nature calls

sheep & ione
The summer before Daphne and Jennie were married, Milton and Don quite farming and started herding sheep for Mr. Tibbet, and Papa got a job taking care of the water work, fixing the leaks and Charley helped in digging up the leaks and help fix them. Mother quite taking in washing and had a baby in April. I was there with her when Ione came into the world. I was the first one to hold her. I loved that little thing and had lots of fun making pretty dress for her.

That spring when the boys were in the sheep camps lambing the sheep. I would hitch up the team and would take my girl friends with Forest, Bob and Charley with me, the girls Emma Johnston, Deloris Blassett and Alta Balard, the boys that were with us had all gone to different places to get job so that left just us girls. Just about every weekend we would make the trip. Emma Johnston mother would go with us. I think she was in love with Milton, she was one of the last pural wife and her husband was on his last legs.

“That was when I found out Don was smoking

and I shed a few tears,

and Milton wiped them away with his dirty gloves”.

lambing & laying
That summer after the lambing, Milton took the sheep up on the mountain and I gather the girls up with Daphne and Earl, they had moved in a little house about a block from our place. Alvin and Don were already up there. We also had Earl’s brother and two sisters with us, May and Maud, the brother name was Quail.

The girls get together and took the boys blankets, then the boys took our blankets, this went on until midnight, and the boys ended up with all the blankets. The Despain girls get in bed with Daphne and Earl, Edith went with Milton and Doris and I and Alta get in bed with Don, Alvin and Quail. I was sleeping by Don, then Alta on the outside of me, well when Alvin woke up and saw Alta in bed with him, he was very mad at us. I never know why. That fall the sheep were moved down on the ranch, and Alta was up there with us. Alvin got the Bible out and showed me, if a man lay with a woman he was considered married to her and he was trying to get Alta to say he never laid with her. Alta was crying and did not know what to do. When I found out what it was all about. I told him she laid with me not him.