until she lost them about age 6.  What an awful reminder of my carelessness.  Did I learn?  Well…..Now Kalene’s teeth are perfect all without braces.

Next in line is Shana. Shana was born November 2, 1960. She is good in school.  She needs more attention than the others but is a pretty good kid.  She does not like housework at all.  She is a big girl but only 7 years old. (Shana has a strong will like me.  She has become the backbone of our family reunions and keeping the family together.  We are especially glad Shana is Shana since Mom has gone.  We need Shana to keep the family together now as Mom has done all these years.  She grew to be very much like Danawn in size.  She is the only one of us that has dimples.  What a beauty she is with blond hair turning dark.  She also has hazel eyes.  Her talents are moving people.  She makes a great RS president.  She is inspiring and gets the job done.  All of Dad’s kids “Get the Job done”.  We can contribute that trait to him.  He taught us each hard work.  Some of us learned to love it even. Shana is sealed to Todd Hamblin and they have 3 boys and a girl.2014)She likes to go swimming and likes to go over to our cousins.  She likes to wear Kalene’s clothes and shoes.  Kalene does not like that too well.  Shana likes umbrellas and is Grandma’s little “Sweet Petutie”.  (This is Grandma Cora Rogers here. 2014) She likes a boy names Mario and tried to give him a piece of gum.  She likes to dress up in gowns.  She likes to put on gobs of makeup where you can’t even tell it is her.  She has a record which she dearly loves.  She plays it all the time.  I love Shana even though she is kind of naughty at times, because Shana needs a little more attention we think she acts like a baby but we need to help her more.  I admire Shana for the way she takes all the teasings we give her.

 

(This is a video of the house we moved into when I was 5. This was the house Vernene Cluff was born in.  Just before Shana was born, my dad bought this home from Florence and Lavar Cluff in Chandler, Arizona.  This was a fateful beginning.  I had no idea at this time how important this acquaintance was.  Florence left a piano in this yellow house and we took piano lessons from her.  My mother became very good friends with Florence and we became very acquainted with their family.  She had one of her 9 children named Vernene, who was my age born 10-31-1955. 2014)

 

In this video, Dad is taking us all for rides on his motorcycle.  He had Kalene, Danawn, and Juna Merrill.  Juna was a friend from Vaughn and Lawanna Merrill.  These were some of my parents hunting and fishing buddies.  They spent those first three years of marriage without kids hunting and fishing with the Merrills.  Lawanna had several children by the time Mom had Danawn.

 I remember going to the hospital with Grandma Cora Rogers Grandma was so patient with me.  I kept asking grandma what this new baby’s name was.  Grandma repeated Shana’s name over and over until I could remember it.  It was so pretty just like her but I had a time remembering her name.  I also remember taking mom to the hospital when she was going to deliver Shana and seeing her water break and mom walking funny because of it. Now we had 4 girls.  We had been the 3 musketeers but now we had 4.  Dad got a motor cycle and we girls loved to go for a ride.  One time Shana, and me were on the motor cycle and Dad ran into a pack of dogs on our way to Ernie Dipples.(Ernie was a convert.  His wife had been a long time member.  They had 6 children.  Danawn and I used to babysit those kids when Ernie would take his wife out on a date.  Their house was atrocious.  There was only walking room from the door to the couch and then to the TV.  The kitchen was a mess, dishes and left over food everywhere.  It was a real eye opener when we babysat the Dipples.  The family was never really active in the church.  Ernie did not join until later after his wife, Janette, divorced him.  He remarried and has a much more congenial marriage this time.  None of his 6 kids he had with Janette are active.  So sad)  These dogs forced Dad to wreck.  Shana got burned really badly on her stomach area across several of her ribs.  She has a scar from this even today.  It covers much less of her stomach today than it did then when she was soooo young.  She was probably 2 years old at this time.  She was so cute.  Mom would sew us matching clothes.  This time, though, Shana had a hoop skirt on and when climbing out of a chicken coop, her hoop spread out like she was a turkey.  Pretty cute.  We have a movie of this too.  Speaking of Shana and accidents….When Shana was learning to walk, she walked under my swing when I was swinging.  I ran over her.  She did not even cry ‘till she saw the blood.  She had two deep cuts and had to be stitched up.

Dad was a genius too, along with Mom.  He made us a tetherball out of an old tire with a pole cemented into it.  We could wheel that pole where ever we wanted it.  I became very good at tetherball and could just about beat anyone except for Valerie at school.  She gave me a run for my money.  Chores were very much a part of our living in Chandler.  I loved to do chores, mainly because it gave me time to be with Dad.  I took over the milking here in Chandler and extended to Canada where I turned the milking over to Kyran when I left for college.  Pretty fun!!!

 

In this video, Grandpa Rice is showing us his chickens.  He loved those chickens but he also fought them.  He was a betting man.  I remember going one day, on a Sunday to watch the fighting chickens.  It was very gruesome.  I felt so dirty being there when I knew I did not believe in gambling or breaking the Sabbath.  I went to support my Grandpa but stayed under the bleachers the whole time embarrassed to be there.  Grandpa moved into a trailer in the backyard of this yellow house.2014

 (My life history assignment in Ed 300 1974)Grandpa Rice was also very giving. He loved us kids.  He showed his love in many ways.  One way was to bring us food  and presents.  Wriggley’s Gum used to be sold in packages with 20 single packages of 5 sticks per package in a long string.  Grandpa would buy us all a long string of these Wriggley’s gum.  That was 100 sticks of gum for each of us, Danawn, Myself and Kalene. We, of course, would fill our mouths with all the gum we could hold.  We have movies of this event. He would also bring us big bunches of bananas.  He liked to  “ over do” it just a little (or maybe a lot). Grandpa lived with us after his accident happened at the dam work.  He could have chose to live with Uncle Bill but he chose us.  We were glad. At the Dobson Ranch, he gave us a swing set.  Pretty neat.  He lived in a trailer out the back door of our little yellow house in Chandler for years until he died.  He was always so generous and loving to us.  I remember him letting Danawn and I learn to drive in his old VW bug car.  I was 8 and she was 10.  I worked the pedals and she steered the wheel out in the cotton fields when there was no crop in them.  Oh what fun!!!!

 

Moon Creek was a favorite vacation place.  This is a video of when Grandpa Rice broke his ribs and thumb at work on the dam in Flagstaff.  This accident was the reason he moved in with us.  I am surely glad he did.  I remember the creamed corn he would make for us when we would visit him in his trailer.  He was a good grandpa.2014

In this video, Mom had made us older three girls matching pioneer dresses.  This parade happened to be on my birthday so she attached a birthday cake hat and I rode in the parade.  I won 1st place because of Mom's genius.

(Kyran David Rice was born January 27, 1963 in Chandler, Maricopa County Arizona.  He was amazing.  Our first boy.  We were all in awe of him and everything he did. In this video, we see Kyran.  THis is our first video of him and he is loving the water.  THis was taken at the Good Year Canal just down from our yellow house.  THis is where Dad taught us how to swim.  I remember him diving in and swimming under the road so far I thought he would drown.  He came out encouraging us to love swimming. Good memories of the Good Year Canal.  It is no longer there.  So sad!! 2015)

( In this video, Aunt Irene is visiting us as we are experiencing this beautiful garden.  Kalene is sitting on the railing with Dad and Mom is holding Kyran as he naps.  Shana is sitting on the far side of Aunt Irene.  Cute!! 2015)
 Kyran is the next to the smallest.  (2015 This was a most momentous year being my baptism year.)He is five years old and is a real smart boy.  He is kind of small but is really muscle yyy.  He has blond hair which often needs cutting.  He is real sweet but at times he is real naughty. He likes Breck a lot too but we all do.  Kyran loves to be wet.  Sometimes he gets wet when he is not suppose to.  This is when he runs in a little too far and gets in trouble.  He likes dogs.  I guess he likes almost all animals.  He loves to get dirty especially when he is all dressed up.  He likes cowboys and Indians.  He is a real sweet boy and I love him.  Kyran likes to sing and ride horses.  He has always liked horses and hopes to get one soon.  But I doubt it very sincerely.  He likes toys a lot.  I guess the thing I admire about Ky is he can take all the teasing we give him.  He gets mad but he takes every bit of it from us.(Kyran has turned out to be quite something.  He is so smart.  He has a business of his own and provides for 7 children and for mom and dad when mom was alive.  Dad now lives in a resthome near Kyran.  Kyran is there for Dad’s every need.  He has been forced into a divorce with his first wife, Paula Hamblin,(they have 5 kids together) whom I dearly love and has found another wonderful woman be sealed to.  She brings with her a set of twins.  Kyran has supported them all with his business.  Tammy, his new wife, is a classy lady.  They live in a beautiful model home with huge rooms, luxuriously high vaulted ceilings, everything gorgeous thanks to Tammy’s great housekeeping and organization of the kids.  Their back yard has a "mother in law" unit where the boys all sleep.  It has a downstairs and an upstairs with a bathroom where all the swimmers can change and use when they are swimming.  The pool is amazing with two levels.  The hot tub Is on the top level.  You can step out of the hot tub and jump into the pool down a little cliff.  There is a water fall that comes off the cover for their barbeque pit and lands on the other side of the steps that come out of the pool to the barbeque section.  It is deep on one end to dive down to capture things as a game.  All the family reunion was able to swim in it it is so big.(more than 50 people) Kyran is amazing.2014)

In this video, Kyran was just little.  We went to Bellingham with Dad.  He had an internship at the college there.  Of course he picked that one because it was that much closer to Alaska.  We had real adventures at the beach and fishing for salmon.  We tried oysters on the shell and went clamming.  We dried all kinds of ocean life on the roof of this old house we rented while we were there.  We brought home things in fermaldihide for the school kids in MOm's class to look at.  I learned what fermaldihide was and that it was used in preserving human bodies before burial too.  I remember Florence Cluff assigned clasic songs that I was to practice while we were away.  I would go to the college where Dad was and use their practice rooms.  I learned "Blue Danube", "Jealousy" and "the Spinning Song" that summer and reported back to Florence when we got back to Chandler.  Music was a big part of my life.

We had a teenage girl that Mom and Dad hired to help with us kids.  Her name was Donna.  She was a real girl and all us girls really looked up to her.  Here it shows her putting make up on us.  This was my turn with lipstick.  She was making us up at our favorite hang out, Moon Creek in the white mountains of Arizona.

Dad and I prepared for a trip down the Grand Canyon.  Dad was the scout master and this was going to be a requirement filled for the scouting. I got to go being 12 years old.  Dad always said his first 4 boys were girls.  I kind of got to fill that vacancy for the boy he always wanted.  This was the summer Breck was born.  We got back before he was born.  Oh what fun we did have in Havasupi at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  BEautiful!  What an adventure. I can remember the names of a few of the scouts.  Wayne Willis was the cook making a pie on the tarp at the base of the falls. Dennis Reber was another scout.  I know there was a Hollingshead boy and Dwight Haggerton.

Breck Leroy Rice born August 14, 1967 in Chandler, Arizona.

The next is the very smallest.   Breck is our pride and joy.  I don’t know how we lived without him for all those years. He has just turned 1 year old(this is part of a Beehive honor badge writing1968) and is the cutest thing around.  He has strawberry blond hair only it has more red in it.  He is not very tall but quite fat.  He likes to eat things and he also likes to get into trouble.  Sometime his pants will fall off and he will pick them up and bring them to me.  He takes a comb and combs his hair.  He will take the curler and put it in his hair but it just does not stay.  I admire Breck because of his cuteness.

(Breck is the tallest one.  I believe he hit 6 feet in height.  His red hair has all fallen out so he shaves his hair which is the style these days.  He and his wife are the most athletic of us all and run marathons and such.  He is in good shape even though his first child has just gotten married.  Tayzia got married to MJ in March of 2014.  Breck is sealed to Celest, and they have 4 children and  have just moved from Germantown, (Memphis) Tennessee to Mesa, Arizona. They have Talon who is going to college this year and just got his mission call(to Long Beach California) and Callie who is starting high school this year and Jackson who is turning 9 I believe. 2014)

(In this video, Dad was doing the chores at our yellow house. 2015)

I always loved to help Dad with all the chores.  That was mine and Dad’s time together.  I was always full of questions.  I would watch dad milk and ask him all about it.  I would help him slop the pig and ask all kinds of questions.  I would help get the eggs as the chickens lay and ask all kinds of questions.  Dad was so patient with me and all my questions.  I loved the outdoors.

Dad worked as a farm manager of sorts for Dobson in 1959.  When he was discing the fields, he would find little presents for us that he would stick in his coat all zipped up.  He would have us stick our hands into his coat and bring out a goodie.  Sometimes it would be a baby rabbit, or a bob white, or a mouse.  We would squeal with delight and let it run around the floor for a while ‘till mom had to clean it up. Oh what fun those days were.   They were so soft and cuddly.

Because Dad worked in the cotton fields, we had cotton bins all around us.  There were also old trailers or carriages that were fun to play in.  The Mexican neighbors next door were fun to play with too.  The daughter babysat us to for a few times at night.  Mom was the Primary President.  I remember her teaching us “Good morning Merry Sunshine”.  I still sing that song to Coy now, (1977)(and all the grandkids now 2014)   I always loved to sing and my favorite pastime was to go walking and sing until tears came to my eyes.  Grandpa Rice, my Dad’s dad, David Elsie Rice, would come visit us from Flagstaff or Glen Canyon or one of the dams he was working on and he loved fighting chickens (not being a member of the church.)We had some of his fighting chickens for laying hens and I remember going to get the eggs and getting pecked right on the nose.


(my life history assignment for BYU. Ed 200. 1974)

Grandpa Rice was 72 when he died in 1971 when we moved up to Canada.  That must mean he was born in 1899 in Austin Texas.  He was the only boy of 4 children.  He was also the youngest.  Dad, (Dwight B. Rice) tells of Grandpa David getting the property from his mother when she passed away.  The older 3 sisters were so jealous of him getting the property that they never spoke to him again.  The property was gone by the time I knew anything about it but the property sat on a place just 4 miles from our Chandler house.  Interesting.  Very close (2 miles in fact)to the Navajo reservation.

In this same movie showing this generosity of Grandpa Rice was a picture of me throwing Danawn’s arm off my shoulder.  I did not want someone’s arm on my shoulder. Don’t touch my head. I have learned to like it since then but not for years.

Let me tell you the story of Prixie.  This was an airdale dog that Grandpa Rice loved.  He was so proud of her ancestry and worth.  He built an 8 foot fence around her so he could make sure she was bred to another airdale with great ancestry so he could charge for her pups.  Well, sure enough.  An old yellow dog got whiff of her heat and jumped the fence and bred Prixie.  Grandpa was so mad!! He chased that old yellow dog into the empty cotton field next door to our house and we found him dead.  He had not even lived long enough to raise his hands to catch himself when he fell.  We buried hi before we moved to Canada, that May, 1971.  He always said he had one foot in the grave and he would never move to Canada with us.  He talked himself right into the grave with Prixie's help.

From the Dobson Ranch house, Dad got a job in Chandler, Arizona as a school teacher, 7^th grade science, shop and photography.  (Vernene and I went to Chandler Jr. High together.  This is what the hallways and classrooms looked like when we attended there.  I don't know if she ever had my dad as a teacher.  I did not but got lots of comments. "You are Mr. Rice's daughter!!! Watch out!!! He is the teacher with the paddle called "Shasta".  Man it hurts when he gives swats. 2015)

 He also taught Bee Husbandry.  He loved his bees. I remember Jess Gale called dad in the late evening asking him to come take care of this swarm of bees that had accumulated at his front door.  Dad was always getting calls away from home to come take care of a swarm of bees.  He would get his homemade bee box and fill it with frames and place it under the swarm (after he got all dressed in his bee gear.)Take a good grip on the branch the swarm was on and shake them off into the bee box.  In this way, he hoped to get the queen bee in the bee box.  If he could shake the queen bee into the bee box with most of her worker bees, he could take that box of queen bee and workers home to be moved onto the other bees he had placed in a field of blooms somewhere.  If he did not get the queen, it was back to taking a bee box  over there and shaking them off into the box once more.  Most of the time it worked.  Dad to save the day.

Dad also had a bee house that we all helped him make from an old wagon frame.  He got an old wagon without a floor or sides and we all helped him build this honey house from this frame. It had a big holding tank on the outside, and extractor and uncapper and long trough on the inside along with the generator.  It turned out real nice and we all helped with bees. The smell of the honey burning on the uncapper is a fragrance that still brings me right back to this honey house.  Whenever I smell that smell, I am right back in there running the extractor and Danawn uncapping the frames for me.  Isn’t smell amazing?

  We moved into a old yellow house on Dobson and Germain road.  Our address was Rt. 1 box 215.  The Cluffs sold us the house and with it, we got a big upright piano.  It was a player once.  Sis. Florence Cluff taught Danawn and me piano as soon as we got into the 1^st grade.  So Danawn started first. (2014 insert; this event became a very interesting part of my life seeing how I got to Missouri and married Stan Petersen…but this story will come later.

Our phone number was YO3-3883.  It was a party line and the Cluff’s kept that same number on the party line.

Mom did not want me to go to kindergarten so I waited until 1^st grade to start school.

In first grade, I got to show off my learning of my name and my home address, my phone number and I got to bring my lunch to school.  I looked forward to school greatly.  I don’t think I ever hated school in all my years.  I had Mrs. Warner as my first grade teacher and I really learned to love her. Mrs. Warner was just great because I remember her the best of all my teachers.  I can remember growing radishes right out on the little place where the grass was all plowed up.  I remember going out and looking at them every day so intenetly.  I can also remember trying to learn to read.  I could never read as good as Gary Finch.  (I can still remember his name.) He was the first boy friend I can remember.  First grade was grand.

Second grade was completely different because we had to move schools from Denver to Hartford School where the rich people went.  I cried and cried over the move because I thought I would not have any friends.  I found many friends in Hartford school and I found that all my friends at Denver School were moved to Hartford School right along with me. Now Vernene and I were attending the same school. My second grade teacher was Mrs. Crow but I can’t remember much about her except she set us girl, boy, girl, boy.  I did not mind but I know the guys just hated it.  One guy that Mrs. Crow had me trade with was Sammy Hall.  His school days were spent in being the big shot.  I also remember there was a special education class. I found out the reason this boy had such a big head was water on the brain or encephalitis.  He needed help to keep his head upright.  I was very interested in him.

This swing set that Dad built for us was between two big trees.  It had a trapeze bar that I just loved.  But about then, I was on this kick about brushing my teeth every time I ate something so I would go running into the house after every candy or fruit or pomegranate I ate.  I would sing and swing and sing and swing.

I was deathly afraid of snakes.  They were always under the beehives or in the field while we chopped weeds.  I would have dreams of snakes that were terrifying.  I remember this one of bandits and snakes racing through our house and me and one other of the family hiding behind a shelf for protection and then running in the ditch down to the dessert.  I was so scared I went and slept with Mom and Dad.  I had many nightmares.

 Talking of snakes, I saw one out at the tarzan swing one day I was tired of being cooped up from my cast on my broken leg.  I went out to the tarzan swing wishing I could play on it but was told I couldn’t walk on my cast yet.  When I got out to the swing, I saw a snake.  I don’t know what happened to my crutches but I ran on that cast to the house.  What is a cast for anyway?

Speaking of nightmares, I used to have one with bears and tigers.  They were always in the ditch under our tree house and they would chase me into the house or down the road to Debbie Gibson’s house.  Then just as I would get half way, a big canyon would appear separating me from Debbie’s house.  I would see the lions, tiger, wolves or snakes chasing me toward the canyon and unable to get away just as I would wake up shivering with fright.  I don’t know if Mom and Dad ever got any sleep with me and my nightmares.

Let me tell you about the Tarzan Swing.  Dad made us a Tarzan swing across the ditch on the corner of the two roads.  He made it by climbing way up into our eucalyptus tree with a cable and securing it on a branch directly over the ditch and then securing a big tire at the bottom of the cable.  The tire was just low enough that when there was water in the ditch (irrigation ditch) we could ski on the top of the water extending our feet below the tire as we swung on it.  When there wasn’t water in the ditch, we could swing very high.  We also played Tarzan and Jane and Cheetah.  Danawn was always Tarzan and I was always Jane and Kalene was always Cheetah, (Tarzan’s monkey).  Kalene did not like that much.  She wanted to be Jane.  I wanted to be Tarzan.  Nope, Danawn was Tarzan, I was Jane, and Kalene was Cheetah. That’s the way it was.

Let me add here that Tarzan was a real interest to us about this time.  Dad liked to watch “Gunsmoke” with James Arnet.  Directly after “Gunsmoke” was “Tarzan “ with Johnny Wisemiller, the famous Olympian swimmer.  It was black and white but all TV was at that time.  We would work real hard to keep our eyes open for “Tarzan”.  We loved his yodel, his fights with all those animals, his adventure after adventure.  We memorized all those shows of “Tarzan”.  We could watch them again and again.  When Jungle boy came out, we loved that too.  The book of “Tarzan” was so interesting to us too.  We loved all the information about a boy that was raised by wild things. The Disney “Tarzan” was amazing to me.  Even today, a story of such a theme is still interesting to me.

This all happened in the little yellow house we bought from the Cluffs.  Let me describe this little house.  It was a yellow rectangle with a fairly low roof.  It had a cement slab  of about 8 feet by 4 feet for a porch where the front door was.  This slab was covered by the roof so to shade the front door from the sun.  The front yard was large, about 25 feet from the front door to the irrigation ditch in the front next to Dobson road.  It’s length was about 50 feet from the alfalfa field to the grape vine that ran along the drive way.  The drive way was about 5 yards wide between the grape vine and the eucalyptus tree that bordered the other irrigation ditch that ran along side Germain road.  The drive way ran the full length of the 1^st acre of our 3 acres.  We could get to the corral on the back end of the 1^st acre, the workshed, Grandpa’s trailer and the back yard from the drive way.  There were several fruit trees in the front yard bordering the irrigation ditch that ran along side Dobson road.  There was an apricot tree, and a peach tree along with a big ornamental grass that had the most beautiful tassel that we would cut off and run around the house spreading all the seeds everywhere.  Mom was so allergic to that plant that Dad took it out.  It was huge by then being about 5 feet in diameter.  Mom suffered with heyfever and other upper respiratory ailaments.  Too bad.  None of us kids inherited those tendencies except for Breck.

Along side the alfalfa field, there ran another irrigation ditch.  This ditch often filled in with weeds.  Danawn and I were instructed on how to take our shovels molded into hoes and chop those weeds out of there so the irrigation water could come easily down the ditch to the bottom 2 acres of our 3 acre ranch.  Dad grew feed for the cattle he always had growing in our field.  Danawn was good at being the boss.  She would dig her little seat in the side of the ditch and tell me just how to chop weeds.  I loved to work and so chopped a lot of the weeds.  I don’t know how many weeds she chopped but I loved working.  Those homemade hoes made from bending a curved shovel over so you could chop with it were amazing tools.  One swing and I could take a swath of weeds down from the top of the ditch to the bottom.  The hoe cut right through fairly easily.  We were done pretty quickly.  Dad was handy with his shed and tools to create these amazing tools to make work go quickly.  I remembering it was pretty hot in Chandler in the summer but working was always fun.

On the side of the ditch that faced the front yard, we grew several orange trees.  There wasn’t enough room once the ditch got to the house to grow trees between the house and the ditch.  Mom had her clothes line there where she hung our clothes out to dry.  I remember taking the clothes pins and hanging sheets and towels and clothes of every sort to dry.  It was fun.  The washing machine was in the back room of the house just inside the back door.  Conveniently next to the clothes line.

Coming from the front door into the house, you came right straight into the front room that had an overhead light directly above you when you came into the livingroom.  There was a window to the right of the door and a window to the left of the door that gave light to the livingroom.  It still seemed rather dark to me.  The livingroom was about 15x20 maybe, taking up the most of the house.  Going toward the ditch side of the house from the livingroom was the diningroom.  There was a diningroom table here with windows in the front and on the side of the ditch.  From the livingroom going toward the driveway side of the house was the master bedroom.  You went down a hallway to the left for the bedroom and then  Straight into the bathroom across the hall from the livingroom.  To the right of the livingroom down the hall was another bedroom.  Originally, these were the only two bedrooms.  The bedroom that was off the livingroom toward the back yard was a screened in porch that the Cluffs walled in to make a third bedroom.  It was the whole length of the livingroom so about 20 feet or so but very narrow maybe 9 feet?  This room ended up being Kalene’s, Shana’s, and Kyran’s room.  Danawn and I had the bedroom to the right of the livingroom down the hall and Mom and Dad’s room was to the left of the living room down the hall.  Coming from the livingroom going toward the ditch side, you pass through the dining room to the kitchen.  Its window faced the ditch and clothesline.  This room was not too big.  There was a stove that faced the diningroom set on the wall that separated the diningroom from the kitchen.  There were cupboards next to the sink on both sides of the sink.  The sink was directly under the single window that looked out on the clothesline and the ditch. The cupboards went from the diningroom wall to the washroom wall.  The refrigerator was on the wall between the washer room  and the kitchen.  Then there was a small table in the kitchen where mom would whip up our concoction every day during the winter to keep colds away.  It was good honey from Dad’s honey business, vinegar, and lemon juice.  We would take a swig of this right there in the kitchen at this little table every morning before we would run out to the corner of Dobson and Germann to catch the bus for school.  We would take 25 cents for lunch at the Hartford school lunch room. (when we attended Hartford School)

This is my baptism picture.  Dad baptized me in the Mesa stake center with about 20 other kids. Whew!

Mom put on a Chandler 2nd ward party for my 8 year old birthday.  She did a pirate ship cake and a treasure hunt and even costumes for us.  We even walked the plank.  Here is a video of Vernene Cluff, David Willis, Susan Goodman and many others in Chandler 2nd ward celebrating with me on a treasure hunt birthday.

I cannot remember my third grade teacher or anything about third grade, but my 4^th grade teacher was Mrs. Farnsworth. She was a newly wed Mormon.  Mrs. Farnsworth  was a member of the church but couldn’t have kids.  They adopted 2.  Anyway, I really liked her.  I remember loosing all my teeth and making sure they came out in class. Mrs. Farnsworth would let me rinse my mouth out in the sink at the back of the room.  It was all my mollers.  I also got my first 4  The grading system went from 1 for the best and 4 was pretty bad.  It was in health too, the subject I now love the very best.

About along 4 th grade, I had appendicitis.  I remember being doubled up  with pain.  When Mom took me in to see Dr. Leavitt, I was so embarrassed by the check up.  They went in through my vagina and pushed hard this way and that.  I couldn’t believe nice Dr. Leavitt would treat me like that.  Besides it really hurting, it was a place no one should be touching!!!! (Little did I know) I remember they painted my stomach with iodine and took my appendix out.  No problems.  I was home with the caution to stay in bed.  I remember it was the summer after 4^th grade and I could not go swimming because I would stretch my stitches out.  It was so hot and boring just staying in the house and resting.  My neighbor Butch Christ came over one day and I was so embarrassed to still be in my pajamas and laying on the couch that I jumped up and ran to the back washroom so he wouldn’t see me but he found me anyway.  I was so embarrassed.

I also started playing the flute this summer.  I bought my own flute with money I had made from the sell of a calf I had fed and raised for this purpose.  I remember going to the introduction night at Hartford School in their gym.  They had all these instruments displayed in the hall.  I went from instrument to instrument.  I kept leading Mom and Dad over to the trombone instrument displayed.  They kept leading me to the flute display.  I would lead them back to the trombone display.  Guess who won.  I didn’t mind.  I loved music and wanted to be in the band.  That summer after I healed from the appendix, I took my flute and road my bike all the way into town to go to flute lessons.  We lived four miles from town.  Today, Mom and Dad would not have let me go that far on my own on a bike with the way the world has become.  Then, I knew lots of the folks along the way and I was safe to ride myself at age 10.  I didn’t play the flute long.  I went to band for a few month but found this 2^nd hand flute of mine had some problems.  It would come to one note and would not play.  I tried lots of things, shaking it, blowing it, hitting it against my leg.  Sometimes these tricks would work but finally, with my temper, I hit it against the paddle arm of the rocking chair bending it beyond repair.  Mom told the story that I had laid my flute in the seat at school and someone sat on it and broke it for years.  After I told her the truth, she still told that same story of someone sitting on it.  It was totally my bad temper fault.  I lost my hard earned flute.

The school needed a bass clarinet player so I took a school instrument and started playing the bass clarinet.  I loved it.  I totally forgot how to play my flute but played the bass clarinet clear up through Ricks College where I also played the tenor saxophone in a stage band.  That was so much fun.  I also played the violin in 7 and 8 grade and during marching band, I played the bells and tenor drum.  With my piano I also played the organ bits and pieces.  I loved music.  My favorite instrument is still my voice.  I have been able to use my voice the most.  Then the piano is next, then the organ.  These are the instruments I still use today, (2014)

Princess Leah style hair. 2015

(Let me interject a portion of my Honor Badge No. 4 here because it is about the violin I played.)

I chose the field of music.  Mother learned a little violin when she was small but she and her family moved a lot.  She learned a lot by herself but she wanted me to learn it.  Mr. Line, our music director, had put out an advertisement on giving violin lesson.  Here was my chance.  There were two other Mormon boys and one Mormon girl who took besides me.  At first we just learned the scales but when we began the songs we had to sit by 1^st chair to last chair.  I was put as third chair and worked up to first chair.  I had to work every night and boy did my fingers get blistered but I made it.  After we could play them quite well, one of the mothers wanted us to get together and play a hymn in church.  There were three violins, a viola and two cellos.  We played “I know That My Redeemer Lives.”  We practiced and practiced finally the night came.  I was really scared but so were the others.  After it was all over everyone came and told us how nice it sounded.  That made us all very happy.  Now I can play something when mother asks. This was signed by me, Ruby Rice, Lue Dean Andersen and Nelda Farr Stake beekeeper.(this is the end of this interjection)

By the way, Dr. Alan Leavitt was the brother of Uncle Floyd Leavitt.  Uncle Floyd was Aunt Leola’s husband.  My best 1^st cousin was their oldest daughter, Roylee.  We were both named after Aunt Leola and Mom’s dad, Leroy.  Aunt Leola and Uncle Floyd got married after Aunt Leola served a mission in Florida.  Aunt Leola tells a faith promoting story of her mission.  She worked with an Indian tribe there and taught them the gospel.  They were so faithful that their skin turned white.

By the way, I did stretch out my stitches climbing trees.  I now have a big scar that looks like a scorpion.  It has a little freckle at the top of one of the scorpion legs.  That freckle was the point of hearing the heartbeat when I was having my children.  The doctor would search for that freckle and put his stethoscope right there.  Usually the heart beat would be right there.  I am sure my babies stretched my scar even more.  Maybe it would be gone if I hadn’t climbed all those trees.  Oh well.  I was never going to show that part of my stomach to the public anyway.  It was always covered until I had appointments with doctors.  No big deal.

I had been taking dancing lessons off and on for as far back as I can remember.  One Saturday as I was at dancing in the Chandler High Gym from a lady I don’t even remember, I did a cartwheel and fell out of it wrong somehow and I heard something crack.  I knew I had hurt myself but I stayed through the lesson because I had to walk to piano lessons with Debbie Gibson to the church.  The church was about a mile from the school.  Debbie thought I was faking it and so did her dad when he took me home.  I thought maybe it was broken but Bro. Gibson said it would be as big as a cabbage if it was broken.  While I waited for my piano lesson, the Reber Boys, Aj, Denise and Stuart and some girls, One being Vernene Cluff, (I remember Vernene  being very feminine in her blue dress and blue eyes and red lips and long blond hair)got on the chair cars and were racing around.  I stole the boys’ wooden gun.  As we were racing around, I got knocked off the cart and bloodied my nose.  Then I had piano lessons with Sis . Cluff.  Bro. Gibson, Debbie’s dad (and a distant cousin), took us girls home.  That’s when he told me about the swelling needing to be as big as a cabbage.  I kept that wooden gun for years and years.  I think when we were moved into our Beverly house in Porterville California I finally lost it in the move.

We went to the doctor on a Sunday.  I remember missing church.  Mom and Dad missed too.  We called Dr. Leavitt up on Sunday so he missed church too.  They took me into see Dr. Leavitt.  They waited to see if it was really broke before they finally took me to see Dr. Leavitt.  Dr. Leavitt agreed it was broke and casted it up for me.  He gave me strict instructions to stay off the foot and the cast.  It was not a walking cast.  I needed to stay off until he put a walking cast on before I could put pressure on the foot.  The above story of the snake applies to this cast.  It was mushy after that experience.  Dr. Leavitt did finally put a walking step on the bottom of my cast.  I don’t know how my foot healed at all.  The break was right at the attachment of the little toe to the rest of my foot.  My cast was from my toes all the way up to my knee.  I had it on for 3 weeks.  When I got it off, my foot was so light.  I also found I could not run as fast.  I wanted to beat Sammy Chavez again as I had before my cast, but alas, I could not.  I was in the 5^th grade.  

(2015 Right along here, I was called as the Primary Pianist.  I had been taking piano lessons since I was 6.  Now I was 10 and playing the accompaniment for all those children to sing to.  this was quite an experience.  I look back on this as a great opportunity that has brought me much joy, to accompany anyone singing or playing an instrument.  I award this great blessing to Florence Cluff and her great ability to teach piano.  Thank you Sis. Cluff.)


Mrs. Lowers  was my teacher when I broke my foot.  She was an amazing teacher.  She taught us about poems and loved us all.  I remember there was a girl Valerie in class with me.  She was a hard one to get along with but I liked a challenge.  She was a great tetherball player.  I always took the challenge to beat her.  I don’t remember who ever won but oh the challenge was great.  She was good and a great challenge for me.

During the year with Mrs. Lowers, I had some interesting things going on.  My best friends were Alissa Bernard and Debbie Gibson.  We would play during recess Chinese jumprope which consisted of a long string of rubberbands tied together making a huge circle that we would climb into, One on one side and the other on the other side.  Then the third girl would dance the Chinese Jump rope dance.  Singing a ditty, We put our foot in and out and then grab the rubberband circle and stretch it over the far side of the rubber band until the ditty was done. Then we would put both feet into the space in between the crossed rubberband circle and try to jump out without catching the rubberband circle in our feet.  If we accomplished this, then we would raise the rubberband circle a little higher on our legs.  We would start at our ankles and eventually get all the way up our legs if the person jumping was good.  We would see which of us would make it the highest on our legs.  Oh what fun. Mrs. Lowers was strict but we all liked her.  During these class periods, Mrs. Lowers would teach Spanish.  It was a good thing.  There were lots of people from Mexico around us.  Although I got a 4 (very bad grade) in 4^th grade, in 5^th grade, Mrs. Lowers taught me that I could be on the honor roll. By the skin of my teeth and lots and lots of work, I made it on the honor roll .  I could even get better grades than a friend who thought she was sooo smart.

 During these 2 years, my best friend and I had it out.  Alisa Bernard was my friend from the 1 st grade but wasn’t a member.  Debbie Gibson was a distant cousin but I did not know her until the 3^rd grade.  In 4^th grade, Alisa got jealous of Debbie taking me all the time.  They were really fighting over me every chance they could get.  In the middle of 5th grade, they got together and became the best of friends and left me out.  Then in 6^th grade, we were the 3 musketeers. And no one could separate us.

This group of 3 were chummy and when I broke my leg and had to wear a cast, they tried to still play with me as always.  I wanted to play as always and so did things I am sure was not good for a broken foot.  Before I broke my foot, Debbie Gibson cursed me because I stepped on a line she had deemed untouchable and said I would have bloody noses and broken bones.  Of course, we remembered her curse when it really did come true.

Not too long after the broken foot episode, I was complaining of aches and pains in my legs so much so that they took me to Dr. Leavitt.  He said I had rheumatism and to take an aspirin a day to see if that would help.  I probably had growing pains.  I was growing so quickly.  At that stage of the game, I was the biggest in my classroom and always played the support on the gymnastics because I was so big.  All the girls soon passed me up in highschool and Jr. High because I never grew passed 5’4’’.   I rather hated the aspirin a day.  That year was quite the year for health but I was proud of it.  Nobody else in the family had been through as much as me.

My 6^th grade teacher was Mr. Bologna who taught Spanish. I loved him along with the Health and English teachers.  In health, I found the most interesting of subjects.  I think that is when my interests in science of human beings came about.
I love sports.  Dad coached all us kids in softball.  I love softball.  I went out for track and for basketball and made it on both teams in Jr. High School.  I tried out for cheerleader but did not make it.  I love volleyball.  Sports have brought much joy to me.

About this time Alisa was baptized along with her whole family.  It was a happy occasion. (Alisa was one of 6 children, all girls.  I have recently contacted them on facebook.  Alisa is married and her name is Sirrine.  Her sisters have gone to see her in Alaska where she lives today.  Julie, her oldest sister, who is Danawn’s age, married Jepson who was Stan’s good friend.  Since Stan and I have gotten married, it is a small world that my best friend’s sister’s husband is my new husband’s good friend. 2014) 

In the 7^th grade I started playing the violin.  Mom had played it when she was young so I learned on her old violin.  I was also in choir(In my freshman year of high school, I tried out for madrigals.  Bro. Hollingshead was the conductor.  He said my musical abilities were amazing and he wished that he could put me in Madrigals but said it was against the rules.  I was too young.  Hold on till 10^th grade.  By the time 10^th grade came, I was in the private school, John Hancock Academy.  However, my music teacher was Wanda Palmer who wrote the music to “Oh That I Were An Angel”2014) and band (when I played the bass clarinet) My piano was coming right along and I started playing in Jr. Primary when I was in 4^th grade. ( That was quite an experience.  It is so different than just playing yourself.  Learning to stay with the leader and staying up with the singers was a whole new experience.  It took me a while but I learned it.  I am very thankful for this opportunity to learn to follow a conductor on the piano.  In band you learn to do that too but playing one not and playing the whole accompaniment is different.2014) My dancing continued also and we put on a concert each year.  Those were fun years.

I had a real crush on Andy Fortner.  I remember having so many clothes that I never wore the same outfit twice the whole year.  I connected this with Andy because I was always conscious of him looking at me.  He never did notice me and a good thing.  He was a naughty little boy.

Dad taught in the Jr. High witch consisted of 7^th and 8 the grades.  He was a science teacher and very strict.  I could hear kids talking behind my back “Oh that is Mr. Rice’s daughter”.  They always seemed to avoid me.  There was lots of kids going steady. This is something that I never indulged in.  Too many of those girls got hurt later on.  (The pamphlet, For the Strength of Youth, hadn’t come out yet but our family rules were strict in the dating of boys only after 16 years old.  This did not stop me from liking a boy, however. 2014)

   I made straight “A” or “1”s one semester.  I was very proud.  I learned to love reading this year. And finally did well in it.  Science was my favorite subject.  I never had Dad for a teacher thought which I guess was a good thing.

During 7^th and 8^th grade, I was very unsure about  dress standards.  The fad at this time was mini skirts.  At the Jr. High, girls only wore dresses.  When you knelt down on the floor, your skirt had better touch the ground or you could get swats.  However, it was rare to find a teacher that would embarrass you like that and many of the girls got away with mini skirts.  I was bound and determined I was going to live the gospel in every aspect I could.  One day I would lower my dress to the knees.  Then I would give in and hem it back up the next.  Then I would lower them again.  Then I would be tired of being laughed at so I’d raise them again  Finally I decided the Lord’s way was best so I kept them to my knees.  I was never popular but I knew I was doing right. In 7^th grade, I was a straight 1 student.  I remember in reading (in which I did not feel I was too good )my teacher helped me so much that I even had the highest test score once. Science was great.  Mr. Johnston was just the greatest teacher.  I got 1’s in Science too and therefore got to go on a field trip to see all the rocks.  It was just great.  I remember one time going out and finding all the frogs and tadpoles and things that we could study in Science.  We disected them all and I was not a baby like all the other girls.  I was not afraid of cutting them open and taking them apart.  It was fun.  Mr. Jacobs was my 8^th grade reading teacher.  He also helped me with m reading so that I felt confident in myself.  I could really read!!!!!

Nineth grade is when I really received a testimony and was converted to the gospel. Seminary started this year.  We had a book of Mormon race and I won.  I read the Book of Mormon 4 times before the next person in line to win read it once.  The second time I read it, I understood a little and therefore learned to love the book of Mormon.  I read it once more that year and learned to love it more and more. However, I beat my boyfriend in finishing the book of Mormon first.  I found out boys need to win.

My seminary teacher Mr. Adair was really special to me.  We got to go to dinner for winning the race at the end of the year.  We went to the reservation for this special dinner.  There were three winners there with bro. Adair on the reservation dinner reward.  This is where I really got my own testimony/

The summer after 9^th grade, when I was 15, we as a family went to Canada.  We had been to Washington for a summer class Dad was taking and had really enjoyed it.  I was about 8 then and Ky was just one.  We stayed in Bellingham for 9 weeks.  I remember walking up to the college to practice my piano.  I even remember the pieces I was playing. Jealousy, and several other pieces.  We picked oysters off the beach along with urchins.star fish and anything else we could find.  We went Salmon fishing and sight seeing everywhere.  We stopped at La Push in Oregon to play on the beach.  There was a great huge drift wood log that was made into a swing.  I remember really loving to climb on it.  There were slugs all over though.  We ran from the beach into the wooded area to go to the play ground.  Coming from the sunny beach into the shade of the wooded area, it took our eyes a time to adjust.  We could feel stuff squishing thru our toes.  When our eyes adjusted and we could see what was squishing thru our toes, we ran out of there quick.  You don’t want to go to a park in Oregon without your shoes on.  SLLUGS!!!

Let me insert an entry from my Honor Bade about Understanding Beauty.

In beautifying my room, I decided that about the only two things which really looked bad were the stool at the end of the bed and the closet.  With the help of my sister, we decided to really work and clean it.  The reason for the stool to look messy was because of all Danawn’s make-up.  She has a job of selling this make-up. (Danawn started selling make-up when she was 14 and I was 12.  It was called Fashion Two Twenty.  She worked under a member of the church that had a lot of kids, I think 8.  She had a tragedy in her life where one or two of her boys drowned in the river and she decided she was not going to stop the children after that.  She was a lady about the age of Mom with light brown hair that she wore short with a wave in the front of her bangs.  She was a very vivacious woman and we all liked her.  Danawn was a “gung ho” sales lady and all of us started using make-up skin care.  We learned about the 3 step skin care system which I have used all these years.  I don’t think Fashion Two Twenty still exists but each of the skins care systems that have used the three step, I have used to keep this good habit going.  I use Amway right now.  It is very good.  I am pleased with my 59 year old skin, thanks to Danawn’s dedication to the make-up sales way back in 1968. 2014)

The reason for the closet to look messy was we just had too much stuff in there.  We decided to put all the art things in the basement where the rest of the arts were and to separate all the clothes we always wore and the ones we never even look at and give them away.

(The house I am describing was the new house we built back behind the yellow house.  Mom had spent years designing the architecture plan for this house.  She sent Dad to school to take architecture because they wouldn’t allow women to take the class.  Then she did all his homework so she could learn about architecture and design.  With her artistic abilities, and precision, she used the blue print paper and drew up plans from this angle and that.  At one point they were ready to build right where the yellow house was so I started digging up the bushes in front so the equipment could come and knock down the house.  Then we decided to build back behind the yellow house and rent the yellow house.  Forever, the yellow house was without the bushes framing the window to the livingroom on the front.  It looked funny all because of me.  Now this new house had 3 bedrooms upstairs.  You came in the front door into a waiting area of sorts.  To your left was the entrance into the den where the above mentioned taxidermied deer heads were mounted on the wall.  The wall was the back side of the fireplace that was made of green jasper we plucked out of the creek bed in Sunflower, Arizona and hauled to where our house was.  The front side of the fireplace was red jasper rock.  It was beautiful and elegant and unique.  I loved it.  The den had a vaulted ceiling but was only big enough to hold Dad’s huge wooden desk and a chair and maybe one more chair.  It had a window to the outside facing the front entry so it was very light.  From the waiting area at the front door, you came on in straight into the livingroom large opening.  If you kept going on through the livingroom straight ahead, you would come to a back door that opened into a garden of sorts.  Mom designed this with a Grape arbor and a bench under the arbor for when Danawn and I started dating.  We could bring our dates and sit under the grape vines in the arbor and smootch.  Ooo La La!!!  Back to the living room.  It was a large rectangular room with the large fireplace going from floor to ceiling, the ceiling being vaulted in the middle wall between the den and the livingroom.  Coming from the front door into the livingroom, once past the huge fireplace rock wall, you turn left into the huge livingroom and walk to the bay window that brought in so much light.  Mom did not believe in keeping the light out.  Between the window and the fireplace was a nook where the piano sat.  It was a console piano, a French pravential style light colored wood that we purchased after the upright old player piano died that the Cluff’s left in the yellow house.  I remember when the piano movers moved it into the house, one of the French provential legs broke and had to be glued.  We loved that piano.  I spent many hours practicing in that corner of the livingroom away from all the bedrooms. It was a good thing because I practiced early in the morning many mornings.  The livingroom was carpeted that had some holes that had to be filled from the sparks from the fireplace.  Back to the front door….front the waiting area, you turned right into the diningroom.  Here the floor was a new A NO 1 first class poured floor.  It covered some of the area that was the basement below.  The part that covered the basement did fine.  The poured floor that covered the cement part of the foundation started to bubble and burst.  We weren’t real happy with the poured floor but was excited to be one of the first to try it.  We also had radiant heat installed as our heating.  This was a new fangled, A NO 1 first class item installed in our new house.  Another A NO 1 First class item in our new house was the poured rood.  We had a poured roof in the shape of shingles.  It was suppose to last a life time.  I don’t think we had any problems with them but none of the other houses had a poured roof sooo…..I remember Mom getting up on the walls before the roof was poured to fill the walls with insulation.  That was an adventure.  I don’t remember what kind of insulation that was but I was impressed with Mom being up so high and working just like a man.  Our airconditioner (Yeah!  A airconditioner)was on a poured cement slab on the outside of the house where the irrigation ditch ran the length of the 3 acres.I remember years later bringing my children to this old house that was our new house all those years before and knocking on the door with my kids in the car saying, “No mother, don’t do it”, being embarrassed to interfere with these folks lives to see this old house that had such memories for me.  The last time we visited, I could see the airconditioner had been stolen and there were squatters living in our wonderful house.  There were holes in the walls and the poured floor was a shambles.  The thing that was still there was the family tree on the wall.  The squatters said they didn’t know what that was that could not be removed from the wall.  I got to tell them the story of my mother’s creativity drawing out the family tree on the wall with six branches for each of us since I am of a family of 6 children.  To go back to my narrative…. Now the diningroom was unique in that the cupboards were the wall that separated the diningroom from the kitchen.  They were two way cupboards so we could wash the dishes in our new dishwasher (yeah!  A dishwasher)and fill the cupboards on the kitchen side.  When we were eating on the massive wooden diningroom table (that mom and dad kept as long as they were living in a house) we would pull the clean dishes out of the cupboards on the diningroom side of the cupboards. From the diningroom, you walked past a window that opened into the front porch we just came through to get to the front door.  The kitchen also had a big table that had benches so it would hold all us kids no matter how big we got.  This is where we ate mostly.  Diningroom was for special occasions like Sunday dinner or when company came over or for entertaining.  Mom had a full set of china with a place setting of 12.  I still have parts of that set today in 2014 that I gave to Echael and Falynn when we downsized to go on a mission.  The eating part of the kitchen was separated from the food prep part of the kitchen by a peninsula that ran from the outside wall toward the cupboards that separated the diningroom from the kitchen.  This peninsula was a bar but no stools weren ever there that I remember.  Breck’s Baby chair was placed between the wall and the table for Breck. On the peninsula, there was the sink and the dishwasher. Connecting the peninsula and the wall back of the house in a U shape was a kneading table.  It was a lowered wooden board for bread.  It is always nice to have some leverage when you are trying to knead your bread.  I used that kneading board to make bread the whole year Mom went to Tuscon to get her Bi – Lingual masters done.  To complete the U, along the last side of the kitchen, we had the stove and oven and another counter.  The Refrigerator was against the same wall the two-waycupboards were next to the pantry door.  The pantry door opened up into a place that used the area over the stair well.  It was a large pantry.  The thing I remember about the pantry is the “holy fruit” Grandma Rogers used to bring us from the temple.  We had the most delicious oranges and grapefruits and tangerines from the temple grounds.  We stored them in the pantry. Between the pantry and the wall with the stove on it was a door into the hallway going outside.  If you turned right, you would walk the length of the wall where the stove and counter were.  From the hallway going outside just inside the outside door under the cupboard in the kitchen side was a hole.  This hole was for the milk bucket.  Instead of having to trapes into the whole kitchen with your mud boots on from milking the cow, you can just stick the bucket in the bucket hole and go out and finish your chores and clean up before you come inside.  In the meantime, from the kitchen side, Mom could take the milk bucket from under the counter and strain the milk with the cheese cloth rag and put it in the fridge and wash the milk bucket and put it back in the hole so Dad could reach in and get it from the back door without having to trapes through the house with his mud boots on.  Pretty cool huh!!!! Now, we are in the back hallway going to the back door.  Before you get to the back door, there is a door opposite the kitchen that leads into a huge work room.  The first thing you see on the wall that is an outside wall is the washer and dryer. (yeah!  A Dryer) Next to the dryer was a huge hairwashing sink for all us girl’s hair from a beautician shop.  Danawn was quite the hairstylist so mom accommodated.  Further down this same outside wall was a huge window.  In front of the window but coming from the wall side of the irrigation ditch was a huge folding table.  It folded up into the wall when it was not being used and folded down when in use.  I don’t remember it ever being folded up.  Mom kept her sewing machine on it and kept that machine a humming.  She and Grandma Rogers made our clothes.  Danawn, Kalene and I often had matching clothes.  That meant that Shana had hand me downs of the same dress for 6 years.  She wasn’t too impressed with our matching dresses.  I was though.  I felt elegant in them. The wall that lead back to the hallway leading outside was uninterrupted until it came to a rosin sea window my mother created to give the inside bathroom some of the light from the big window lighting the workroom.  This inside bathroom shared a wall with the workroom.  Just a step further toward the hallway was a walkthrough closet that led from the workroom to the inside bathroom.  We washed the clothes in the workroom and put them in the closet.  We reached into the closet from the bathroom side and got the clean towels and washcloths etc.  Pretty neat huh!  On the bathroom side of the walk thru closet was the sink and mirror.  This was placed outside the toilet and bath area so girls could primp and not interfere with those that needed the toilet or the bath.  The resin window was right over the bath tub.  The toilet was against the wall that was shared by the master bedroom on the back side of the bathroom.  So the family tree was drawn on the hallway wall that was the backside of the master bedroom.  It was wonderful and has been my model for my family tree I have on my wall.  What a great memory that was.  Sooo creative.  From the hallway, you went thru the door to the master bedroom.  It was paneled from the half wall down to the floor and painted from the half up.  The master bed had a bedspread that was olive green with a rolled edging and a design on it that Mom and Grandma Rogers designed.  Mom kept it for a very long time.  She had a walk in closet one side for her clothes and one side for dad’s.  On the wall back of the workroom was a master bath.  It had a shower in it with a resin window of wheat that ran the full length of the shower from floor to ceiling.  Lots of light.  Back to the hallway, Straight out from the family tree so all could see was a T hallway where you could see right out into the waiting area at the front door, the den, the vaulted ceiling with the rock fireplace and the doorway to the basement.  It was a narrow stairway down.  When the back hoe came to dig the basement that first day, he made a mistake and dug in the wrong place.  Instead of filling in the mistake, Mom made it the fibber Magee closet which meant watch out when you open it.  Stuff would fall out and you could never get it back in.  That closet was at the bottom of the stairs in the opposite direction of the basement room.  The basement room was a big room where we kept the TV.  There was a fold out couch that Ky slept on and eventually Breck and any visitors that wanted to stay.  Other than that, I don’t remember any furniture.  It was a roomy area to play in.  Against the wall on the side of the irrigation ditch, Mom had two closets, a linen closet and a year supply closet.  I remember the linen closet smelled of moth balls and cedar.  There was a cedar chest.  In it, Mom would keep the keep sake blankets and such for company when they came. On the other side, the year supply closet had rolling shelves that Dad built.  We would put our canned goods in one side and they would roll down to the other side when we were ready to eat them.  In this way they were always rotated.  Pretty neat huh!  By the way, Dad built this house with all our help contracting out the jobs we just didn’t have the expertise to do.  I believe he used Uncle Bills contractors lisence to stay within the government regulations.  I don’t remember Uncle Bill ever coming to help.  I remember mixing the mortor used in the bricks laid for the basement wall and then scoring them.  I remember watering the cement as it cured for the foundation of the upstairs.  I remember watching as the back hoe dug that first scoop of dirt that first day after school was out when I just turned 12.  I remember toe nailing 2/4 and hitting my thumb causing a great big blood blister.  I believe this house was extra special because it was our blood and sweat and tears that built it.  Back to the hallway.  Going down the hall past the family tree were two doors.  One opening toward the livingroom and one opening toward the irrigation ditch.  These were the other two bedrooms upstairs.  One was suppose to be Danawn’s and mine.  The other was for Kalene and Shana.  This entry from my honor badge was from the bedroom Danawn and I still shared.  It wasn’t long before Danawn kicked me out and the room for two became Kalene, Shana, Teril, and Breck sleeping with Kalene most of the time.  Danawn had a room of her own.2014)

 

Another summer after Breck was born, we took off on a cherry pickin' fishin' tripl  We even took movies of it as a history for us.  Breck was just 1 year old and walking really good.  We stopped in Hurricane, Utah for sometime where the cherries were good and ripe.  Breck would sit under the trees and eat the cherries already picked.  Boy red red from ear to ear.  It surely gave him the runs but he enjoyed them.

We made it a wonderful vacation along the way.  Here is the canyons we visited, Bryce and Zion National Parks.  We kids were in 7th heaven.  What a trip to remember.

We videoed all the way keeping record of this momentous vacation, Cherry Pickin' Fishin' trip.  The first stop was Hurricane, Utah.  Oh the fun we had.

Here is some samples of the cherry pickers and how much cherry pickin' happened.  I enjoyed working so much.  I was competitive too and wanted to pick the most and the longest and the best.  Point me in the direction and let me work.  I loved it.

After Hurricane, we followed the fruit picking to Wapato, Washington close to Yakima.

Danawn fell in love with a boy there at church.  She really got love sick and lost a bunch of weight.  It was over as quickly as it began for within a week or so, we were off to find more fruit to pick.  Washington was probably the next est place for picking cherries.  AT Yakima, Washington, we met some  people who wanted to sell their fruit ranch.  It had pears, apricots and apples plus 40 acres for cattle and a big nice home.  Dad was real interested in it and had to pray hard to find his answer for that move was a “no” answer.

These people at Yakima took us Salmon fishing one nice day.  I caught the first and the biggest.  Mom got real sea sick.  In fact, I think all of us got a little sea sick as we all understand now how you feel (just like dieing). (The story goes that mom fished with us for a while and got ready for lunch.  She went down below to fix sandwiches and got sick.  She would come up top and throw up.  We would all catch fish and she would go back down.  When she would come up to throw up, we would all catch fish.  This is Dad’s version of the story. 2014)

We also had a canoe with foam on each side so it was not suppose to tip.  It was made very light so you could carry it distances.  We took this canoe with us on our cherry pickin-fishin-trip but when we really used it was at Bear Lake Canada.  Boy the water was so clear.  It was a crystal Blue Green beautiful.  It stayed shallow for several yards into the lake and then dropped off deep.  We went swimming one nice day ut that water was cold.  The canoe got used plenty but once it did tip as someone stood in it.

One place we went we stayed at a hotel.  Kyran was just 6 but a great swimmer.  The hotel manager came out and saw Kyran swimming and said, "He can't swim in there!!! He is too little."  We said, "Just look!  He is swimming in the deep end."  They couldn't believe he could swim like a fish but he did .  Amazing.

I love the water too.  I never could get the spring off the board. The one of us that did do swimming was Breck.  He did diving in High school and did pretty well at it.  Swimming all started at the Good Year Canal with Dad a great swimming teacher.  We all loved the water.

We went on above Washington to Victoria, British Columbia.  These are the Butchart Gardens.  They made such an impression on me that when I married Stan and we got to come out to a family reunion in British Columbia, we stopped at the Butchart Gardens with all the kids.  What an amazing story building this garden out of an ugly quarry.  Amazing.

Crystal Caves was another adventure Dad took us on while we were Cherry Pickin Fishin.  I was amazed at the degree in the ground. 60 Degrees all year long.

I was a lucky fisherman.  I usually caught fish even when everyone else didn't.  I liked fishing although I have not done much of it after marriage.  I liked it because Dad did.That was a good summer.

The next summer, we worked our way toward Alaska, Dad's dream.  He wanted to move Mom up there when they were married but Grandma Rogers would have nothing of it.  Dad was determined to move to a place where the land is natural and going back to nature, depending on the land for our income.  Along the way, Danawn fell in love with Mel Gulbranson.  He proposed to her.  Dad left her in Vanderhoof while the rest of us went to Alaska to see the sights.

(2015 In 9th grade I started release time Seminary.  The text was Book of Mormon.  I was challenged to read the book of Mormon.  There was an incentive. The first person to read the Book of Mormon got to go on a date with our teacher,  Bro. Adair.  I read the Book of Mormon that week and came back and told Bro. Adair.  No one else got anywhere near to finishing.  Soooo...I read the Book of Mormon the 2nd time.  I read it 4 times before the next person in my seminary class read it thru and was put up on the board.  I believe I needed to read it 4 times to get anything out of it.  I especially loved the story of the  Brother of Jared; the story of the 16 stones molded out of the mountain and touched by the finger of the Lord to become the light for the 8 barges that went for a year on the ocean to the promised land.  I prayed about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  I prayed to know for myself the gospel is true.  I prayed as Bro. Adair told me to do and I got my first testimony of my own.  I knew the gospel was true.  I knew the Book of Mormon was the word of God.  I had gained a testimony that the story of the Bro. of Jared really happened and that like the Brother of Jared, I needed to work it out for myself before, during and thru asking the Lord for anything. Since then, my testimony has grown and grown.  We are now preparing to go on a mission for two years, Stan and I.  I am sooo full of the spirit.  Wow!  What a testimony can do for you!!)

Now back to the summer after 9^th grade.  We were bound and determined we were going to get to Alaska no matter what so we bought a 16 foot trailer and a Jeep Wagoneer and a bigger boat and took off.  We did a lot of sight seeing and fishing until we got to Vanderhoof, British Columbia Canada.

We parked our trailer in a trailer court just down the hill from the church. The next morning was Sunday so off to church we went not knowing what great changes would take place.

Danawn was the first to make it there and I was next.  Mel Gulbranson latched on to Danawn right away.  Danny Gulbranson ws passing the sacrament and he caught my eye.  There was also lily, Karen, Maureen, Renetta, and Emol Gulbransen to latch onto the rest of the family during and after church.  The church was just a little cracker box.  It was really an old house we used as a church.  We had people sitting in the classes and people in the entry and hanging out the doors and windows.  We did get a set on the benches inside the chapel.

The Gulbransons invited us to a pick nic the ward was having so we went.  Then they invited us to move our trailer to their front lawn and go fishing with them on Monday. So we did.  After 3 days of excitement with the Gulbransons, slaughtering and slopping pigs, riding horses, hunting moose, milking cows and lots more, Dad was ready to move on to Alaska.

Well, Melvel Gulbranson and Danawn had decided something a little different.  Mel asked Dad for Danawn’s hand in marriage.  She was just barely 17.  They finally decided that Danawn would go with us so they both could think about it separately and we would be later in the summer to decide.

At the same time, Danny and I had been getting acquainted in his logging truck riding and talking and he asked me to wait for him till he was off his mission.  I wrote to him and letter a day all while we were in Alaska.

We as a family went on up to Prince Rupert to catch the ferry over to Ketchakan Alaska but by the time we got there, Danawn could not stand it.  She had to go back and get to know Mel a little better before she could decide whether he was the guy to marry.  Finally Mom and Dad decided to let her go back and we would pick her up on the way back down.(I have a hard time believing this Mom and Dad that I know so well, allowed Danawn to go back to Vanderhoof by herself on the bus to stay with a boy and his family while we went on to Alaska. Whew!!!2014)

We were one short of a family member but we had fun.

The ferry was a blast.  We saw whales and had to weave between icebergs and got to sleep all night in the ferry .  It was so fun.

We went all the way to Haines.  Some places we went to were only accessible by Ferry.  The roads went 10 miles one way and maybe 20 miles the opposite way and that wait.

We rented a plane and went up above the clouds.  I could see the top of a mountain above the clouds.  It looked like pink candy surrounded by fluffy marshmallows.  We spotted a moose.  Back when we were at Gulbranson’s let me tell you about the moose hunt.

Grandpa Rice sent me $1000 to go moose hunting.  He wanted me to really go all out and get a moose with a guide.  A gun and the works.  Dad knew grandpa did not have that kind of money so we sent the money back and tried to find a way to get a moose without all that money.

The Gulbransons knew of a good place to moose hunt and they had a good rifle so one of those 3 mornings, Dad and I took off at 5:30 TO FIND A MOOSE.  We went down to Gulbransons Tourcot.  The mist and fog covered the ground.  Dad sighted the moose and starting running after it si I followed.  There it was in a clearing facing us.  Dad handed me the rifle and I sighted the moose in real well and pulled the trigger.  Nothing happened.  Dad grabbed the gun and took the safety off and handed it back to me.  So I sighted it in again but saw the moose turning.  I fired anyway just as the moose turned.  The moose went down ahead and I went down behind.  After Dad helped me up from the log I fell over, we ran to see the moose.  He had run a few yards and then fallen.  He looked so calm and a ittle dazed. His eyes were as big and glassy.  Dad shot him again through the head because we weren’t sure where I had hit him and that was it.

We tried to skin and quarter it  but found it so heavy we could bearly gut it.  The skin was so tough.  I did not think we would ever get it through.  Somehow we did get it gutted but decided to prop it open and get more help.  The Gulbranson brothers were more than willing to help.  They quartered it and hauled it across a gully and up a hill to the car just like Paul Bunyans.

Granpa thought that was neat. I just wish I could have brought the horns or the skin to show him.

There was lots of summer I left out.  One summer we went to Makuzare Mexico and stayed in some old buildings while we fished the dam.  We did not catch too many fish but sure had fun eating dried foods and tortillas and climbing the mountains.

On other vacations, (since Mom and Dad were both teachers we had vacation at the same time)we would go to the White Mountains where we had our favorite place to fish.  It had a fireplace made into a natural rock formation with a big Ponderosa pine tree right by it.  One time when Grandpa came with us after he had broken his thumb and ribs, we were fishing and hiking and setting up camp when one morning, Dad came back to camp in a fast hurry but oh what a smell.  A skunk had sprayed him and really good.  We buried his clothes soaked his glasses in tomato joice and he took about 50 baths that day.  The smell never did come out of his glasses but we did make it through that day.

Another time, we caught a chipmunk and kept him while we were there but decided to let it go before we went home.  Another time when Uncle Jay went with us (Jay is Dad’s half  brother.  Grandma Folsom was Grandpa Rice’s 1^st wife and only wife.  She divorced Grandpa and married Mr. Folsom.  I am sorry I don’t know more about his first name or when he was born or anything.  I never remember meeting him.  He was dead before I remember.  Jay was their first child.  Uncle Eugene Folsom was their last child.)there was a snake about to strike Danawn and Uncle Jay killed it.  That was exciting.

Now back to Alaska-We came back down to Prince Rupert through all the ferries and rough roads. Then we were back in Vanderhoof to pick up Danawn.  She was still madly in love and did not want to leave.

Dad decided we may move up there if Danawn was going to marry someone up there so he let her and Mel make plans to marry  But she had to come home with us.

Now let me get back to Danawn and Mel.  They kept moving their wedding date up but by Sept. things were real cool and Mel broke things off.  We think his Dad had something to do with it and it was for the best.  Danny and I were still writing good but things had cooled a little there too.  I was not even dating age yet and it looked like Danny never would get to go on a mission.

We planned to go up at Christmas time and test the weather before we decided to move.  I wanted to make money to help put Danny on a mission.  So I went to the John Hancock Academy

 But by Christmas time, we had a new Volkswagen Bus and were packed and ready to go.  When we got into Vanderhoof, it was 7:00 am 20 degrees below and not any gas to get to Gulbransons and not a gas station open.  We waited and waited and finally got gas.  There was ice on the insides of the car windows and we were froze.

We got to Gulbransons.  They were busy with chores.  Soon they hitched up a team to a sleigh and took us for rides down to see some land we might buy.  The Max and Billy Peterson family came with us because he and Dad were partner on the move.

We just stayed 3 days.  We did more things in those 3 days.  I went logging with Danny and kind of re-established bonds.  He wanted to marry me after his mission.

The 3 days were up too soon and we were back at Chandler Dad and Max Peterson bought that 880 acres off Chilco road and plans were made to move up that summer.  We sold our house and 3 acres in Chandler.

When we got home, I tried to plan a way to get through school before we moved to Canada because I had heard the Canadians put you back a year and I wasn’t about to go to more high school than necessary.  Besides, I wanted to help get the place started. In Mesa, I found the John Hancock Academy that had a program where yuou could work as fast as you wanted or could go.  I went to this school and worked my hardest.  I also had a job.  I finished three years in one year and I made enough money to buy a saddle and some boots. I graduated in May and so did Danawn.  I also turned 16 years old and had dates with lots of guys but particularly Scott Perry who managed to come up with us to help us build our house when we moved.

Danawn had fallen in love with Lyle between the Christmas trip and our move to Vanderhoof.  Dad moved her up to Vanderhoof to get rid of Lyle.  Danawn was bound and determined to get married.  She pined away there in Vanderhoof until she met Monte.  They were married that summer before our house was finished.

Our final visit with our cousins, the Leavitts was sad but wonderful all at the same time.  Aunt Leola Leavitt is Mom's oldest sister.  She lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, just 30 minutes away from us who lived in Chandler, Arizona.  We were very close.  Aunt Leola had a kid for all our ages except Danawn.  Danawn was born before Aunt Leola was married.  Roylee is my age, Danette is Kalene's age, Susan is Shana's age, Floyd is just older than Kyran and Ellen is Breck's age.  Leavitts had Robert on the end after Mom had finished having her children.  Robert lives with Aunt Leola today after both Floyd's have passed away.  All the girls have big families but are close by Aunt Leola in the Phoenix area.  This video also shows Grandma Rogers.  I remember Grandma Rogers never wanting her picture to be taken.  She also did not want her daughter, my mother, to move away.  She did come see us a couple of times in Vanderhoof, British Columbia before she passed away in 1983.


(insert from my journals)Yesterday we got up at 5:00 and got everything ready.  Arlene was getting real excited.  Her brothers both rode the bus with her and she could hardly wait to see them.  It was about 6:10 when we finally left the house.  We were finally off.  We had to get Arlene to the bus at 6:30 so we were hurrying along.  When we got halfway down the road, we remembered the mirrors that go on the side of the car so we can see behind the trailer.  We turned back home and got the mirrors.  Now it was 6:15.  Would we make it?  Well we did make it just perfectly.(Arlene Axline was our Indian Placement gal.  She was about my age.  She lived with us a few years.  When we moved to Canada, she lived with Aunt Leola until she graduated from high school or maybe longer. She lived on the Indian Reservation Kayenta)
(If you would like to know more details about dating from age 16 till I was married, you can read in my "Doc '70" in Teril's History in my word documents.  There were many dates with many boys along with lots of fun at Ricks College and BYU. Most of these exerpts come from that history I have kept all these years.)

Steven Peterson and Scott Perry along with the rest of us made 10 people.  All we had was that 16 foot trailer we had taken on vacation. We moved to  Chilco Road, in Vanderhoof, BC. The two boys made them a tent set up in the field and we all built our house.

We built our house and I got to help.  It was so big and I just loved making it.  I stayed home a year of school to help build up the ranch.  I milked the cow that first year. 

 I turned this job over to Kyran when I left for school the next year.

I also took care of 9 sheep as an income to earn money for college.  Lambing that spring was quite an experience.  I lost my blue acquamarine ring inside one of those ewes.  The ring was acquired when dating Lee Nunn that year.

In the mean time, Danawn was planning to go back to Arizona and marry a Lyle Ray.  But, the minute she got to Vanderhoof, Monte Schumann had his eye on her .  He got stuck in our property and came to the trailer for help. He found Danawn and I struggling to put a huge log across the diningroom as a support.  He and his big Canadian muscles just hoisted that log right up there.  Ahhh! The muscles of that guy.  Danawn couldn’t resist.  Kyran was a big tease and was always spying on Monte and Danawn. Well, by the last of August they were married.  They planned a temple marriage the next year. They had Ballard R. August 6, 1972 between and took him to the temple too.

Scott was a real mistake. I don’t know how he made it to Canada with us. I just couldn’t say no. He was just about the death of me that summer.  Finally Dad sent him home.  I was very glad.  Then there was Lee Nunn, Kent Gwilliams, Denise Westwood, and school to think about.

The house did get built I really prided myself in all the work I did on it.  I knew just about every nail.  Soon the rest of the Petersons came up.  Julie and Arlie and Frank and Dell and David and Cathy.  Julie fell in love with Danny and Arlie with Mel and Steven with Kalene.  It was interesting.

The next year, I planned to go to Ricks College.  I worked at the hospital for a while but could not take the Sunday work.  I got a different job at the lumber mill.  Dennis Westwood got me some sheep and all these things helped put me in school.

This winter, I got to learn to drive.  I tried taking my license in Mesa where I was going to school.  I couldn’t pass the test, the driving part.  I failed it twice there.  So when we got to Vanderhoof, I tried to pass the driving test in Vanderhoof and failed it again.  Wow!  When I finally got my license I was sooooo excited.  Mom and Dad gave me some responsibility in driving.  I went to pick up the kids from Primary once and ran the truck off the road into the snow ditch.  Another time, I drove the truck to get some hay for the two horses Dad got the boys and Priss, the horse Dad got me.  There were three horses.  Ginger, Roney, and Priss.  The hay was rather heavy but it did not matter.  I ran the truck off the road just past the beaver pond that was frozen in the winter, coming up our long drive to the house from Chilco Road.  I was headed for the house and almost there when I ran it off the road into the mountain. 

 I was left in charge of all the siblings less in age than me.  I decided I would get that hay up to the house if it killed me.  I saddled Roney and rigged the sled up to the saddle.  I got on Roney and started off down the long drive with the sleigh behind.  Roney was a skiddish horse and did not like that sleigh dragging behind him and when it clipped his heel, he got all crazy.  The crazier he got , the more the sleigh would clip his heels.  Pretty soon, I had lost control and it was all I could do to stay on his back.  He was headed straight for the truck trying to squeeze between the truck and the side of the mountain I had run it into.  In my mind, I thought the sleigh would catch between the front of the truck and the side of the mountain and roney and I would be thrown back on top of the sleigh.  I jumped off Roney into the snow bank.  Roney went right on through the crack with no problem at all, racing away a mad horse.  I got up and realized there was blood running down my face.  I felt the wound and thought either Roney had kicked me or the sleigh had scalped me.  I crawled up the snow bank to get to the house.  When I walked in the house, Shana said, “Let me see!  OOOOO!  I can see your brains.”  I thought and thought.  What could we do.  Monte and Danawn lived next door but Monte and Dad and Mom were all gone to Prince George, an hour away.  We did not have a phone yet so I couldn’t call anyone.  I was concerned that I may have really hurt myself so I saddled Ginger and sent Kyran out to bring home anyone that he thought could help.  I got in the bathtub to rinse off the blood and to see exactly what had happened.

Kyran came back with a neighbor vagabond and his mule.  He was called Festus. (I think his name came from the character on the TV program “Gunsmoke” with James Arnet that Dad loved to watch.  He was a great support and told me that people in shock often feel they need to bath.  It is a natural thing. 

Pretty soon, Monte and Dad and Mom came home.  They gave me a blessing and took me to the hospital.  At the hospital, they gave me 30 stitches.  My thick scull was intact and all I came out with was a shaved portion of my head and these stitches.  No problem. (except I was dating all these guys and a shaved head was an embarrassment) It did not stop me.  I still played the organ in that rented church across from the play ground in Vanderhoof.  I just piled my hair up on top of my head where the stitches were and went on my business.

 

(Letter written as an entrance explanation to Ricks College.)

Dear Sirs,

I am Teril Lee Rice from Vanderhoof, British Columbia.  I graduated from the John Hancock Academy in Mesa, Arizona in 1971.  During this one year of high school, I worked in the El Taco drive-in just across the street.  I worked for a dollar an hour from 11:00 – 3:00.  I would go to school from 8-11 am then straight to work.  I would walk to my little brothers and sisters school just down the road and ride home with them.  At home after chores in the morning, I would study for as long as possible and then help with breakfast and get the kids ready.  After getting home from work, I fixed dinner and did chores before Mom and Dad would get home.  They both taught school.  As soon as the night activities were done, I would study some more.  I had a goal.  I wanted to finish my 15 credits by Christmas.  I wanted to work full-time after graduating to help send a boy from Vanderhoof on a mission.  Christmas time came and went and I still had 8 credits to get.  After Christmas, my wage was raised to $1.20 an hour and up about every month until it was $1.45 an hour.  My hours were extended from 11-5 and on Saturday too.  All my money went for payment for school except for $700.  I was falling in my studies and thought I would never finish.  My older sister who was 17, was also taking American School Correspondence and working.  When I found that she was going to graduate, I started working.  I just had to graduate with her.  By this time, my interest in the Vanderhoof boy had dropped.  We were planning to move to Vanderhoof so now my goal was to finish high school so that I could help Dad with the Ranch to get it started. I graduated in May

(Back to my class project at BYU1973) 

I was 17 when I started at Ricks.(1972) I turned 17 in March and in September, I registered at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho.  I moved into Colonial Heights with 8 other girls.  There was Maxcine, Bonnie, Becky Stringer (from Vanderhoof) Barbara Snyder (who became my best friend) Lila and Myra, Patty and I know I’m forgetting some one.

Barb and I became the best of buddies .  I was on the ballroom dance team and in the square dancing club.  I was also in band and women’s chorus and Young Republicans.  I absolutely loved everyone and everything there.  I would suggest it to everyone.(going to Ricks College that is) I graduated in 1974 and worked that summer.  In the fall, I went to Brigham Young University in Utah.  I was a junior and planned to graduate the next year in Education.  I loved to teach anyone I got my degree in Elementary Education.  I have a Utah teaching license and used it to substitute teach those first years of marriage.

My senior year of college, after I finished the spring semester, I went to summer school to catch some classes I was short on.  I wanted to graduate in 4 years and I needed classes more than I needed money I would earn up in Canada.

The class I registered for that summer was Education 300.

(These are philosophies I wrote at the end of my life history assignment for BYU. Ed 200.  I will print these here)

I hope to marry a very special guy of whom I don’t know of yet.  I want to be married in the temple and raise as big a family as the Lord will give to me.

I hope I can graduate.  I have got one more year but if I get married before, I can still come back some day.  I hope to put my husband through school by teaching but hope I don’t have to work after the children come.

I hope to teach my own children in my own school because I truly am concerned about their education. I know what they need to learn and I am sure they will help me to know what they need to learn.

I have no fears right now but I am sure when I do have fears, I can just take them to the Lord and work them out.

I love my family dearly.  Without them, I would not be what I am today.  I don’t crave fancy living.  I would love to build my own log cabin and cook on a wood stove, carrying water and using oil lamps.  I would not mind my husband being a logger because I know that happiness does not come from money.

I am very conservative and I want to live on a farm .  I want to stay close to the Lord in everything I do.

I think of everything as possible.  If someone wanted me to be a great person, they can be.  If they want to be bad enough they will be and no one will ever be able to stand in their way.  This applies to me too.  I feel this should be implanted in all children.  I love life but I love more, the knowledge that if we live this life fully, obeying the commandments we can and will return to our Heavenly Father.

I feel every person has an abundance of talents.  Some are natural and some need to be worked at.  I play the piano but this was worked at.  I draw a little but this is also worked at.  I love to write poetry, sing, dance, speak, ride. I feel I am very talented in almost every area but they were worked at.

I need to develop many things further.  I need to pray more sincerely, to act more naturally, to draw, write, speak, play the piano, ride horses, sing and just work more perfectly.  There will always be room for improvement and much of these things are growing a little more each day.  Right now I am working on prayer which is the staff of spiritual as well as physical life.

This is something I did the first week of school.

 (This is a letter I wrote to Breck when I was attending Ricks College. 1972)

I got bit by a very old mean dog the other day.  I was out doing a project for my government class when I ran on to him.  I was making a survey of all the Nixon supporters.  We were almost through .  The guy that was driving us around dropped me off at my last four houses.  The first house I went to were doing their Saturday cleaning.  This dog was very fat and old.  He was a black and white German Shepherd I think.  He came out to meet me so I said, “Hello dog.  He just sniffed me and didn’t even wag his tail so I just walked up to the house.  There was a little boy a bit older than you cleaning up the yard.  He said to go right in but I had to be polite so I knocked and waited for his mother to come to the door and escort me in.  I waited and waited.  I think they were making so much noise cleaning house that they didn’t hear me so I knocked again.  Still I waited.  I knocked twice more and still no answer.  I was hoping the little boy would show me in but he didn’t.  Finally the mother brought an armload of clothes onto the porch and saw me there.  She welcomed me in.  As I stepped in the door, the dog sprang under the door latching onto my leg right above my ankle.  It felt as though the door was closing on it.  It’s too bad I didn’t have my boots on.  Anyway I looked down and saw this dog hanging on me.  The lady kicked him off and pulled up my pant leg to see if he got through but she didn't pull down my sock. I was shocked speachless.  I had only said one word, “Ouch”.  I thought I couldn’t walk on it but surprising enough it didn’t hurt.  She apologized a thousand times while I went through my survey.  She escorted me to the door and I walked to the next house.  I was still blank.  The next lady was very snobbish.  By this time I began to realize how hurt I was.  I guess the realization of the attack hit me I was almost bawling but I couldn’t forget how exciting it was.  I walked to the next house but they weren’t home.  Then that guy came back to pick me up.I got into the car and very casually looked at my leg.  This was the first time I had looked at it.  I was really hurt.  The guy was real alarmed.  In the inside of my leg was a huge hole filling up with blood.  On the outside were three gashes that were the most painful.  This guy asked me which dog it was and if the people knew I had been bit.  This guy knew the people real well and the dog personally.  He kept apologizing too. But I didn’t put on a show so he didn’t think it was too serious.  Anyway, after picking up the three other girls, talking to a republican friend, getting a doughnut and hot chocolate at headquarters, we went to the doctors.  They washed it all out.  They used some cotton tipped sticks.  They stuck these in that hole and swished them around sopping up the blood and cleaning it out 3 times.  It didn’t hurt except for one bity bit. It makes me sick to think of it now.  The doctor said to let it heal from the inside. They put a little bandage and salve on the hole and one other on the gashes and said to come back next Tues.

The guy that brought me took me home and said even though its not too bad that I better stay off of it for the rest of the day.  Up to this time it really hadn’t hurt.  Oh yes!  They gave me a tetness shot.  I think that shot must of made me tired because I would’ve gone to sleep if Barbara hadn’t been having troubles and Jim hadn’t come to see me.  After we solved Barb’s problems, we all went to see Fiddler on the Roof with Apt. #3.  After walking down town, we stood for a half an hour waiting to get in.  At 2:00 pm they opened.  The show was very good.  Afterwards, Barb and I went to see Thayne, my teacher development teacher to see if I could go to chorus and sing in conference and have a makeup lesson with Lee Ann and Mike Bob and Anna.  On the Way we met Allan and Richard, our 2 brothers(family home evening) and talked with them a while.

Thayne consented and we went on the other side of town to shop for some material for Barb’s uniform.  Finally we started home. On the way, we met a Young Republican who knew I had been bitten that morning.  She told us of a poster making meeting at Dorm #3 at 7:30.  When we finally got home,. I wasn’t even hungry and I hadn’t eaten all day.  I think that shot did things to me.

Next day I sang at conference and then hurried to our fast and testimony meeting.  It was very good.  That afternoon we had the ID makeup and a dance festival meeting an a fireside.  We rushed home and watched “Love Story’ on TV. Myra was drawing pictures of Love and Peace .  I hinted that it looked hippie and it hurt her .  I really shouldn’t have said it.  In the middle of Love Story, Jim walks in and asks if I’ll go to a fireside with him.  I turned him down and hurt him.  I think that shot did things to me.  Tues. At 9:00 I saw the doctor.  He said everything was OK and sent me off to school.  But ya know strange things are happeneing. My foot goes numb and when I touch the hole, I can feel something down in my arch tingle.  I’ve been very dizzy and rather cranky.  I wonder if these have anything to do with a dog bite. Now Breck isn’t that a mystery. What do you think about it?  Write back and tell me the care for one dog bite. (Breck was 5 years old)

Last Saturday, I took a hike up to the Y.  It seemed like I needed a time when I needed to get away.  To get away from the rush, the roads, the lights and the noise to just be myself.  I took lunch and started out about 11 am.  The weather forecast told of snow, snow, snow.  At the time, the skies looked beautiful so Off I went.

The path had been well trodden, which made this path very easy to follow.  I climbed just slow and easy watching the prints in the snow along the sides. I saw some tracks that looked as if there had been dogs going up to accompany their masters.  I also saw skidoo tracks along with some tobagan tracks.  The trees and shrubbery were beautiful with the little accents of snow sparkling on each limb.  There were some grouse along one side that fluttered away as soon as I came around one corner.  The sky was growing dark and the wind was blowing cold but it was beautiful to be in nature.  When I came to one curve in the road, I stopped to look at the valley, Provo.  It was beautiful to see it so clear and so whole.

Soon the flakes of snow started to fall.  They grew bigger and bigger the further I went up.

The further I went up, the tracks in the snow got fewer and fewer.  I was nearly covered with snow but I was warm as toast.  I love it completely.

The next corner revealed just a partially hidden Provo.  The clouds had started to close in and just as I was watching, the whole valley was covered with clouds.  I was above the clouds but yet below them for there were many above me.

Everything was beautiful sparkling white even though the sun was nowhere to be seen.  The next corner I saw a rock and on it was written WHY____> pointing up the path.  Why was I going up this mountain? To get away from people of course.  I knew that was the reason from the very first.  But as I looked back down to the valley, I saw the city being uncovered again.  All the gay streets along with the BYU campus and all the fun that goes along with it was being revealed.  Why? Why was I here at the Y?

Further up the trail, I saw, written in the snow SMILE!!! And I was almost there.

As I reached the top, the sun was starting to shine and the snow had stopped falling.  Beneath me was the valley and above me was the mountain cliffs, but right where I was, was the Y.  People made this Y.  People made the trail.  People made the letters SMILE and WHY.  People have the fun not the snow or the nature as a whole without people.  There would be no one to enjoy this beautiful world.  I did not climb to the “Y” to get away from people, I came to enjoy nature.  It is not people I dislike, it is nature I love.

Just before I left for college, I had an adventure worth recording here.  I have it recorded minute by minute in my journal.  You are welcome to read it.  It is recorded as a part of my letters of 1970.  THere was this ranch that Mom and Dad went out to check out when they were deciding to move to Vanderhoof.  This ranch was 100 miles away from the church.  THey were members of our ward.  You drove 1/3 of the way on a dirt road and then 1/3 of the way you motor boated across a lake and then 1/3 of the way you road in an old wagon drawn by horses to their log cabin and log out houses and log corral.  This ranch had ann experiment going on where they bred cows called Scottish Highlanders and Yaks to have a more sturdy bread to stay warm in the frigid winters of British Columbia and to ward off grissly bears.  They were in the middle of this experiment when I was asked to come help run horses around the lake to pasture closer in town.

I was all excited to be invited.  I had to really fanagle to get there because I would be the only girl and one of the men was a boy friend named Lee Nunn.  I got to go with the promise that Bro. Nunn, the dad, would guarantee my safety.  I drove horses all day and stayed the night in an old cabin that first night.  Some of the horses got away and I had to stay with the ones that did not run while the rest of the men rounded up the ones that bolted.  Finally they all came back and we continued.  THat was a little scarry in the woods all by myself holding a group of horses until the rest came back.  When we got to the other side of the Lake, I felt like "rubber legs" cowboy and walked bow legged.  I also had a time getting my snowsuit off to go to the bathroom and to ask permission to a bunch of men to go to the bathroom was rather embarrassing.  THe adventure did not stop just because we got the horses around the lake.  We had forgotten the keys to the truck and so had to hitch a ride with strangers to town.  It was quite complicated to get the truck started and then we ran it off the road.  Amazing story.  You would enjoy reading it.

November 19, 1971 Dear Grandma,  It was just about that time that I thought,”It’s a whole two months before I see him again,” when who should walk in the door but Bro. Nunn.

I was doing my seminary trying very hard to concentrate but when He came I jumped for joy.

He had a note from Lee to me .  I gobbled it up.

On the front it had Gal. 6:11 even though it was 1 paragraph long. On the inside he had Gal. 4:11 hinting that maybe leaving his bank book, Christmas card, and a note to give to a boy in Prince was asking a lot.  I laughed and laughed.(Prince George was 1 hour to the South of Vanderhoof.  For Lee to ask me to give these things to a boy in Prince, was asking a whole lot since I didn’t even have my own car and was still only 16.)

Just about this time Lilly Gulbranson came in.  I read the note to everyone.  They really enjoyed it.

Bro. Nunn was reading off his list of things to get in town when he ran across the name Teril.

“I don’t quite know what that means except to bring her back with me!  Teril, how would you like to go chase horses tomorrow out at Walter’s place?” Bro. Nunn asked.

“That sounds great.” I answered trying not to be too excited, when I was really bubbling over.

Mom said, “That really does sound fun,” but didn’t’ say more.

Inside I knew I couldn’t go but there was still hope.

“Well go ask Dad.” Mom said.

I rushed out and blurted an excited, “Can I go to Nunn’s ranch?”

“Now what?” asked dad.  So Bro. Nunn explained that tomorrow Lee, Walter, and himself were going to herd Walter’s horses around the lake and would be back that night.  Now Walter’s ranch is still about 20 miles from where Nunn’s live. 

With Bro. Nunn, Mom, and Lilly on my side I got to go If Kalene would milk and the kids would water and feed.  Kalene had a fit but agreed.

As I was rushing around putting on tons of clothes, stuffing my sleeping bag and getting my saddle and stuff, (even my snow suit), Mom talked with Bro. Nunn.  He assured her of a safe trip.  “Now don’t start marrying until Monday afternoon.” He joked.

Then we were off.

While the others were reading the note, (I failed to tell). I wrote a note back and gave it to Bro. Nunn.  How, I had forgotten about it.

We ran out to Buck Nunn’s who lives out from town 20 miles and is the oldest Nunn.  We got Jewel Nunn’s little coat and delivered some wedding presents and got some bolts and asked if Buck wouldn’t come out and chase horses.

Buck had other things to do so Bro. Nunn and I went to town and got gas.  Then we went to Co-op to get grain for the horses.  Here Bro. Nunn went to get some hamburgers and asked if I wouldn’t wait at the car for this lady in a cream colored truck to come bring a message.

Just as Bro. Nunn got back, the lady drove up.  I met her and her daughter and some of her friends but I can’t remember her name.

Finally we were really on our way. Our lunch turned out to be chips, cookies, milk and crackers but it was delicious all the same.

It takes about 2 hrs. to reach the Denny dam where Nunn’s dock their boat.  On the way Bro. Nunn told me of the history about the land around that road.  There’s even three books written about it.  A Mormon family in our branch lives on the very ranch the books began at.  It was really interesting.

“Look.  Do you see that small corral up on that hill?  What do you think that is there for?”

“Gosh, I can’t imagine except maybe somebody is afraid the River will overflow and that’s their shelter.”  I answered.

He laughed and said, “Some scientists corralled that in to see how high the grass would grow with no animals eating it.”

We turned into a beautiful huge mansion of a ranch house where Walter had stayed.

This , Bro. Nunn said, was built by a millionare who wanted to build a perfect ranch so he made a huge barn and a gigantic house and fenced in all the land.  He got electricity and water besides every kind of modern farm equipement you can imagine.  After working on it that hard, he only raise a herd of cattle on it for one year and sold it.  He must of wanted to be able to say, “I’ve built a ranch.”

Walter isn’t a Mormon but is a very nice person.

From here on I didn’t say much.

At the lake the wind was straight from the north.   After loading up the grain, gas, eggs, saddles and everything, I was obliged to put on my snow suit.  The wind was so cold that if it blew on your bare ear, it would ache.

The ride over was very exciting.  The waves were fairly big causing spray to hit everything.  When we hit a wave, tons of water would hit you and run down your neck.  The most exciting part was the wave that hit us broad side, causing us to tip real far when we went around an island.  Wow!

After an hour and fifteen minutes of this, we made it to the landing. I was dieing to go to the bathroom.  Bro. Nunn, thinking I was chilled to the bone said, “Go run around a bit.  You look froze.”

I walked a little ways and stepped into some bushes.  Finally!  I tore off my snowsuit, my blue coat, my brown coat, my overalls, my blue pants, my wool pants and my insulated underwear.  Whew!

Bro. Nunn was surprised to see my snowsuit in my hand but just took it and put it on the wagon.

Walter drove the tractor pulling the trailer behind.  Bro. Nunn and I zoomed these two miles to Walter’s cabin on the snow cruiser which pulled a little taboggon which was to be Tina’s and Jewel’s Christmas.

I could see the cabin. By now I was Frozen.

As we drove up to the cabin, I could see someone standing in the snow leaning against the hitching post.  It was LEE!!!He was as surprised to see me as I was to have gotten to come.

I ran into the warm cabin while Lee, Bro. Nunn, and Walter separated the horses.  After a long time I joined them. they couldn’t find one horse anywhere.  Finally they figured out that that horse was already at  Burk Irvings. (a partner).

After throwing down hay and unloading the wagon, we went in.  I fixed some eggs and ham and bread.  We ate heartily.

That night Lee and I got to ride on the snow cruiser to the boat to get the rest of our crakers and cookies we had left over from that noon.

The soft flakes of snow were falling everywhere.  It was so beautiful. I was singing along sitting behind Lee when I saw the biggest golden brown bear in the world.  It was standing up growling right next to the road.  A chill ran up and down me just like lightening but to my relief it was just an overgrown stump of a beautiful golden brown tree.  Boy!!

On the way back I told Lee about that.  He just laughed and said he didn’t even see the stump.

Everyone loved the cookies and crackers.

We sat and talked.  I found that the lady I had met that day had purchased Walter’s ranch not too long ago and had moved everything out of the barn leaving us with no bridles for our horses.  She had even locked up the big house with the snow mobile in it.

In this cabin, on the walls were written all the hunters that had been led or guided by Walter and his companions and how many moose they had gotten.  The cabin was chinked the same as my little sheep shed.

It was only 7:00 and we all felt sleepy so we made down the beds.  Nobody had a watch except me and they really didn’t know what time it was.  Lee had ridin from his house on a horse that morning and didn’t have room for a sleeping bag.  Guess where he got to sleep? Nope, with his father.  We made out Bro. Nunn’s sleeping bag on the floor.  We put Walter on a cot against the wall and pushed the empty cot up next to him to leave big room on the floor for Lee and Bro. Nunn.  Bro. Nunn slept next to the empty cot and Lee on the other side of him and I slept on a cot against the other wall.  They couldn’t get over my sleeping bag. They thought it was neat but weird.  (I had bought this down sleeping bag, mummy style that I stuffed into this little stuffing bag.  It was suppose to be for extreme cold weather.  It was blue.)

Lee asked what time it was and I said, “7:00 o’clock.”

“That early.”

The surprise knocked all the sleep right out of us.  We talked another hour or two or three.  It’s a good thing we did because when Lee crawled into Bro. Nunn’s sleeping bag, it was wet.  The wave from the lake must have soaked it.  Lee with his cold and all dreaded very much sleeping in it.

Bro. Nunn gave Lee the note I had forgotten about.  I really didn’t mean to give it to him now that I had come.  He just read it and put it away in his vest pocket and never said a word about it.

“I was really surprised to see you on the back of that snow cruiser.  I jokingly told Dad to bring you but I never thought you could really come.” He said.

Next morning I woke up to the noise of Bro. Nunn making a fire.  Neither he nor Lee had slept good.  They slept about like Kiesta, our dog, does.  I really felt sorry for them.

Lee moaned, “I just knew if I slept with Dad I wouldn’t be able to move.”

Walter had a stiff shoulder and didn’t feel good either.  It’s too bad they couldn’t have slept like me.

For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, bacon, and bread.  There were only three plates, because nobody knew I was coming, so Lee and I had bacon, scrambed eggs and butter sandwiches.  It hit the spot because I was hungry.

We went out and saddled up.  I didn’t even have to clean up the mess because Bro. Nunn was to stay and go in the boat to bring it across the lake so as to have it on the right side of the lake  to come home in.

My horses name was Spook.  He was the best horse there.  He used to be Bro. Nunn’s private saddle horse.

Lee and Walter ran the horses out of the corral.  I just stood back and watched.

One bunch of horses just didn’t want to co-operate and ran off.  While Lee was chasing them, some others ran off.  Now Walter was leading a mare and colt so it was all up to Lee because I was afraid to make a fool of myself in helping him.

Finally we got them all through the gate.  They calmed down here and we really started the fun.  I got to know my horse and we just followed the horses pushing along.

I had stuffed my pockets with Kleenex and this came in handy for I sure needed it.

The weather was gorgeous.  I just loved it.

The horses were forever trying to turn back but Lee was so handy on his horse they couldn’t budge until we came to a creek half froze over.  Walter’s horse would not cross and the rest of them took off for home.

Lee took off after them.  I just stood right there wondering whether to help or not.  I tried to block them but they wouldn’t block. 

Walter was still trying to get his horse across.

Finally he just took off with out a word.  I stood there for a long time looking at the mare and colt Walter had left and the two horses that were with her.  I thought it would be best if I stayed with the mare and wait so I took Spook down to the creek and tied him up so I could walk around to keep my feet warm.

I walked around on top of the thin ice on the creek to see if it would break.  It didn’t’ so I just walked in a circle to keep warm.  I sang all the songs I could think of.  The horses looked at me when I started but soon retained their position.

After about a half hour, I looked at the place I had been walking and saw that it looked like half of a heart.  I made the other half of the heart and tramped it in.

In another half hour the horses all turned and perked up their ears.  I stopped singing and turned to see.

“So there you are.  Where’s Walter.”It was Lee.

“He went to help you I thought.” I said.

“Yes but he was on his way back here.” And he was off again.  I kept on singing for about 20 more minutes.

Walter had caught one of the horses to see if the others would follow and found they wouldn’t  Walter went onto tell Bro. Nunn what had happened. While Lee and I went to the cabin.

Boy! I had a heck of a time getting back on Spook.  I had so many clothes on I could hardly step in the stirrup.  How embarrassing.

Going home we went a lot faster.  Lee trotted his horse and the mare all the way.

Back at the cabin we found two horses already there.  The rest of them must have followed the meadow so Lee opened up all the gates to let them in.

“Dad will never believe we couldn’t get those horses.”  Lee laughed.  “I’ll bet he ribs us from now on….Come here.”

He set me on his lap and asked if there was anything to eat.  We just ate all the rest of the crackers.

“Ya know the reason you are on my lap? It’s because I’m cold.”

Bro. Nunn came up to the cabin.  “What’s the matter?  I thought maybe someone got hurt.” Bro. Nunn asked.

Bro. Nunn had been down to the point where we were to meet him and had come back before even seeing Walter.

As I was gather up my things Lee said, “Why can’t she stay ‘till tomorrow?  You could tell Sis. Rice this when you go get help.”

“That would be nice.  I did say to not worry until Monday afternoon anyway.  But I also told her that she’d be home tonight so we better go.”Said  Bro. Nunn

“Well why can’t I go.  Maybe I can get some young boys out to help.”Lee said. So we packed all my things out to the boat.  Bro. Nunn gave a whole bunch of directions, “Now you must remember the gas, the oil, the antifreeze, and some 2x6’s and OH YES< I’ll show you a trick about this motor.”

We were off.  As soon as we got away from shore Lee said, “Oh I shouldn’t have come.  Teril, remind me of all those things. OK?”

He kept trying to justify his coming, with , “Well, I could come as well as he,  or I think I can get more boys out, and many other things.’

“We can get Danny, Mel, Buck, Lyle, Monte, Lilly, Becky, Eileen, Ted and maybe we can even take Dennis.”

“I don’t think you better take Dennis.  I don’t think you’d have any fun if you did.”Said I.

I wasn’t trying to be mean but I didn’t think it was a good idea.

At the dock we unloaded and tied the boat up good.  We got to the car and to our dismay, we found the keys were gone.  We had forgotten them.

“I knew I shouldn’t have come.  We’ll have to hitch a ride in with these people and leave the stuff here and may be Buck will bring us back out to get it.” Said Lee

Knock, knock, knock!!!

“Yes.”                      

“Do you think we could ride in with you girls to town.  We don’t have the keys to the truck.” Lee asked.

“You’ll have to ask the  bosses.”

“Excuse me.  Are you people going to town?”

“In a minute.” They said.

“Well, we forgot the keys to the truck on the other side of the lake and don’t have enough gas to make it back.  May we ride in with you?” Pled Lee

“Wait, I know how to start your truck.  Anybody have a wire?”

“yeah!  Here’s one”

A major operation took place but with six men working on it, we broke into the cab with a pocket knife and wired the car to start.  In 20 minutes we were on our way.  It was about 3:00.  It gets dark at 4:30.

We turned on the heater and to our dismay the Gen. Light came on.  For two hours we rode in this cold car.  On the way we decided to try the lights and everything to see if they would work off the Generator.  The lights worked off the Generator so we kept them off for as long as possible.  We figured that the wire must have caused everything that usually worked with out the car on is now working off the Generator.  We rushed to get through town before dark.  The roads were icy so we really had a merry time.

“I knew I shouldn’t have come!” Lee Lee Lee

It got to be 4:00, then 4:30, then 5:30.  In desperation we put on the lights anyway and found they worked and without the generator.  Man!  Lucky break.

We had discussed going right through town with out doing all the errands so as to get home with out lights and besides we couldn’t shut off the car without taking the wire off or cutting it.  We first decided to go to Bucks. But then Montes was closer and he had a phone that we could call all those people about going the next day but our place was even closer. And we could use our car and go to Gulbranson’s to do the calling.  But now that the lights worked  we did all the errands in town before we got home.  I was hoping it was later than it was because I hadn’t missed chores yet but I didn’t tell Lee that until we drove in.  He just laughed and said he’d help.

We drove up and stopped and he let out his clutch with it in gear and killed the motor.  We scrambled to the front of the car so as to cut the wire before they welded the points.

Lee thought for sure the points had been welded.

I knew I shouldn’t have come!” Lee, Lee, Lee.

He got out the anti-freee and asked me to get a pint jar so I ran in the house to get one.

Mother ran up to me and threw her arms around me and said,”I had nightmares about you freezing on your horse while riding all that long way.”  Then she kissed me.

(It is a good thing I didn’t stay at Walter’s and send a message. Mom would have freaked)

We ate supper and told everybody everything that had gone on.

After chores we went down to Gulbransons and called.  Danny had hurt his back and Bro. Gulbranson couldn’tlet him go so there was one down the drain.  Mel was busy and couldn’t come.  There goes the second.  Becky was in bed.  Eileen would have loved to come but was needed.  Lilly was needed also.  Buck couldn’t be persuaded to go for anything so when we got a yes from Monte, we were mighty glad.  Lyle said he’d ask his father.

Gulbransons invited us (Lee and I) to their duck dinner, but we were too full and besides 3;30 comes awfull early.  Lyle came out to study with danny.  He said he thought he could come if we were back by 3:30. So we promised.  Then Lyle came out to see if he could get the truck going even with welded points.  We went back home.  I was so tired, I knew I couldn’t last long.

Mom called Lee and Lyle in to get ideas about a fireside.  They asked me questions as a student at this fireside what I would like.  I couldn’t even concentrated.

Then we went back to Gulbransons, after the duck dinner was over and called Monte,  He was in bed, to arrange last minute things and to ask Danawn if she wanted to go but Danawn was so sound asleep that when she answered the phone, she was still asleep and said NO!

At home Mom says, “Well are you going back with him tomorrow?”

“You mean I can!”I gasped.

“If Dad will let you!” she said.

Now Dad was asleep but he agreed as long as we were back by 3:00.  The next morning came awful fast.  With 2 hours sleep, we had breakfast and were on our way.

We threw saddle in and bridles.  Lyle was ready and raring to go.  Monte was the same.  Monte took his car so Lee and I led the way after Monte got gas at Pres. Schumann’s.

The roads were even more slippery but Monte was following close behind so we were going along at a good clip.

Every turn made the truck fish tail.  We were talking gaily about everything when another turn came up.  This one came really too fast and we slipped and tried to get the truck it back on the road and tried to straighten it but to no avail.  The motor died and we had no control over the car.  We were headed straight for the ditch.  I thought to myself, “Oh , it will straighten out.  Don’t worry.”  But it didn’t.  Off we went into the ditch.  I thought, “Wow how exciting.  I’ve gone off in the ditch for the first time in my life.” But then I thought, “Man that really could have been dangerous.”

We sat there for a minute stunned then jumped out to see what had happened.  My door wouldn’t open so opening the little wing window on Lee’s side of the car, I got out his side.  (Because we had no key to open Lee’s door. It stayed locked and could only be opened from the inside and now my door wouldn’t open so I opened the little wing so that Lee’s door could be opened from inside.) Lyle and Monte came running.

“Boy Teril! What have you been doing to make Lee run right off the road?”
Monte walked up the road to see if there were any better places to go up.  Lyle said, “I thought you had control there for a minute but then you lost it again.  It looked like you barely kept top side up.”

I never felt like we were tipping but looking at the tracks showed that we rolled off that hill on 2 wheels hitting my side hard on the bottom from the ridge.

Lee and Lyle put on the chains . Monte showed the best way up and Lyle attempted to go up it.  I stood on the road where Lyle was to come up so he’d know where he was going.  Everything went fine except we had to slow down on the turn and bump. We didn’t quite make it.

Monte backed his car down and hooked with Lyle’s lariat to the truck with the intention of yanking it off the bump.  Monte had a hard time getting his car started up again but when he finaly did he yanked and yanked.  The third time Lyle’s lariat broke.

We had doubled the lariat for double strength and we thought we had cut it right in two but luckily it was the ends that got cut off and not the middle.

We traded cars and transferred all our junk over to the ten gallon cans of gas.  Lyle sat in back with all the junk while Monte, Lee, and I sat in front.  Monte’s car held the road much better.

“Boy! TEril, I still don’t know what you were doing to Lee!” Monte teased. 

The more I thought of it the more dangerous it seemed.

Monte got up to about 50 MPH because we were to be there before dawn but just as soon as he did, he hit a curve.  He whirled this way and that. I screamed bloody murder and hung on for dear life.  I don’t know what got into me.  We made it all right.

At the landing we loaded everything into the boat and tried to get the motor just barely started.  There was a wind but this time it was a south wind.  The water was marvelous.  I got to steer the boat ‘till we got to that island.turn.  Then Lee took over.  Even though it was a warm south wind, it still made waves which just about tipped us over.

“Hey! Teril, do you know how to swim?”

We talked and laughed all the whole hours.  When we got to the landing, there was no Bro. Nunn.  He was suppose to meet us at the landing with the snow cruiser and wagon but he must of not heard us.  Maybe when he found we had forgotten the keys and didn’t have enough gas to come back, he decided to go on home and let Walter worry about his own horses.  Maybe he’d already been there and decided to get let us walk because we were late.  Anyway, after all these thoughts entered our minds, we packed our bridles and started off.  Lyle was leader and set the pace for a fast trot.

I didn’t say much at this time for I was concentrating on keeping up. Those two miles were extremely fast and kept us warm the whole lovely day.

I looked for that stump that scared me the night before but missed it somewhere along my concentration.

As we came to the door of Walter’s , once was cabin,  Bro. Nunn was just coming out the door.

“Oh! I thought the wind would slow you up on the lake so I waited an extra little time.  It’s good to see you back squaw!”

I didn’t answer him just then because I felt funny with five men and me the only girl.

Bro. Nunn took the snow cruiser down to the dock to pack up our saddles and food we had brought for the day.  We bridled the riding horses and haltered the leading horses so as to have more control over them all.

Lyle did the roping and Lee haltered them. Monte was busy getting his horse ready.  She was quite the stinker.  In fact I had the only truly broke horse there.  SPOOK!

When B ro. Nunn finally came back, he saddled Spook for me.  He said, “Teril, I really didn’t mean you were a squaw.”

“Oh don’t worry.---Thank you for saddling Spook for me”.

“Ride him around a little before you get your pack horses.  Do you know how to lead horses?” He asked.

“No”

“Well just don’t let them get a tree between you and them.”

“OK”.

“Hey Teril, you’ll b e leading the mare with the colt and the shetlin. Why don’t you fix us a lunch before we go.” Said Lee.

In the cabin while I made tuna sandwiches, they clued me in on a few leading tricks.

“Now, the main thing is to not let the horses pull your arm out of place.  Use a dally loop around your horn.”Said Lee.

“What’s a dally loop?” I questioned.

“Just two loops around your horn will do.  Lead on your right side and when you come to a bad place, pull your trailers along.  Don’t let them stop.  Be quick in stopping your horse if they get tangled up and try to keep Walter in sight.  You’ll be right behind Walter.”

We ate as much as we could before taking off and took nine sandwiches with us.  Lyle packed them on his saddle.  Bro. Nunn again cleaned up  and planned on meeting us at the dock.

Walter was leading two horses plus riding his own.  I was leading two plus riding Spook. Lyle was leading two plus riding his own and Lee and Monte were left to chase the rest.  There were just nineteen horses altogether and 8 being ridin.  That left 11 to be driven. 

Now that they thought they could get away with anything, they lead Lee and Monte on one merry chase after another.  Lee ended up leading another fistey horse besides chasing all the others.

At first spook was real lazy.  I couldn’t keep him going fast enough.  I was for ever trying to get him to trot.  I found that he’s a very careful stepper and takes down hills slowly, though.  I felt very safe on him.

The loose horses were forever getting between Walter and me. Now this was OK except with Spook being lazy and the loose horses being lazy, we couldn’t keep going so Lyle struck out ahead of me to keep the loose horses going while Lee and Monte kept Spook going.

One time Walter’s horses got tangled.  We almost pushed the other horses tight on top of him before we realized what happened.  We stopped them just in time.

Several times the colt came too close to Spook and he tended to kick.

While squeezing between two trees, Lyle’s horses got tangled.  The last horse pulled the tail hair right out of the first horse.  What a crisis. The poor horse.

My little shetlin broke it’s rope and ran loose with the others.  He was a pest.

When we finally got passed the point where we lost them the first day, I figured all was easy and I got over confident.  In the thick trees, my mare pulled back and got loose.  I jumped off my horse to get her but Lee yelled, “Don’t get off.”

It was too late.  Luckily the mare stood still and let me catch her.

Again I had too many clothes on to get on my horse.  How embarrassing!

Just a little ways further, I lost my cap so I had to get off again.  Oh Joy!!!!

Finally the horses settled down a bit.  We talked and joked and told of weird experiences.  Spook stepped over a log and started up the hill pullin as hard as he could but the mare just wouldn’t come.

“Stop, Stop!!”

I was just about flicked off my saddle. That was scary.

In order to catchup, I tried to rush Spook too much.  He just got mad and stopped all together.  I thought but he only needed to go to the bathroom.

We, Spook and I, came to a hill, which really gave us a thrill.  All the other horses had gone down it so why couldn’t we.  Besides, Spook is very sure footed.  We started down this almost straight down hill too fast.  My mind flashed back to the car running down the ditch. As the horse slid down the hill on his rump, I shrieked.  Wow! How exciting.  I caught up to Lyle and Walter.

“How’d you like that hill?” asked Lyle.  One horse fell on his nose.  That was a funny site.

I had forgotten all a bout the mare and her colt.  For the life of me, I can’t imagine how they got down that hill.

As we sat waiting for Lee and Monte, we could hear their commotion.  It took them at least 15 minutes but when they did come back one said, “When Lee hit that hill his horse fell on one side then on the other but Lee managed to keep from getting crushed and stayed on his back.  When I saw this I asked him if I should come down it or go around.

“AHHH come on.  It’s not too bad.!”

So I came on down.  My horse was so jumpy that it started to fall over backward so I flung myself back hitting my shoulders.  Then my silly horse flopped on his head in my lap and rolled down the hill bumping my saddle horn against a tree. It even made a bubble.  We had to resaddle her completely.

That turned out to be the talk of the week.

In a little while, the horses got to be so good that we decided to let loose the ones we were leading. They loved this and didn’t even give us too much trouble.

About ¾ of the way, we came to a half froze creek again.  The horses weren’t too excited about crossing it but with all that professional help we herded them across.  We were real proud of ourselves.

The horses were so far now that they had no desire for what was behind them.  They even went on ahead to the trail.  They were getting anxious because now they knew where they were going. The young ones who had never been on the trail could feel the anxiety and were just as anxious.

Finally we came to a meadow below a small dirt road.  We herded the horses across a small rickety bridge with a hole in it.  I’ll bet those horses won’t be afraid of anything.  As we four, Lee, Lyle, Monte and I came out from the bridge all in a row, we looked like lucky Ned Pepper and his gang (True Grit) marching against John Wayne.  We were really feeling good and our horses were raring to go.  We pulled out the sandwiches.  Everyone ate heartily but because of the bumpy horses, it didn’t digest very well.

Monte was always right up there pushing those horses.  He seemed to be in a hurry.  Lee said, “Man , if I had what you have waiting for you at home, I’d rush too.”

He, Lee taught me how to ride when you trot.  It makes it a lot easier.  He also told me that when you are riding on a road, you should ride in two’s  especially when riding with Bro. Nunn.  That is a very good rule.  I loved it.

Every once in a while, Lyle or Lee or Monte would ask, “Sore yet?” and my answer would be “Not so far.”  I loved every minute of it.

“Boy, now she hasn’t been off her horse all day.  How does she do it?” teased Lee.

As the sun slid behind the world, Spook started being spooky.  How strange.  He started swinging his head from side to side.  He ran into the horse in front and shied from bushes along the road.  He couldn’t see.

Lee laughed.  I thought you would think it strange.  One night when Dad came into camp after dark he tied spook up to talk for a minute.  When he came back to unsaddle him.  He kicked him.  He’s just plain night blind.  He even runs into trees.  That’s where he gets his name.”

I was fascinated.

“How about a piece of gum?” asked Lyle.

“No thank you.  If I got anymore liquid in me, I’m sure I’d burst.” I answered.

“If you have to go, stop! I guess you have to go.!”Because I had stopped, Lee held my horse.

I hurried into the bushes and peeled off my hat, scarf, over coat, undercoat, overalls, wool pants, levis, long John’s and plain pants.  No wonder it took 10 minutes instead of two.

We hurried to catch up.  Lee showed me how to hand gallop left and right.  It is really simple.  You just turned their head right for the right hand gallop and left for the left hand gallop.

We hit the main road.  Here Bro. Nunn was waiting with Monte’s car.

Oh.  By the way, 3:00 o’clock came and went but to no avail.  No one griped though.

Bro. Nunn took Walter in the car and let his horses lose. He wanted me to come in the car too but I just couldn’t miss out on one second of it.  Besides, poor Spook couldn’t see without me.

On the main road we really traveled.  The horses never slowed from a trot.  We were getting so close  our destination now that Bro. Nunn sent Lee up front to turn them in the driveway.  It was right at a cattle rail but we were afraid that all they had gone through that day, little cattle rail wouldn’t stop them.

Lee had quite the time.  We sure should have had another person up helping him but he made it.

We were at our destination and not a horse lost.

We had started riding at 11:00 that morning and it was 9:00 pm this night. We had ridin about 55 miles at least and now we could stop.  rElief.  I was dieing of thirst. After unsaddling.  Lee and I went up to Walter’s truck and ate some snow ‘till it came out our ears.  Lee never liked snow before but He really like it then.

Bro. Nunn, Lyle, and Monte rode in Monte’s car while Walter, Lee, and I rode in Walter’s truck.

With Walter’s truck, we yanked Nunn’s truck right out, filled Monte’s car with the gas we’d carried all over and left.

Bro. Nunn and Lee stayed with Walter and I rode home with Lyle and Monte.  I could hardly keep my eyes open.  I think I could have slept even if we ran off the road.

At home, Mom was still up and not even mad about our time mistake but we did make it before 3:00 am.  Love Teril PS That snow did nothing for Lee’s cold.

Here's a poem I wrote as a going away to my family.  Ballard had been born.  Danawn had Sand and Koe before I had Coy, 6 months before Coy.  Randy and I were married just before Koe was born.  We were married August 20, 1975.

August of 1972

To Dad I give my horse Pris to love and care for the whole year through.

To Mom I give encouragement to keep things happy this year too.

To Kalene, I want lots of lovins to give nephew Ballard while I am away

And Shana, I give my cow to milk and care for each beautiful day.

Kyran, here’s alittle kiss to keep you gong in reading.

Breck, the boss, here’s your place, to keep them on the straight and narrow, always succeeding.

July 22, 1972 Dear Teril Last night Eugene and I wanted to go see the circus (Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey) but we needed an excue so we found two good excuses.  Danny & Deborah. (Danny and Deborah are Jay's and Diane's kids before they were divorced.2015) We all enjoyed every minute (3hrs)Greatest Show on Earth and that’s the truth.

Your letter finally reached us.  Via Roylee.  She was so good to us.  To send it and part of her letter on to us.  So we got a very good impression of what it must have been like taking part in the Rodeo.  We were so proud of you for winning in the calf tying.  What excitement!  You are really living.  Teril-every minute of your life.  I’m proud to know that your are planning college this fall.  And what a lot of money the government will pay to have you young people to help plant new trees.  Good news all around. (I rode in a crummy to burned out lands and replanted pine trees to populate the forrests with logging in the future in British Columbia.  We went up to Fort St. John and planted and down toward Prince George to plant.  It was good hard work.  What a challenge to stay up physically.  Dirty, hard work that I loved.  I met the challenge and made money for college.) Tell me more about the haying season out at Nunn’s ranch in July.  Glad to hear about the improvements on your home place. (I went on a cattle drive from Nunn’s ranch to town, about 100 miles.  We rode horses and herded cattle around the big lake to town.  We spent one night in a cabin while we were traveling in.  I don’t remember haying out at Nunn’s ranch but my Dad was real taken with the Nunn’s ranch.  To him it was real pioneering, exactly what he had always dreamed of.  His impression clouded over as he could see the lack of character with John Nunn and with his sons.  Then the impression faded.  He was glad to have settled in the outskirts of Vanderhoof.)Tell me about Danawn.  When is the big event to take place?  Like make me a great grandmother?  Soon I hope.  Be sure to write and let me know when. (Danawn got married the summer we moved up there to Monte Schumann.  She got pregnant with Ballard who was born August 6, 1972.  He was the first great grandchild that were direct descendants of Grandma Folsom, Dwight Rices mother. The best event was the sealing of Monte and Danawn and Ballard in the Cardston Alberta temple that year.) Tell your Dad and Mother I’m still waiting for an answer.  We had another rough storm.  The wind blew our umbrella tree down, right across the picket fence onto the house next door.

Eugene is out looking at all the new cars.  He wants to buy one with air power stearing automatic (full) but he says what he has seen are all made of plastic.  Small foreign cars, that is.  All of you write to us soon.  Love Grandma Folsom

This letter eludes to ways of making money to go to college and adventures at the rodeo and such.  I hated leaving Ballard when I went away to college but I am glad I did it.

I am going to plug this in because it sums up a bit of life history while I am copying it from my journal to the computer.  Here is an exerpt from my journals.

September 5, 1989 Tuesday

I have been walking for a week now.  Today I started walking with Virginai Villavaso.  Chon the Lawn man’s wife.  It has not quite as good a workout but good company.  I hope to invite them to our house for the show “What Is Real” next Monday the church is putting on .  I have shown them the plan several months ago.  I am still working on them.

After my last entry. Mom gave us $300 to go to Canada to pick up Sand and Ballard and leave Coy for a month.  We had more fun.  We left on Wednesday about the 20^th.  We just leisurely drove and when the kids wanted to stop we did.  It was so hot ‘till we got to Oregon.  We wanted to stay at some of Mom’s friends but got there too late so just kept driving.  WE stopped at a rest stop and slept a little while.  There was a traffic jam in Portland all the way to Seattle.  I could not believe it. Just like LA We went through Vancouver.  We watched the Ferries go in and out.  Falynn fell in the Bay.  We fished her out and got some drift wood too.  We slept in a little camp place Darcy because I did not know where else to go.  Next morning we had to back track and when an about 80 miles worth of dirt road.  We finally got there that day.  A policeman stopped us but decided not to give us a ticket.

February 9, 1990 Friday

Just got fired from Vineland.  The principal Mrs. Beene pulled me into the office and read me a 3 page from and let me read another 3 pages form that said basically I did not show any improvement from the last kick in the pants so she is not recommending me for a K/1 again.  She did say I could probably work in 2/3 grade better.  I have been just beating myself up these past hours that one now almost a day.

June 20, 1990 Wednesday

We have done so many things since February.  Roy came to stay with us again.  We got him through graduation.  Coy graduated from 8^th grade but the most important thing is Shana got married and is now graduated with a tourism degree.  We took Roy and all the kids with Randy and me to Hawaii because Mom found these great tickets for $200 a piece.  Shana and Todd Hamblin’s wedding was April 28^th in the Hawaiian temple.  We had the greatest time of our lives.  Tori Sue Welker got to come too.  I got through 22 credits at Cal State. And Amway is in Mexico now as of June 18^th.  We have got a business down there.  We are setting our goals to stay 2500 above Hall, Tom and that is exciting.

I have got two debts that are about to drive me crazy.  We owe McClelons $20 and Charles Newton $45.  I don’t get paid after the 30^th of this month again ‘till I start teaching again and I don’t know if I am teaching yet. I have got interviews all over.  Looking for a year around school.

I wanted to finish classes 23 credits this summer but they say each credit costs $55.  That is $1, 243 dollars to finish this summer.  I think if I went during the school year, I could do 23 credits for just $200. (Lots going on at our house right now, exchange students, trip to Hawaii, getting fired, working AMway, Coy graduating 8th grade... trying to get creditialed in California, working on Masters 2015)

Here's an entry from my journal showing the next work place was Buttonwillow with learning Handicapped students Echael's age.  I was taking classes to finish my credential and master's and trying to apply it with Coy who seems to have decided she did not like being at home with me.  THis was an extremely hard time in my life and Randy's.

January 25, 1991 Friday-Brian, a student in school was pushing and shoving .  I used active listening.  He actually understood where we went back into the room that it was his fault and he needed to control his own actions instead of letting others get him into trouble but I think I stayed out too long.  He was getting tired.

As we were out in the hall I said “You are angry at Robert.”  He said, “He pushed my brother .  Wouldn’t you be angry?”  I said “He deserved a push etc.”Brian said, “It was his fault.  He pushed my brother.”
  I said, “Pushing is alright with you but not for Robert.”  Brian, “It goes on with the balme a whole lot before the solution) I said,”You do not like Robert pushing your strings.”  Brian said,”I’ll ignore what Robert says but….

January 26, 1991 Saturday-Coy, my oldest who is a daughter, has been really going through some hard times.  She got to stay with a friend overnight and was very upset that I took her home at 3:30 Saturday afternoon.  I had another friend in the car, in fact two other friends and could not get active listening to work. With so many people and my inablitlity to use it effectively yet.  I did bring one friend home with us to try to smooth it out.  “I Hate You Mother I will Never Ride In This Car Again With You!!!”  is hard to take.

I said “You are angry at me for taking you home.”  (A lot of arguing and then I repeat this same line.)I did not resolve this but she did calm down.

January 27, 1991 Sunday-Coy got to go to the dance last night.  She has never wanted to go to a “Church Dance” but she was invited by a boy and I let her go.  She took this awful friend that she didn’t want to come home from yesterday afternoon with the understanding this friend would go to church with us Sunday morning.  I walked in and asked some questions since I’ve never been to a stake dance for youth nowadays.  I asked, “Do the kids stay in the dance the whole time ‘till I get them?  What kind of dress do they wear?  What time is it over?”

I get a call an hour later, and hour before the dance is over with a very distraught daughter on the other end.  She had wanted to go to a  friends house and the dance people wouldn’t let her.  I wouldn’t let her.  I said she could stay at the dance or I’d come and get her.

I came to get her and this friend. She was ready to run away and never have anything to do with the church again.  Through active listing, she calmed down.  I understood her and she understood me.  Yeah! Whew!

Coy:I hate you Mother and I will never be caught dead at any church function again.

Me: You hate the church and me because the dance people wouldn’t let you leave. (She explains and I explain about what happened)Coy:I can see it was not your fault. Me: Kathlene is going to church with us tomorrow?

Coy:Yes!

January 28, 1991 Monday-Randy and I stayed up to 2:30 discussing Coy.  I used active listening to …Usually when we talk we end up yelling ITS YOUr FAULT.  SHE’s YOUR DAUaghter. This night we came up with a plan I would read this book called Stephanie and Talk with Coy home from school on Monday.  Wow what a difference.

Randy”What are we going to do with Coy?

Me: Wee both concerned for her future.

Randy explains his concerns and I mine.

Randy: You don’t know how to raise her because you went to a private school.

Me: You feel I cant raise our daughter because I have not been to four years of high school?

Randy: You didn’t have to tell someone all 4 years NO!!! on drugs or alchohol.

Me: I have this book to read that will help me.

(THis journal entry shows the hubbub of the Spencer home and the death of Grandpa Bates.2015)

April 25, 1991 Thursday

Saturday among the excitement of having Buddy Spencer, Debbie, Lisa, Laura, and Ryan and Cody Spencer here with us, we got a new goat named Fawn and took two first prizes at the Grange talent show.  Coy sang a solo, Echael practiced a solo and then did not sing, Falynn sang a solo and then sang with me, I sang a solo and we all sang together one song.  Bron was on a campout and Sho would not play the piano.  He left early Saturday to avoid it.

Spencers left Sunday before church. Coy managed to spend the night Friday and then get back over there Saturday Kathleen’s way.

Coy has decided she does not want a letter from Shafter and has been missing swimming practice.  She has her heart set on a mustang car by this summer.

Yesterday was Grandpa Bates funeral service in his backyard.  Coy and I sang a duet and I sang a solo.  It was a beautiful memorial.  Susan and Luann and Spencer were there.  Becky , a cousin and Danny a cousin were there.  Al lot of older people some I knew and others I did not.  I met Walter Bates’ sister and niece.  That was interesting. Grandma Bates seems to just take it in stride.

We came home after visiting with Rices, Welkers and Spencers (Kalene has not had that baby yet) and Sho had milked the goats.

(Here is an exerpt from my journals of the goings on the summer of 1991. 2015)

September 16, 1991 Monday

Now that I have registered with Cal State for classes on Tuesday and Wednesday night, I have to plan a time to study.  I think I will study in the car on the way to Buttonwillow every morning and evening.

A teacher there at school has classes every Tuesday and Wednesday too.  We are riding together on those days except this week.  I have that county meeting every 3^rd Thursday so I leave school at 1:45 then.

We had a great summer.  Echael’s and Coy’s birthday was spent at Magic Mountain.  We took Heather with us.  The trip was hot.  We went after summer school at 1:00.  All of us squished in the car.  Once there, we split our ways and then met again at 11pm.  Bron and I were one group, Coy and Heather, Daddy and Echael and Falynn were the other.  The next week, Daddy and I went alone.  Randy even rode the rollercoaster.  It was great.

The 4^th of July was at our house with Wallkers and Rices over.  We or Cody barbqued on our unit and we shot off firecrackers.

The 24^th celebration was at Green acres park.  We swam and played softball.  Susan Janeson was there, an investigator whose son came to stay for a week.  We went to Canada for 2 weeks August 5-19.  That was a real spiritual experience.  Coy and Dad and I fasted and pryed on how we could help Coy to want to do what is right.  Coy met a boy Olan Albertson and decided she wanted to move up there.  Randy and I talked of it and checked into jobs and houses.  I think Randy got scared and we have cooled off quite a bit.

Breck and Celest, Ky and Paula and their two, Dad and Mom and all of us except Bron and Shana and Todd were in a van.  I had forgotten how much fun Breck is.  He is just entertaining.

November 27, 1991 Wednesday

I have finished one more quarter closer to my Masters.  I filled out grants and scholarships galour to try and pay for both school and the equipment I need to carry out my plan for the Masters project.  I am doing repeated reading right now as a trial.  In order to do repeated reading, everyone needs a recorder.  The main idea is to choose a reading material about 2 grade levels above the low reader and have them listen to it read the correct way so much that they practically memorize it and can repeat it at least 100 words per minute without the recording for a probe or test.  The catch is I want to use music and videos and a talking computer and electronic books.  I don’t have a VCR with a decoder or a monitor on the talking computer or recorders for everyone in the room.

I was singing in the tri-stake conference where Marvin J. Ashton presided.  The songs were wonderful.  I was impressed again to go on a family mission.  I want to check on the necessary requirements before this holiday is finished.

Randy’s been involved with Matol a food supplement that oxygenizes the blood and dumps wastes out of body cells into the bloodstream to be washed out of the system.  It has helped his leg swelling and the cerrosis and his weight problem and his callous on his wrist.  He has lost 4 inches in 2 months on Pathway, a weight control plan from Matol.  He hopes to be making $10,000 a month by June so we can go on a mission.  We made $80 this month after 2 months and no working on it.

(Here's another interesting entry in my journal.  It shows our income and our outgo, at least an idea of it. 2015)

July 22, 1992 Wednesday

I finally get some time off next week.  Summer School at McKinley has been filled with learning to get dressed and the 3 Bears which we will perform tomorrow.  Now I want to schedule my days to include everything.  5:30 am jog, 6:00 am scriptures, 6;30 breakfasts, 7:00 chores.(Mckinley School was a fun break from the Learning Handicap I worked with at Buttonwillow.  THese McKinley kids were elementary age students with severe handicaps.  Many were learning to talk, walk, get themselves around.  We worked on basic skills like dressing and played with them to teach them to interact with us.  3 Bears was fun.  We did 3 Billy Goats Gruff, and 3 Little Pigs, and Little Red Riding Hood. too.  One little boy had spinabifida which means his spine was outside his skin when he was born.  He was paralyzed from the waist down and was very much like a rubber doll.  I had to be careful because he could feel no pain and if I pushed him too hard, he could hurt himself and not know it.)

(I see a chart of where our income goes.2015)

Teril’s income$2400.00 goes for house 990.30 food-400.00 Suburan-172.00, CTA 40.00, Insurance Sisk-190.00, Cal State-37.50, Kids-113.38, tithing 240.00

Randy’s income $1800.00 Utilities 248.73, Newspaper-15.00, lawncare-55.00, insurance-500.00 All personal needs and kids lessons and own tithing-180.00. Add all car upkeep.

(From this outline and what I know now, I can see we were way house poor.  This is the amount we pay now 25 years later.California inflation and too much house for our income was drowning us.  It was a good thing we sold out and moved to Lindsay. 2015)

THis is the first entry of Randy!!!

May 31, 1975

Dear Mom,

I am sooo tied every Sunday, I just kill over with these 7 am meetings.  This morning my roommate left at 5:00 am so at 4:30 all of us got up to visit with her before she left. Then at 5:30, I got up again to wash and cur my hair and take a bath because I did not have time to for 2 days.  But I have had so much fun.  Yesterday, we went hiking and ate an sack lunch at  the top and across the Y mountain.  We started at 9 am and got back at 3 pm.  The I went grocery shopping and visiting teaching and then to a free concert and then I actually got to watch TV (halfway.  I could not stay awake) Let me tell you who I have been out with most of the time for 2 weeks.  His name is Randy Spencer and he is from Porterville California. Returned missionary from the east.  Second to the oldest in a family of 5 and is about 23 years old.  He is the TA that drives the rest of us TA’s to Grant School in Springville.  He drives a VW bug and is a very nice guy.  He and I are both helpers n the same classrooms.  Therefore we work very closely together.  How faun.

I saw Aunt Betty and Uncle Bill and Kenny and Carolyn.  It was great.  3 more weeks yeah!  Love Teril