When Mom died in June of 1991 Dad was rather lost,
like the rest of us. I started writing little letters in
big print so he could read them. He would not talk on
the phone so this was the only way to make contact.
I found out later that he carried them around in his
bib overall pocket and pulled them out from time to time.
Occasionally they would get washed and when Sharon
let me know I would run off another copy and mail it.
It became a means for me to remember the past and help
Dad at the same time. My kids loved to hear stories of
when I was a kid so I would recycle the stories between
the kids and Dad. Now as I read them it is a reminder of
things that have become a little fuzzy over the years,
also a reminder that I need to fill in the gaps of the stories
and leave them for my kids before it is too late. So here it is,
such as it is, if you are interested.
=======================================
Letters to Dad
Nov. 14, 1991
Dear Dad,
Your grandkiddies, as you call them,
send you a big hug from Idaho. Sara is
five and in Kindergarten this year and
doing very well. Kristen is in the forth
grade and made the Honor Roll list the
first quarter of the year. We are very
proud of both of our girls.
Do you remember when toward late
afternoon you and I would get in the car
and “Drive around the block” as you
always said? We would go up to Cliff’s
and go east for a mile then down past
Cleo Mae house and on back home. I
remember you would stop at the junk
piles and I would find neat stuff, like
wheels from old toys, that I could make
into my toys. I think of those times often.
It was very enjoyable.
I will be writing to you in the BIG PRINT
so you can read it easier.
It is snowing lightly here today. Supposed
to be nasty weather for a while.
Bye for now.
John
——————————————————–
Dec. 3, 1991
Dear Dad,
Just a note to say we love you. I miss very
much talking to Mom on the phone and
having you play Red Wing on your harmonica.
I remember quite often when I was very
young, 4 or 5, and we would go out to the
field to change the water or something.
The sand burrs would be so thick and you
would pick me up on your back. I would
put my feet into your back pockets and
away we would go.
These are the things childhood memories
are supposed to be made of. Kristen and
Sara love to hear the stories about when I
was a kid and what you and I did
together. I try with them to build the
memories that they can tell their kids.
Thanks Dad for a good childhood.
Bye for now.
Kristen and Sara send you a kiss and a
hug.
Your son, John
—————————————————–
Jan. 12, 1992
Dear Dad,
We went to Oregon for Christmas and
had very good traveling weather. Do you
remember when you and Mom went with
us once to Oregon at Christmas and
there were apples still hanging on the
tree by the Williams house? We made
apple pie from the apples that you
picked. Turned out to be pretty good pie.
There weren’t any apple on the tree this
year. I thought of you picking the apples
and bringing them into the kitchen in
your hat if I remember right.
We have had some pretty good times
together. I was thinking the other day
about a picture that I took of you about
12 years ago. It captured you as I will
always remember you. If I can locate it in
all the stuff, I would like to get it blown
up and submit it to the art section at the
Twin Falls County Fair this year.
I hope this finds you feeling well. I love
you Dad. Kristen and Sara send you a
kiss and a hug.
Oh yes, I would like for you and Tracy to
sit down sometime and talk about when
you were a kid and record it on tape. I
would like to put your remembrances
down on paper.
Bye for now.
Your son, John
———————————————————
Feb. 11, 1992
Dear Dad,
Happy Valentine’s Day!!
Spring is on the way and soon you will be
85. Just a spring chicken, right? I hope I
can get around as well as you do by the
time I am 85.
Thanks for the letter. I will keep it for a
very long time. It is the first letter I have
received from my Father in 48 years.
Talked to Ed the other day. He said he
talked to you on the phone and that you
were wearing your hearing aids and
glasses. Great! Mom would be proud of
you.
Talked to a guy last week who is
president of the John Deer tractor group
here. He invited me to bring my “M”
John Deer to the County Fair and
participate in the tractor pull contest.
Might just do that.
Well the page is filling up using these big
letters but if it makes it easier to read it is
worth it.
Bye for now Dad, I love you. Pennye,
Kristen and Sara send their love too.
Your son, John
—————————————————-
April 13, 1992
Dad
Though the years have past and you are now
85, you are still the same as when I was a
child. The memories of going with you to the
field, when you were “riding the ditch”,
surveying in a lateral, loading up the turkeys
in the old Ford truck and taking them to the
“Hoppers” - is just as if it were yesterday. I
think of you playing Red Wing on the harp. I
remember when during the looong cold
winters we would play checkers. You would
always beat me. I learned to play a good game.
Not much has changed except we are both
much older now. The values you did not speak
but lived out in front of me has helped make
me what I am today. I pray that I will be a
good example before my children to help them
on their way through life.
On your 85th birthday, I want to wish you a
Happy Birthday and thank you for being my
Father.
Love
John
April 13, 1992
————————————————–
June 10, 1992
Dear Dad,
I hope this finds you well. The Stevens
family in Twin Falls Idaho is having a
busy summer. Kristen just finished the
fourth grade and was on the Honor Roll
for the entire year. Sara will now be a
big First Grader next year.
The other day we went out to eat and
Kristen had chicken and noodles. She
said, “This tastes just like Grandma
Nellie’s noodles.” I hope they can keep
these memories fresh and remember all
the good times we had back in Nebraska.
It is difficult to accept that things have
changed and will never be the same again.
We miss the weekly phone calls to Nebraska.
It is clouding up and we might get rain
this week. It is very dry around here.
Some of the canals will be cut off in July.
Bye for now.
Your Son John
Love you Dad. I think of you often.
—————————————————-
June 22, 1992
Dear Dad,
Hope you had a good “HAPPY PAPPY”
day. This note is to wish you a late
“HAPPY PAPPY” day.
I was thinking the other day about the
times you would take me roller skating
out at the fair ground on Sunday
afternoons. I really enjoyed those times. I
remember how you could give a little hop
and skate backwards. For me staying on
my feet was a challenge.
Sara will be 6 years old June 29. Seems
like yesterday when she was born. Time
has a way of passing very quickly.
Love you lots Dad. The family sends their
love too.
Bye for now.
John
—————————————————
Aug. 11, 1992
Dear Dad,
Just a note to let you know that your
Idaho family love you. It was good to talk
to you for a minute or two the other day.
I miss the harmonica playing you would
do over the phone.
We are all well even though the place
was covered with smoke from all the
forest fires last week. It got a little hard
on the lungs at times but the smoke has
moved on now. Probably went over
Nebraska.
Talked to brother Ed the other day. He
had just returned from from Nebraska.
Ed said you looked good for 85.
Bye for now.
John
—————————————————–
Sept. 10, 1992
Dear Dad,
I am sending a copy of what Mom sent
me a few years ago of what she
remembered about growing up. I wish I
had more. How about sitting down with
Tracy and Sharon and telling them some
of the things you remember about
growing up? They can record it and I will
put it on paper. I would really like that.
We are ok here in Idaho. Summer had
disappeared and it is school time again.
Kristen is in the 5th grade and Sara is in
the 1st grade. The family went to the
County Fair today for the second time.
One day is enough for me.
I think of you often and love you Dad.
Thinking of the good times we had
together while I was growing up always
makes me happy. You and Mom raised
four pretty good kids.
God Bless you Dad. We love you from
Idaho.
Bye for now.
John
—————————————————–
Oct. 11, 1992
Dear Dad,
We are fine out in Idaho. We are having
beautiful fall weather. It has not frozen
enough to get our tomato plants yet.
Kristen and Sara are doing very well in
school. They brought home their mid
term report cards and are getting A’s
and a B or two.
Remember when we would go out in the
corn field and pick the corn by hand? I
would drive the tractor and you and Ed
and Wayne picked the corn and threw it
in the trailer. You guys kept warm from
the work and I was freezing on the
tractor. Before that we used the horses
named Brownie and - was it Blackie?
The one that kept getting out up north by
the ditch was Brownie. He figured out
how to open the gate.
I remember the times that you were
hauling cane or sorghum from the field
east of Mercers and I would ride behind
the wagon on my sled.
I had a very good childhood really.
Thanks for being my Dad.
God Bless you Dad. We love you from
Idaho.
Bye for now.
John
——————————————————-
Nov. 10, 1992
Dear Dad,
It is snowy here and cold. I have a hole in
the back of the house I must get sealed up
to keep the cold out. We are redoing this
part for the kitchen.
Kristen and Sara made the Honor Roll
this quarter in school. Kristen’s teacher
said he wished he had a whole room full
of Kristens to teach.
Sorry the phone connection was so bad
when I called the other day. It was good
to here you say “hello hello….” any way.
Glad you are feeling better.
Your account in the credit union is about
$34,000 now.
I was just thinking back when we were
cultivating corn with that “crazy wheel
cultivator”. The one that you drove the
tractor and I rode on the cultivator and
used the foot pedals to steer it down the
rows. I remember sometimes it cleaned
out some of the corn row. Cultivator
blight, right? It was kind of hard to keep
straight. Those were the days.
I keep remembering little bits of things
while growing up. Sometime I will put
them all together for my kids to read
about the “good ole days”.
God Bless you Dad. We love you from
Idaho.
Bye for now.
John
————————————————
Dec. 17, 1992
Dear Dad,
The snow has fallen and the kids stayed
home from school today. The wind is now
blowing so it will begin drifting the road
shut. Besides that the whole family is sick
with a cold.
We are putting together a Christmas gift
to you but it won’t be ready for
Christmas. It is something that you can
watch over and over if you want. So
Merry Christmas for now.
Last night was the kids’ school Christmas
program. Kristen started playing the
flute this fall and played with a group for
the first time this week. She did very well
and I got it on video.
Time to get this in the mail. Love you
Dad.
Bye for now.
Kristen and Sara send you a kiss and a
hug.
Your son, John
——————————————————
Jan. 11, 1993
Dear Dad,
We have a lot of snow on the ground
now. I was telling the family about the
winter of 49 where the snow covered the
door and you had to scoop the snow into
the house to dig a tunnel out then haul
the snow out through the tunnel. That
was a 15 foot drift wasn’t it? It sure
looked big to this 6 year old. Then the
plane flew over the house for a few days
until we could get out and signal an OK.
Those were the days! What I do not
remember is how you took care of the
cows and stuff during this time. I
remember being sick and Wayne took the
horse and rode into Broadwater to get
oranges and something else. The big
white dog we had went along and was hit
by a car. Wayne had to use a fence post
to finish him off. I remember feeling very
sad about the old dog.
We haven’t had this much snow in 8
years.
I trust you are feeling well. Our prayers
are with you all.
Bye for now. Love you Dad
The family send a BIG Hi!!!!
Your son, John
—————————————————-
Feb. 9, 1993
Dear Dad,
When the kids go to bed they say “Tell us
a story about when you were a kid on the
farm”. So I tell them things that I write
to you and a LOT that I don’t write to
you. The other day going to school we
were talking about one of the first snow
falls we had this year. I spun the van
around in circles in the parking lot and
they thought that was GREAT fun. Then
I told them about the time that their
Grandpa cut some circles in the Kelly
School yard and hit a pole with the back
fender. Do you remember that? I
remember Mom bringing it up every now
and then. Then there was the time you
got a little close to the guard posts along
the highway just west of Broadwater and
ripped the spare tire and bracket off the
old Jeep. Of course none of US ever did
anything like that. HA.
It is good to remember back and tell the
kids about the things we did “in the old
days”. They find it hard to believe there
was no TV and I walked through rattle
snake country to go to the neighbors to
play. It WAS a good time for me and I
had a GOOD Dad to help me grow up.
Thanks again Dad. You and Mom did a
very good job on us four kids. Sometimes
we don’t show it often enough but I for
one thank you and LOVE you.
Soon you will have another birthday.
Before you know it you will be 90. I
should be so lucky.
I trust you are feeling well. Our prayers
are with you all. Bye for now. Love you
Dad
The family send a BIG Hi!!!!
Your son, John
—————————————————–
Mar. 9, 1993
Dear Dad,
Time has a way of disappearing so
rapidly. I was going to write you a note
two weeks ago and now here we are.
It looks like spring is just about to arrive.
I am ready for it. I’ll bet you are ready to
get out side and do something. Do you
miss not farming? I think often about the
farm and the things we used to do. The
kids always ask for stories about being on
the farm. I tell them about raising a
garden, rattlesnakes, floods, the BIG
ONE in 49, anything that comes to mind.
The family went to Sun Valley about 70
miles north of here Sat. with Kristen’s
Girl Scout troop for a day of ice skating.
Pennye used the VCR and played back
their falls and no falls. It reminded me of
the times you would get your old clamp-
on skates on a cut a figure on the ice. I
never was very good at it. You could hop
up and turn around. I couldn’t stay of
my back side and head. I still have a big
dent in the back of my head from the last
time I tried. Nearly killed me. So much
for that.
Next month you will have another
birthday. 86 years! Before you know it
you will be 90.
I paid your insurance for another year
I trust you are feeling well. Our prayers
are w