Some Things I Remember About My Dad, James Edward Bingham (Ted)

Ted was born in Manassa Colorado to Jeremiah Edward Bingham and Ada Zoa Jack on the 5th of August 1898. He had two living sisters. His older sister was Eliza May Bingham and his younger sister was Bessie Bingham, who was born on the 30th of May 1900 and died on the 1st of July 1900. 

 On the 4th of June 1901, Dad’s dad was killed in a logging accident. He was working on the Tusas, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. That was near Tres Piedres, New Mexico. His wife, my grandmother, Adah Zoa was pregnant with their daughter, who was born on the 18th of July 1901. She was named Dorothy. I know very little about Dorothy. I think she lived with Grandma Jack, Grandma Zoa’s mother until she died on the 5th of March 1909.

Grandma Zoa moved to Espanola, New Mexico where she married Charles Peterson in 1904. I understand that she went to Espanola, New Mexico to work for Mr. Peterson, and married him. Aunt May and Dad lived with their Aunt Mattie. I don’t know if Dad and Aunt May and Dorothy ever lived with Grandma Bingham. I don’t know why they didn’t live with her. Maybe she had to make a living and that is what she chose. My dad lived between the homes of Aunt Mattie and Aunt Zem and Uncle Ab Jack. Aunt Mattie never had children and Uncle Ab and Aunt Zem had a large family. Aunt Jennie was part of that family There was a house full of boys. He would stay at one place until he wasn’t happy and then went to the other. I don’t think he was happy at either place. He finished 8th grade and didn’t go back to school. Several older people said he would stay with their boys some of the time. He never felt he had a home of his own until he and Mom were married. He loved Mom and his children.

He learned several trades. Aunt Mattie sent him to barber school, but he never worked at that profession, except for family and friends. He was a guide on a dude ranch where he took people on pack trips, in the Rio Grande Canyon. . At one time he worked for the D&RGW Railroad, but he didn’t seem to stay at jobs very long. He worked as a farm hand with some people in Saguache, Colorado. He was a meat cutter for 2 grocery stores that I know of. One was Daniels in Antonito. That was when I was born. The other was in Manassa for Delbert Haynie, who owned the store where Gilliland’s own the store now.

He loved horses and we had 3 horses, the mare (Dixie), was the mother of the other two. One of the colts was half Shetland(Tiny Tim) and the other was one fourth Shetland was (Charlie).Charlie belonged to Keith. Dad was handy with shoeing the horses and caring for them. He said he was a jack of all trades, a master of none.

After Mom and Dad bought the farm, He did everything that can be done on a farm. We had cows, sheep and of course the horses. He also had a team of white work horses. They were Maud and Dobbins. We raised grain and alfalfa and one year we raised a field of head lettuce. It was the best I ever tasted. We sold it to the stores. I think they made pretty good on the crop. We had as big a garden as I ever saw a family have. We raised vegetables and strawberries and raspberries and rhubarb. Some of the people who lived up the canyon came by and bought things from our garden.

We were raised in a home of love. My Dad loved my Mom very much. He was so broken hearted when she died. Sometimes he would say to us, “if it weren’t for you kids, I would just as soon be with your mom. One thing we were never allowed to do was to talk back to Mom. There was no mistreating our Mom, our Dad wouldn’t hear of it.

After Mom died and we lived in Romeo he worked with a surveyor group, when they were surveying for the Platoro dam, up the canyon. That is where he was working when he went to the hospital to repair a hernia, the surgery caused adhesions and that lead to two more surgeries. He got blockage of the bowels and didn’t survive. He Had the surgery because he had insurance to pay for it.

There were several little ditties, that Dad used to say. One of them was a b c d puppies, o l m n o puppies, o s a r some puppies. C m p n.

He used to sing “The Man on the Flying Trapeze”. I can’t think now what some of them were. He had a better singing voice than Mom. Mom was like me. She sang in church, but she was like me. She never felt that she could sing.

Every night in the winter was like home evening. Sometimes we would sit around the table after meals and visit. Those were special times, Our parents read stories to us.

You asked how Dad showed his affection to Mom. He called her sweetheart. It was not unusual to see them kiss or for him to put his arms around her. You hardly ever saw one of the without the other when they were farming. That is why Mom was hurt. She was on the tractor with him as he was combining a field. The power takeoff on the tractor broke and swung around and cut Mom’s leg to the bone. She had complications from it and never recovered.

The boys milked the cows and got the wood and coal in. The girls did house work. We were a busy family.

One summer after Mom died. I went with Nona to the Soldiers and Sailors home up by Monte Vista, to work. I don’t know why Dad let me go but he said I should still have some childhood.

I think that Dad’s childhood made him a very compassionate Dad. Our lives were different after Mom died. All of the house work and taking care of the things that mom did were up to us girls. Because I was the oldest a lot became my responsibility. I was four years older than Barbara, so a lot was up to me. I look back now and realize what a poor help I really was..

80--CONTINUED--26--ANGELS IN MY LIFE

Arlo, He gave me a home and children. We had may good times, a mission and temple sealing.
I love my Arlo.

My Mom and Dad. They gave me life, the gospel, self-worth and love. My Angels.
My grandparents. They sustained me through one of the hardest times of my life. I love them and my aunts and uncles and their families. They are Angels to me.
My brothers and sisters. They are a mainstay in my life, along with their mates, my Angels.

Don, It is hard to say all of the great blessings he has brought into my life. He is very special to me. He is an Angel to me.
Gloria, a dear daughter-in-law. She has been there through hard times and joys. She is a daughter to me, a special Angel. I love her.

Kent, He has been a friend to me all of my life. I spent a year of joy with him. He makes my heart sing. He is one of my special Angels. I love him.
Betty, The Lord sent us a special Angel, when we got Betty. She is my Kidsie. She is a blessing to me. I love her.

Bonnie Lynn, My Sweet , Angel Bonnie, She is always there for me. It is not possible to say all I feel for her. She is my only daughter and one of my dearest friends. She fills my heart with love.
Emery, He has been a help and a blessing to me in so many ways. Angels come in different packages. I am glad that he is a part of our family.

Larry, I begged to get him. He has been a great joy to me. It is impossible to say the blessing he has brought into my life. What a great Angel he is to me. I love him.
Jeanette, I told her when she and Larry married that she was an answer to my prayers. The Lord sent me an angel when she became a part of our family. I love her.

These are part of the Angels in my life. I didn't put in the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Each of them have a special place in my life. They are my Angels.

My life is full of Angels. I have friends who drive me places since I don't drive anymore, people who uplift my spirit and love me. How thankful I am to the Angels in my life.

One of the Bingham Homes

When we were in the San Luis Valley for a family reunion, we went on a picture taking expedition. These are the pictures of the Bingham family farm after many decades. We'll invite Mom and her siblings to write what they remember about this home.

When I was 9 years old, we moved from Manassa to this home. It was 3 1/2 miles from Romeo and 3 1/2 miles from Antonito.

It was a nice home, but the bathroom had never been finished, and water had never been piped into the house. The floors were hardwood and on the South side of the living room and dining room were french windows. They were like doors and could be opened like doors. there were three bedrooms on the North side of the house with a hall and the room that was not finished as a bathroom, was between the west room and the middle room. The west bedroom was the boys room and the middle bedroom was Mama and Daddy's room. There was a closet between the middle room and the girl's room, which was on the East. That closet was the full length of the bedroom and could be walked through from the middle room to the girl's room. The Livingroom and the dining room were one room. There was a fireplace between the 2 french windows. The door between the kitchen and the dining room, was a swinging door. There was a sink on the south wall of the kitcyen with cupboards on each end. The house was heated with wood and coal. The West entrance was into the kitchen and the East entrance was into the living room. In this picture you can see the windows on the North. Each bedroom had a window and the unfinished bathroom was the little window. The East bedroom had a front window also.


This picture (below) is the South side of the house. The trees are cottonwood trees. At one time we had a garden there, but it wasn't the big garden. On the back of the house, in line with the trees was a cellar. It was as big as a commercial cellar. It burned down one year when Daddy was in LosAlamos, working. It was big enough to park the car in the cold weather. It had double doors. For some reason, it did not burn the car, even though the car was parked in the cellar at the time it burned.

There were two big honeycycle bushes on the this side of the house. For several years there was a couple of yellow canaries that built a nest in those bushes. From inside the house we could see the nest and watch as the eggs were laid and hatched. That was so interesting. We were all disappointed the year that they didn't return.
On the North side of the house, we had a big garden. It was almost an acre. There was a row of rhubarb along the South fence. There was fence around it and there were willow trees along the West fence. We had a wonderful garden. We raised all vegetables and strawberries and raspberries. One year there were so many carrots that they filled a wagon box that was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. Our cellar was really used in the winter. Potatoes, cabbages, carrots, apples and anything that needed to be protected from the weather.

-- Gatha --

This is the front entrance to the house. There were bushes on each side of the porch and a beautiful lilac bush on the north corner. There was a hedge on the South side of that lawn that went from near the house to the fence in front of the house. The highway between Romeo and Antonito ran just in front of the house and a railroad track was East of the highway. There was a train that ran from Alamosa to Chama, New Mexico every morning and returned every evening.

80--CONTINUED--22 OUR MISSION IN ARIZONA

When all of the children were grown and had homes of their own, the Bishop called Arlo and me into his office and asked us to go on a mission. Arlo wasn't sure that we could do it. He sold the garage to Mitch and Mike 'Gary and they didn't pay anything on it and so it came back to us and we didn't have a job, except for the pay I received from the Library. Arlo told the Bishop that we would let him know our decision on Tuesday night. We talked about it and Arlo said he couldn't turn down his call, when he had expected his children to accept their calls. We didn't have an income if we went. The Bishop said the ward would send us, but that didn't feel good to Ärlo, but he decided to accept.

When we went for our physicals, Arlo didn't pass and was sent to Denver, because he had a serious heart problem. He had to have by-pass surgery. The doctor said he had a total blockage and was on the verge of a massive heart attack. He said he wouldn't have survived. He had 4 by-pass .

At the library a short time earlier, the county called me and asked several of the library staff if we were interested in a Blue Cross and Blue Shield medical policy. It would cover 100 percent of the cost of all medical bills. The agent said he didn't know how they could offer that policy. He said as an agent for the company, he was only allowed to get a 90 percent policy. I bought it and the county paid part of the payments. That insurance paid all of the three surgeries that he had.

When the surgeries were all done and paid, they called me by back to the county and told me that it was a mistake that we got 100 percent coverage. If we had not had that, we would not have been able to go on the mission, because we would have a big medical bill to pay.

On Arlo's ( Larry's son),2nd birthday, The 29th of September, Arlo and I entered the MTC. That night when we were all settled in our room, we got a phone call from Larry and Jeanette. Jeanette's father died that day.

We rode on bus to Holbrook, Arizona, where the Mission Home was. It was the only mission in the church that there was no airplane service. We stayed in the Mission home that night and the next day we went to Peach Springs, Arizona, where we worked for about 8 months of our mission.

When we first arrived there, they didn't have a branch president. The president thought Arlo might have to be the branch president. The searched the members of the branch and found a man who was not active in the church and Arlo helped him in many ways.

One of the first things that we did was go to the top of a hill near the town and Arlo took of his coat for me to kneel on and we knelt and he gave a Priesthood Blessing. That was a special experience for me.

We lived in a trailer house which was by the chapel. It was old and about ready for the scrap heap, but we did enjoy our time there. We had a lot of things that made our mission special.

80--CONTINUED--21

We spent many hour in the mountains. I remember one time Alta and Tiny and Norene and Sheila and Isabel and Don and RaeDean and Gordon and Arlo, and Doris Faye and Donnie and Kent and Bonnie Lynn camped out on Wolf Creek Pass. It was a beautiful place and I had a lot of pictures that we took up there, but I don't know if I have any of them now. Arlo was holding Bonnie Lynn. I saw somewhere that it was said that in that picture the child was Donnie, It was Bonnie Lynn. There was a picture of RaeDean and Doris Faye. It was close to the highway and we heard trucks passing by all night.

We made what we called a Brigham Bed. Out side was a dad, then all of their children between the mom. Next was the next family, starting with the mom, the children of that family and then the dad. The dad of the next family was next, then their children and the mom, until all of the families were in the bed together.
Cooking on a campfire and eating on the ground on a ground cover and playing games and telling stories.

I remember another time all of the same people camped in the Conejos Canyon. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed Grandpa Vance's family.

One year we went to the South Fork on the Conejos. LaRue and Harold and Eddie and Grandma Lawson and our family camped. There was a raspberry patch and we made jam and ate all the raspberries that we could pick. We mad a tent with poles and blankets for the kids to sleep in. We had fried fish and fried potatoes.


I remember one year LaVerl and I took some of the cousins to the flat below the cabin where they made a camp ground. We set up two tents. One for the girls and the other for the boys. We stayed there several nights. The girls decided to move their tent after several nights, and had just got it set up and all of their things in it when it started raining. One day Edgar, Ethel and Don and Elma came to have lunch with us. Just about the time that they arrived, it started raining. The lightning struck a tree nearby. I said that it hit a tree close because I felt a chip hit me, and Edgar said he didn't think so, but he went looking at the trees near where we were and and found where it had struck two trees that were side by side. It peeled the bark on both trees from the top to the bottom in a line about 3 inches wide from the top to the bottom of both trees. I watched those trees for several years, after we bought the cabin, and I walked along the river. One of them died.

Later, we had the cabin to stay in. That was nice for all of us. There wasn't as much preparation to get ready to go and we always had a place to sleep. There are a lot of memories there. I still enjoy going to the cabin. I never get enough of it. Those are precious memories. I enjoyed the reunions that have been held at the cabin. We had several with the Vances. Cecil and Jessie and Richard and his family and RaeDean and their children and Earl and Winnie and their children. Those are times that I enjoy remembering. There is a picture of Arlo, Earl, Richard, Gordon and I don't remember who else. There is also one of Earl and Winnie, Jessie and Cecil and Arlo and me.

I remember reunions with the Dunn family. We have some great pictures that were taken at the cabin. Those were wonderful times.

I remember many times as a young girl going to Aspen Glade Camp Ground. I always loved that place Arlo didn't like it very well so we never went there often with our family. We camped more at LaManga Camp Grounds. That was good too.

Dentures

Betty and I went to the movies one evening. I decided that in order to take full advantage of the environment, I needed a good chewy caramel. It tasted wonderful until I heard a loud crack when the anchor tooth snapped off. There was no pain, but my partial was loose in my mouth and had to be rebuilt to add another tooth.

Mom (Gatha) was forever using Super Glue to repair her dentures. She looked so cute when she smiled and her front tooth was missing. I prefer her smile however, with a full set of pretty white teeth.

I remember many, many years ago, Doris Faye got her first set of dentures. She was really young when she got them. She was having a hard time getting used to them. As we knelt around the bed for family prayer, Doris Faye had hardly begun and her upper dentures came flying out and onto the bed. We all had a good laugh.

We had a similar experience this week when Betty's dad went to the restaurant to celebrate his 88th birthday with Betty and Wick Bohanan. He was trying a new adhesive, Sea Bond. It didn't work as well as he hoped and he ended up with his dentures in his plate rather than in his mouth.

I watched Dad (Arlo Vance) for years eat without dentures. I appreciate his sacrifice for us, but he would have been so much more attractive with a mouth full of ivory cutting instruments. I'm personally very grateful for my dentures. They may be a bit hard to get used to, but food is so much better when we can chew it well before we swallow it.

I have been so tempted to take the plaster impressions of my teeth as a white elephant gift to a church party. Betty tells me that would be in very poor taste. Can you think of a humorous denture adventure to share with the family for a little fun?

80--CONTINUED--18

I decided to tell some of the things that happened to us through the years.
When Arlo was in the hospital with his back, I went to work at hot lunch in the Manassa grade school. I worked with Maggie Weston. The hot lunch was a great blessing to the children. Our meals were well planned and I learned a lot about planning meals for a big group and how to prepare well. We made our own bread. Maggie mixed most of the dough, but I did it once in a while. We even made the buns for the hamburgers. Once Bruce Jarvies came back 9 times for another hamburger. I often wondered how he held so much. They were sloppy Joe hamburgers and were very tasty. We served as much food as the children wanted as long as it lasted. We cooked beans once a week and we did many good things. The government furnished many good foods for us. We got real butter, turkeys, and many other foods. Our meals were really good. Many times we had leftovers and we took them home. That was a real blessing to us, as Arlo was not working and my pay was small. I worked there for several years. I learned to clean up after doing a job and putting things away when I was through with my job. That is a simple thing, but it has made my life more simple.

When Arlo was able to go to work after his surgery, we bought the home across the road from Maggie. That was our first home that we owned. Things in life happen in small steps. Line upon line. We lived across from Maggie when we bought our first television.

I remember when we lived there Arlo bought a red pickup. I could not drive it in the snow. It took me a long time to be able to drive it on snowy roads. Arlo could get in it and drive very well.

We lived in a house with running water in the house and a bathroom, when we lived in Romeo, That is the first indoor bathroom we had, but when we moved to Manassa, we had a hand pump in the kitchen, but an outhouse. When we moved the our home across from Elma, Arlo installed a bathroom and we then had running water in the house. We did live simple, but I loved my life, eventho you would feel that it was surely awful.

We spent a lot of time in the mountains. Arlo was a fisherman and enjoyed hunting. He took us to the mountains often. I enjoyed that.

80--CONTINUED--16

in 1981,on 27th of November, Craig was born. Now Larry and Jeanette have two sons. Larry was working at a shop where they make bedroom sets. He was still going to BYU and Jeanette was doing everything she could to help. She baby sat, sold tupperware and whatever she could to help. They were a growing family.

About this time, our bishop called Arlo and me (Gatha) into his office and ask us to go on a mission. Arlo was a little undecided. We didn't have an income to supply the money to pay for our mission and he didn't want anyone else to pay for it. The bishop said the ward would pay for it. He told the bishop that he would let him know on Tuesday following the Sunday when he ask us. I think it was a difficult decision, but he said, "he had expected his children to accept their mission calls and he couldn't tell them that he had turned his call down." He also knew that I wanted to go, so he told the bishop that we would go. We filled out the papers and when we went for our physical, we were told told that his heart was not healthy enough to go. He was sent to Denver, where he had bypass surgery. The doctor told us that his heart was on the verge of a massive heart attack. He had two more surgeries. One of them was to resew his sternem back as the first scar opened. Then he had bypass into his legs. I don't remember how long all of this took us.

Several months before our call, I was working at the Conejos County Library, I was asked if I would be interested in purchasing a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medical Insurance. I decided to take it. I offered 100% coverage. The agent told me that he didn't know how they could offer me this policy, He worked for them and could only get 90%. This policy paid 100% of the bills for all three surgeries were completed, and when they were over, I was called to the county again and was told that they didn't know how I got that policy. After the time for healing and being ready, Arlo got Social Security, which paid for our mission. It was a time of miracles as far as I am concerned. The Lord made it possible for us to serve a mission. We entered the MTC on the 29th of September 1982, on Arlo, (our grandson)'s 2nd birthday. That night we received a phone call from Larry and Jeanette that Jeanette's father had died.

Our mission was a very special time for Arlo and me. We enjoyed the work and had a good time growing together. We got home on September 10th 1983.

Brian was born while we were on our mission. He was born on the 9th of July 1983. We saw him for the first time when we went to Provo for Thanksgiving.

All of our family went to Provo, to spend Thanksgiving with Larry and Jeanette. That was a special time. Gloria said that Arlo told Donnie how much he loved him. That was a thing that he did very seldom. Talking about his feelings was not easy for him. That was the last time all of us were all together as a family. Arlo died on the 7th of December 1983.

The next Summer Larry and Jeanette and their family came to Manassa, from Provo and spent the summer with me and were a big help to me. Larry built cupboards in my kitchen and it was fun to have the there. I wish I had a better memory.

Monica was born in 1984. She was born in Fallbrook, California. She was a beautiful little girl. Bonnie and Emery now had Shandi, Emery J. and little Monica. She is my eleventh grandchild.

Julie was born the next summer on the 7th of May 1985. Larry and Jeanette had been in school ever since they were married. Now it was time to move on. Jeanette had graduated from BYU earlier and now Larry graduated with a masters degree in civil engineering. They had four children and it was time to find work.

TO BE CONTINUED !

80--CONTINUED--14

Danette was the next grandchild. She was born on the 30th of August, 1970. She was always a wonderful granddaughter.

It was so much fun to have two sweet little girls. They lived in Alamosa and we lived in Manassa, so we saw them often. It was fun to watch them grow and to be loved and enjoyed by them.

Arlo loved his little girls. It was fun to watch them together. I think grandchildren are a blessing to grandparents. I think they can enjoy them in a way that raising your children, you don't have time to cherish them in the same way grandparents do.
Cory was next in the line of grandchildren. We were pleased to have a grandson. He was born on 15 of June 1972. Trying to write about them is difficult, because you can't express the feelings you have for each of them in a way it would be good for them to know just how precious they are.

When these sweet children were small, Gloria had migraine headaches about every three months. She would be in bed for two or three days and I would go stay with them until Gloria was able to take care of them. Those headaches were so hard on her. It was a great blessing when she outgrew them.

kent and Phyllis were married in 1973 and Andrea Kay was born on on the 11 of October 1974. That is the anniversary of my mom's death. It was good to have something special happen on that day. Andrea was a beautiful baby and has ever been full of love.

Next came Robert Kent. He was born on 20th of February 1976. Phyllis had toxemia before Robert was born, so I went and stayed with them for 2 weeks because Phyllis was confined to bed. Robert was special to me and still is.

TO BE CONTINUED !

80--CONTINUED--13

If I remember more things of the school years, I'll go back. I was thankful that Don chose to go on a mission, but I pushed too hard and he didn't feel ready. It is good to let children be more responsible for their decisions, as they get old enough. I wish at times I could go back and be a wiser mother.

I mentioned before that Arlo and I were sealed in the Mesa Temple. That was the happiest day of my life. I will forever be thankful for that blessing. Now it is up to all of us to make that eternal. When my mom died my dad said that if there was nothing to the power of the sealing, it would be a great blessing, because of the peace it gives when one is gone on before. I know by the Spirit that those sealings are from our Heavenly Father. It is a great blessing to know that families can be together forever. My prayer is that every member of our family will work toward that blessing, that we may all be prepared for that. I also believe that living the principles of the Gospel, makes for a happy life here and now.

Don came home from his mission and right away was ready to find a wife. I'll forever be thankful for the choice he made. Gloria is a special part of our family. He was married to Gloria Culler in the Mesa Arizona Temple, on the 28th of September 1968. They have been together for many years. They have survived many trials and have grown from them, as all of us do.

It was in natural order that Marcy Lynn was born. Warren and Helen came from Farmington to be with them when the baby came. Don had worked for the phone company ever since he returned from his mission. He was working on a crew that worked out of town some of the time. He was In San Luis, with the person he was working with. Gloria was ready to have the baby and they couldn't find Donnie. They called the hotel here they were staying and they said they had checked out the night before. They called Arlo and me and we drove to San Luis and went to the hotel where they were supposed to be and they told us the same thing, that they had checked out the night before. We didn't know what to do. We drove around town to see if we could find their truck. We gave up and started home, when we saw a car from the phone company and stopped him. He said for us to follow him. He came to see what had happened to his crew. He went to the hotel and demanded to see the room where they had been staying and there they were in the bed. Marcy was born, before Donnie got home, but all was well.

Marcy was our first grandchild, she was born on the 24th of July 1969 in the Alamosa Hospital. She is the first grandchild for Warren and Helen, too. She gave us a good start. It is wonderful, the way a family grows. She is small but mighty. I do love that girl.

When Marcy was old enough for them to take her to Farmington to show her off to Gloria's family, they had a car accident. They hit a bridge abutment and it threw all three of them out of the car. Gloria was thrown a long way and had many cuts and bruises. Don didn't seem to have any serious problems. Marcy was in a car bed. The bed went out with her in it. She got a cut on her finger and that seemed to be all. That was one of the miracles of our family that all of them survived. It destroyed the car that Gloria had worked for. Life goes on. I am thankful for that.

TO BE CONTINUED

80--CONTINUED--9

Time all runs together, There are so many things to remember. Kent has talked may times about Aunt Lori and I, taking Him, Don, Mitch and Mike to Aspen Glade to spend some time in the mountains, To this day I can't figure out why I was so foolish to take you to the mountains when you were so young, without supervision. The stories get better with time. I think that is what Larry meant when he said He didn't remember going to Denver and the things that happened. Memory of the same things are different in different minds. If several people tell a story about the same experience there can be, three different stories. I hope the things that I have told are good memories.

When Arlo and I were married, I was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Arlo was baptized, but knew nothing about the church and didn't care to be involved. For several years, it was difficult for me to get to church, but as you children grew old enough to go to Primary I made up my mind that you would be thaught and raised as I had been, in a very active situation. I began taking you to church and trying to teach you all that I could. Arlo's interest was in hunting and fishing. Sometimes we went to the mountains with him and all of us enjoyed that. Sunday was the only day Arlo had off work so he had his interests and I had mine. After we moved to Manassa, he did go to church with us sometimes. There began to be more interest. When Don was reaching mission age I was very anxious to be able to go to the temple with Arlo and our children. We were going to a cottage meeting each Monday night, where several men and their families were being prepared to go to the temple. I was afraid that if we didn't go before our children were out of the home, we may not be able to go all together. I fasted for 2 days a week for nearly a year to have that great blessing. The ward was planning a temple excursion. Elma was teaching a temple preperation class. Arlo was interested. He had tried to live the word of wisdom, but it was hard for him. When the time came and he didn't mentiuon going, I was anxious. Two days before the time to go he came to me and ask me if we could be ready to go. I believe that was the happiest time of my life. We did go and Don got his endowment at the same time that Arlo and I got ours and we were sealed as a family. I will forever be thankful for that blessing.

For several years I went into General Conference. I was on the Stake Relief Society Board and at that time, there was a Relief Society Conference several days before General Conference. I went for seven years with the Relief Society and was later changed to the Stake Primary Board. I still got to go to Salt Lake. The Relief Society Conferenes were held at Fall conference time and the Primary Conference was held in the Spring. I went to Primary Conference for seven years.
The church discontinued those special conferences. All together I went for fourteen years.

Arlo used to tell me that I didn't cook fish right. one year when I got home from Salt Lake,one of you tokd me that Dad didn't know how to cook fish either.

TO BE CONTINUED--

It is interesting to look at the faces and see similarities to children of another generation.

The Last Photo

80

80 years ago Gatha was born into this world. It seems she has had a variety of things happen in her life. These are some things she has done etc.:

1. Born
2. Baptized
3. Orphaned
4. Married
5. Mother
6. Grandmother
7. Great-Grandmother
   
8. Survived the great depression
9. WWII
10. Korea
11. VietNam
12. 6 day war
13. Establishment of Israel
14. Hot lunch
15. CCG&O
16. Manassa
17. Romeo
18. Antonito
19. Grand Canyon Mission
20. Chicago Mission
21. Washington Mission
    
22. Cub Scouts
23. Boys
24. Girl
25. Gardens
26. RS
27. Scouts
28. Drove
29. Flew
30. Walked
31. Ran
32. Horse
33. Widowed
34. Saint George
35. Sandy
36. Model A
    
37. Chevy
38. Ford
39. Nash
40. Pontiac
41. Carpet
42. Concrete
43. Lilac
44. Temple
45. Float
46. Parade
47. Romance Novels
48. Stolen Nail
49. Waterless cookware
50. World Book
51. Sew
52. Embroidery
53. Indexing
54. LDS
55. Paint
56. Draperies
57. Quilt
58. Bags
59. BLOG
60. Colorado Springs
61. Reverse Mortgage
62. Survived Breast Cancer
63. Chrysler
64. Sister
65. Aunt
66. Niece
67. Daughter
68. Grand-Daughter etc.
69. Cook
70. Pickled Beets
71. Drip Irrigation
72. Pluck a chicken
73. Make Bread
74. Farmer
75. Drove over son
76. Fish
77. E-mail
78. Family history
79. She loves
80. I love her
    

My Childhood--again

Our farm was 60 acres. It was a mile long and wider at the North end and narrow on the South end.

We had 3 ponies. One was a full grown size and was a wonderful horse. She was named Dixie. She was the mother to the other two horses. Tiny Tim was half shetland and was a small horse. Charlie was one fourth shetland and belonged to Keith. Our horses were very special to all of us. One day Keith took Dixie into town and she stepped in a hole and broke her leg and they shot her, as that is what they did with that kind of injury. We were all broken hearted. When our parents died, the shetland ponies were sold at the 24th of July rodeo. A man bought them and paid for them and gave them back to be sold again. Dorothy (Vaughn) Sowards' dad bought them and Dorothy told me that they loved those horses just as much as we did.

Our farm supplied most of the food that we had. During the end of the great depression, we had plenty to eat. Getting shoes and clothes was not as easy. We fared better than people in the city. Growing up on a farm makes a close family. We had a playhouse in the top of the granery. That was really a fun place to play.

When the hay was harvested, all of us helped as we got older. The hay was cut with a mowing machine, It was hauled to the barn and the stack on a wagon, pulled with a team of horses. Our work horses were white. They were Maud and Dobbins.

My Childhood--Gatha

Growing up on a farm that was two and a half miles from either Romeo or Antonito, it was necessary to travel to stores. Romeo didn't have a clothing store or a drug store, so sometimes we drove to Antonito for things that were not available in Romeo. We had an old car, but it was quite serviceable. There were eight of us in our family. so sometimes we were crowded in our car. Seat belts changed the number of people that can ride in a car. There were eight of us. I grew up through World War II, so there was a lot of things that were not available to purchase. Nylons, sugar, tires, gas was rationed, Being on a farm, gas was more available.

We had a garden that was about an acre. All of us pulled weeds and hoed. Our garden was very productive. One year we raised enough carrots to fill a wagon bed. We had a cellar that was big enough to park our car in through the winter when it was cold. There were bins for different vegetables. We always had enough potatoes to last until the next harvest. We had enough carrots that year to feed many people. The vegetables, and fruit that was raised in the San Louis Valley had a better flavor than any I have tasted since leaving there. We always had cabbage, onions, beets, and many other things. We raised rhubarb and we had a big strawberry patch, and we raised raspberries. I think the reason that I like raspberries so well is because Mom canned them. She did them in hot water bath. They were so good.

We had meat that we raised. We always had pork, beef, and sometimes mutton. We lived through the depression, but on a farm there was always food. That was a blessing.

The best part of growing up was the great love and acceptance we felt. I always felt that I was loved and approved of. I think my growing up years were very special.

Growing up in Romeo

We had a kitchen table in the kitchen, where we always sat down together for our meals. We had an assigned place at the table. In the winter when the nights were long, we would sit around the table and visit about what had happened through the day and what our plans were. Sometimes we would read stories or play table games. We had a fireplace and it was fun to have a fire there. Our heat was all wood and coal. Daddy and the boys would go to the mountains in the Summer to get wood. It would take them 2 days, with a team and wagon. We bought coal by the ton. We had a coal shed. We didn't have a pickup or a truck.

We often had friends stay with us. Nona and I spent a lot of time together. We would often go to family members and visit. Our life was good. The church was our life. That is where our friends and neighbors met and had church, mutual, parties and dances. We had a good life.

Grandma Cora 100

I did this once but don't find it on the blog. Today my Mom would be 100 years old. I have never been able to see her in my mind since she died 64 years ago. She was a wonderful mother and I think of her so often. The years have gone by so fast and so slow. It seems forever.

Mom and Dad were very in love. Dad could hardly leave the house without Mom being with him. I think that is why it was so hard for him when she wasn't there any more. They were fun parents. We did a lot of fun things together. I remember sitting around the table after supper in the winter, we visited for long periods of time. Those are special memories for me. We didn't have TV or even radio that was plain enough to listen to very well. Living on a farm and spending evenings together was special. Sometimes one of our parents read to us or we played table games. We had a good life. The gospel was center in our lives. We talked about many things. Those were the days!!!
Doris Faye was 70 today.

I am sure that they would both have been very pleased with all of you. They didn't get to know any of you. I think it will be a joyous day when we are all together again.

Grandma Cora

Today, July 29th, my mom would be one hundred years old. The time has gone fast in a way and slow in another. It has been 64 years since my mom died. It always makes me feel sad that none of you children and grandchildren have never seen her or my dad. They would have been so pleased with all of you. The were good parents and everything was for our good. I feel that I was raised in a home full of love. My dad didn't want to go anywhere without Mom. They were very in love with each other. I look forward to the time when we will all be together again. Today Doris Faye is 70. She and Bert are in Alaska. They will be home tomorrow.

Cora Emily Dunn Bingham

Cora Emily Dunn (Second from the right in the back row of the picture to the left) was born on 29 July 1908. Her parents were Anna Buletta Jensen (known as Annie) and Simeon Harmon Dunn. Cora was born 25 August 1901 in Eastdale, Costilla County, Colorado. Her older sisters were Frances Edna, Ethel Leona, Ruth Carrie. Cora and these sisters were born in Eastdale.

The family then moved to Manassa, Colorado. Cora's younger siblings were born in Manassa. They were, Edgar, Ina, Hazel, Elma, Doris and Loyd. Her mother then had a stillborn child they named Keith Melford. Cora's baby brother was Rex.

Cora grew up with seven sisters and three brothers. Because the girls were born first, they milked cows, fed chickens, and helped in the fields. Cora was very good with math.

Cora had several friends that she spent time with. Nora Christensen, Dollie Christensen, and Leta Kaneaster were the closest friends. Cora was a good basketball player.

(Taken from Ted and Cora, A love story by Gatha Bingham Vance Wilson)