Earth Day -- All Day Today

In recognition of Earth Day 2008 I would like to remind and encourage everyone to recycle, reuse and re-purpose everything you can. I purchased some cloth bags from Dillons and use them at all the stores. They are wonderful for more reasons than just cutting back on plastic and paper bag usage. They are far sturdier than plastic and easier to tote than paper. I keep mine in the trunk of my car so I have them whenever I go shopping.
I would like to encourage everyone to take time out to take the road less traveled to marvel at the wonders of our world. To slow down and appreciate what we have and learn what can be done to preserve it. Take a walk, or a bike ride where there is fresh air and learn what can be done to keep it fresh.
Realize the beauty in small wonders, you can't see these from inside your car.
That a weed is only a flower/plant out of place. Dandelions are Gods creation just as much as roses. Man is a blight upon the face of earth far worse than the lowly flowers that are considered weeds. The litter they leave causes no harm, is not polluting or hazardous.

Remember the joy of the wind in your face and barefeet in the summer sand.
Take time to stop and enjoy a sunset and find ways to be good stewards of this great blue ball.

Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Yes, get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can't get off.

Oh, I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you've cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air.
But will you keep on building higher 'til there's no more room up there?
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Where Do The Children Play?
Artist:Cat Stevens

OR - CA 2008 / Chapter 3

Great Grandmother's Russian Chest
This chest was brought to the United States in 1876 by Jacob and Katharine Wiebe Klassen. It contained many personal possessions of this young couple.



They had one child who was born and died in Russia before they left on June 15, 1876. Their second child was also born in Russia and landed in the U.S. with his parents on July 11, 1876. He died of measles in late 1877.

The Klassen's brought the chest with them to Kansas where they lived in Marion County for 17 years. During this time they had 10 more children (one of which died in Kansas). In 1893, they traveled by covered wagon with their 9 remaining children, taking this chest with them, to Flagler, Colorado. Due to the draught there, they took a homestead and moved to Kirk, Colorado in 1896. Here they built a 7 room adobe house, and adobe barn and a large cowshed. In the meantime they had 3 more children. In 1900 Jacob Klassen died leaving Katharine with 12 children on the homestead. This chest was one of her prized possessions.

As the family grew up and each went his or her own way, Katharine lived on the homestead with her youngest son, Henry until he married in 1927. At that time she had a new wooden structure house built and asked her daughter Helen and son-in-law Cornelius Heinrichs to come and live with her with their family. They did and so took care of her until her death in July 1941. During that time she gave the chest to Helen for caring for her.

During the 40's some time, Helen's sister Emma felt that it wasn't fair that Helen should have the chest, but Helen wasn't about to give it up. Finally, caught in the middle, Cornelius offered to "cut it in half", which they both agreed to.
He did as best he could, trying to preserve all parts of it, cut it in half lengthwise, giving each one a handle, one half had the lock and front part, and the other the inscription on the back. Using plywood he fashioned a new front for one and a new back for the other.
Each took their half with them. Finally Helen went to Oregon to live with her daughter, Katharine, and son-in-law, Gordon Fahlgren. While there, she gave Katharine her half. In the meantime, Emma gave her half to Henry's daughter Lillian back in Colorado. In August 1977, Helen died in her son Wesley and daughter-in-law, Ann Heinrichs home in Fresno, California. Emma later died in the Mennonite nursing home in Reedley, California in March 1988.
In 1985 at a family Reunion, Lillian asked Katharine if she would like to have the other half of the chest. She told her she could have it if Katharine would come to Colorado to get it.

In July 1988, Katharine and Gordon went to Topeka, Kansas for the Klassen family reunion. En route through Colorado, they stopped in Kirk and with the help of Lillian's son and daughter-in-law, found the half chest in storage in the old Kirk school house. It was loaded in their van and taken with the Fahlgrens to Kansas and on the remainder of their trip, arriving back in Oregon the last part of July. During the winter of 1988-89, the chest was rejoined and refinished by Katharine and their son Raymond. The tips of the hinges and locks had been cut off and lost when it was cut in half. Ken Fahlgren manufactured these by the pattern on the top of the chest, so as much as possible it was back to its original condition. If it could only talk, it would have many, many stories to tell. It is now in a place of honor in the home of Gordon and Katharine Fahlgren.

Written by Katharine Fahlgren
September 6, 1989

Edit 09/09/2013: Looking through "They Seek a Country" by David V. Wiebe I spot a picture of a trunk that looks very familiar. This appears to be the same trunk. At one time it had legs.

Grandson's Birthday Party in the Park

Sunday started out cloudy, but the weatherman had promised the weather would be in the 70s and by afternoon the sun broke through and all we had to contend with was the Kansas wind. The family gathered from miles around at our park to celebrate a grandson's birthday. The celebration began with the kids doing what kids do in parks.... Sliding....
...and spinning....
...and climbing...
...and more climbing...
...and teeter-tottering (or is that see-sawing?)...
...and don't forget swinging.

Then we called them all back for a bite to eat...
...and birthday cake with ice cream...
...and of course, presents.
But after all was said and done, the children would really rather just be playing!
Happy Birthday, Grandson!

OR - CA 2008 / Chapter 2

In the first chapter of my OR - CA adventure, my parents, my hubby and I traveled by plane from Wichita KS to Redmond OR via delays, re-routes and all that goes with the airport relay race. Five hours later than what we had planned, we found ourselves finally sitting in my Aunt Kathy's kitchen. Aunt Kathy is my father's little sister. Below is Aunt Kathy's husband, my Uncle Gordon and my dad eating soup that Aunt Kathy prepared for us upon our arrival. She had planned on fixing dinner for us, but with the late hour of our arrival we opted for a light meal.
Before I get into the stories I would like to take you on a tour of my Aunt and Uncle's place which is in the high desert in Oregon. Below is the front of the house, the white bridge is over a pond with waterfall that Uncle Gordon recently put in. Over the roof of the garage you can see a mountain top in the background.
Patty their dog greeted us upon our arrival. She is a very friendly dog that just tolerates the cats.
Pedro and Petey greeted us the first morning, pacing outside our closed bedroom door. I'm sure they're not used to this bedroom door being closed.
This is the first morning in Aunt Kathy's wonderful, homey kitchen. Take a good look at the cabinets and most all the woodwork because my cousin Ray did most all of it. I don't find a website for his company but I do find company information. The kitchen, dining area, front entrance and living room are all part of the great room, meaning they are open to a high ceiling with partitions dividing them.
The picture below shows my Aunt Kathy and my mother sitting in the area of the kitchen where I had been standing to take the picture above.

The fountain and plant can be seen behind Aunt Kathy and mom. Pedro likes his water cool and aerated.
Aunt Kathy calls him her little panther.
I love this fireplace, the big round rocks are just gorgeous. If you were sitting where Aunt Kathy and mom were, this is what you'd see if you looked into the living room.
Below you see how the great room is divided. The hallway leads back to the bedrooms and around the corner to the right is the entrance.
Looking from the hallway back towards where I had just been you can see the dining doorway where Aunt Kathy and mom had been at the lower right of the picture, to the left, past the clock you can see the island in the kitchen. The clock had a wonderful tone and chimed on the hour and on the half hour.

The office below is the room you see in the hallway from the living room. It was in this room that I spent a great deal of time photographing pictures and documents. This room is the office, the computer is there, the craft/sewing room and also has a daybed.
An evening relaxing in front of the TV with a cat for each lap. Out the window you can see their deck/porch that wraps around the house.
Here is the bedroom that my hubby and I occupied. I just love the cozy, homey feel of it with all the old photos and keepsakes. There's little in Aunt Kathy's house that doesn't have a story behind it. The bed in this room was made by one of Uncle Gordon's family.
Below is Uncle Gordon's shop, I will do another post on this. See the mountain?

That's chapter two, just an introduction to their home. Next, some family history.

K-Monster's Soccer Game

I almost forgot to post this. K-Monster's soccer game was Saturday. They had team photos starting at 3pm, starting with individual shots....
...and then the whole team picture.
The game began at 4pm...
...it was quite an exciting game and the competition intense.
K-Monster's team was ahead at the beginning...
...up 2 points with the opposition catching up by the end of the game.

The picture below shows the aftermath of a quick kick that K-Monster made, bouncing off the face of a girl in the opposing team. She came back out of it like nothing hit her! You Go Girl!
With the game tied they had a Shootout to win the game. K-Monster's team lost.
It was a good game, K-Monster!

Golden Wheat Chapter AHSGR Spring Meeting

Sunday, April 13th, was the Spring Meeting of the Golden Wheat Chapter American Historical Society of Germans from Russia.

Our meeting started with a cover dish dinner.
There's always lots of good food and great deserts.
The Spring meeting is our Genealogy meeting. This time we all moved to the room that holds our library. Our president, Karen, opened the meeting and introduced the first speaker.
Joel's presentation explained how to document family history and genealogy research.
Dennis discussed how the SOAR (Saving Our Ancestral Records) on-line records can help with our research.

I didn't take a picture that specifically showed our library collection, but in the picture below you can see a hint of it to the far left of the picture.

The meeting finished up with many questions from the participants and people still conversing as I was packing up and hauling out the big screen, projector and camera equipment. Another great meeting!