Month: April 2021

Raindrops fell and dripped from the edge of the tent that covered the gravesite. Family and friends huddled together under umbrellas, the rain mingling with tears that slid from soulful eyes. Words of comfort were spoken, and the sweet fragrances of prayers rose to the throne of heaven. 

Seven rifles split the silence with the discharge of three volleys of shots that rang out to honor the Veteran whose body laid in the casket on the funeral bier. The melancholy sound of a bugle call resounded as a man in uniform played taps. Chills ran down my spine while the mournful tones resonated then fell in the heavy Southern air.  

With upmost respect and precision, two old soldiers folded the flag that draped the casket. One of them turned on his heels, stepped forward and presented the flag to the family. 

The empty shell of a man was lowered in the ground. In that solemn moment amid many emotions and thoughts, one came to the forefront, “He is not there.” He joined the ranks of others gone before him and reunited with loved ones. He answered the bugle call.

With a final salute, the honor guard spun and marched off the grounds as family and friends joined together to celebrate the life of the old soldier.

Six redheaded preacher’s kids peered from the balcony of the Lutheran Church in Livingston. Their eyes were fixed on the bride and groom as the preacher said, “You may kiss the bride,” and then the newlyweds walked back down the aisle and down the steps of the church.

Guests had already gathered for a celebration at the Knapp home on Tin Can Hill. After a meal was shared, and congratulations and well wishes were given, the couple returned to Livingston. There were no rooms available at any of the motels and hotels. 

On a side street, a brightly lettered sign at the bottom of a flight of stairs read, “Rooms.” They enter through the door and were met by a matronly lady. She said,“There is one room left,” to which the groom said, “We’ll take it.” The landlady led them down the narrow hallway to the room, and opened the door. Someone had beat them to the room and was sleeping in the single bed, and it wasn’t Goldilocks. It was a drunk who had found the last bed in town before the paying guests arrived. The lady ran him out, changed the sheets, and left the honeymooners in peace. They locked the door just in case the drunk man returned.

When morning broke, the young couple was off to Yellowstone National Park for their honeymoon. Alas, once again there were no rooms to be found. They made their bed on the ground that night. 

It’s a good thing the uncles weren’t around, or they might have made it a family affair. It was reminiscent of the honeymoon of Uncle Ed and his bride when the family joined the after-wedding-party. Had Uncle Ed been there, he might have put fish heads under their blankets in hopes of enticing a bear just like he did to Jess and Julia forty-one years earlier.

After their short honeymoon, the bride and groom made their way to their first home together – a little log cabin twelve feet square. The tiny honeymoon house was furnished with a bed, flat-topped stove, table, two chairs, a cupboard made of wooden apple boxes, chest of drawers, and a washstand.

Nowadays many couples put more emphasis on a fairy tale wedding with little thought to the marriage that follows. Though the wedding of the newlyweds in this story was not an elaborate one, their marriage lasted until they were parted at death. They put each other first and made a life and family together. The sight of the six redheaded kids in the balcony that July day may have been a premonition of things to come for the couple did indeed have six kids, but they weren’t redheaded.

In the animal world, males often perform rituals or do something flashy to attract females. It’s not much different in the human world. Apparently even the strangest of rituals, such as drinking seven glasses of water, has the power to turn a girl’s head. At least it worked for Buck because after his display she even agreed to a first date. 

By their fourth date, Buck got the nerve to give a kiss to the girl from the prairie. She didn’t knock his teeth out, so he moved closer, put his arm around her, and gave her another kiss.

Buck had another date to keep – with Uncle Sam. The Army made other living arrangements for him. After several months, he was eligible for a furlough. He headed home and reunited with his prairie girl.  They spent some time in the mountains with Buck’s family. 

One of the highlights was the dance at Basin Creek School. When Buck and his date drove down to the school, a chaperone was on board, a wee little chaperone, Buck’s little sister. They all had a great time at the dance but soon the escort became sleepy. Buck grabbed her up and took her to the car. While she slept in the back seat, Buck stole a kiss and proposed to the prairie girl. She said yes! (I wonder if the chaperone was fired)

Buck returned to fulfill his military duty. The next few months their courtship was done by mail. One letter included a diamond ring. 

Buck was discharged in March of 1946. He soon found his way to the Sherod’s where his prairie girl was staying. The two were reunited, but no wedding date had been set. That was about to change. 

Buck tells this story, “One day, about the first of July, we were driving down a rutted lane.  We were sitting close to each other.  I handled the gas petal, and Jean handled the steering wheel. We waved at my Uncle Sid and Byron Grossfield, who were working in a hay field. We passed the bend in the road and the car slid into a rut, missed a bridge, flew off the road and ended up in the dike which carried water around the Gunderson Hill.  Barbara and her date hooked a chain on us to pull us out of the water. Then we had plenty of help. For fifteen miles, there had been no traffic on the road.  However, immediately, Byron and Uncle Sid came to supervise our rescue, and Uncle Barney and a van load of guests drove up the other way.  Uncle Sid remarked that, if it took two people to drive the car, maybe they ought to get married!”

The wedding date was set for the last Friday in July.