Steve's Antics

Okay. This one is dedicated to trouble my younger brother got us into.

Mom would walk up and kill a rattlesnake but run screaming from a mouse. Her longtime friend and Mom number 2 to me, Zora, gave Steve and I some guinea pigs. They were too rodent-like for Mom so we didn’t have them long.

Steve had sassed Mom and done something else stupid so she was looking for him. He found a nest of baby mice in the barn and put them in a coffee can. When Mom thought she finally had him cornered he brought out the can to show her the contents. He then proceeded to chase her around the house with them. Mom finally got in the house and locked the front door. The whole time she was yelling “Wait until your Dad gets home!” When Dad got home he had no choice but to punish us. At least if he wanted peace in the house! As was usually the case, I got swatted too even though I had no part in that circus. When Dad was swatting Steve he said “You actually chased her around with a can of mice you silly little shit?” He was also trying not to laugh at the time.

February 18, 2024

Grandpa's Morning Routine

Another tale of an earlier visit to Grandpa’s.

Steve and I were probably 14 and 11. Our folks put us on a Greyhound at the depot that used to be on Yakima avenue. Steve wanted to sit in the back but I told him I’d been warned not to due to the bathroom being back there. Good advice because even at mid bus the smell got a little ripe!

The bus picked up more passengers at Ellensburg and we had a layover of 2 hours to switch buses in Seattle. I had picked up a copy of Hot Rod magazine and one of Mad magazine at the depot to pass the time. Steve passed the time by antagonizing me!

February 16, 2024

Wheels

Okay, I’m hopping around the years again.

When I was younger I had a reputation for owning fast vehicles. My 47 Jeep wasn’t fast but got me damned near anywhere I wanted to go. My first car was a 68 Torino GT that was fast enough to get me in trouble. I then had a 72 Mustang followed by a 70 Ranchero.

The engine in the Ranchero was a Boss 351 that was built up further. I ended up with double 4 barrel carburetors on it.

February 15, 2024

Tim and Terri

I’m going to jump around a bit here.

I’ve talked about the close relationships with my cousins Tim and Terri.

Tim had bought one of the first year of Toyota 4 wheel drive pickups. I think 1978 or 79. We went over to help his sister Terri and my friend Kurt move into their new house in Longview. On the way, we stopped for a meal at the Mayfield Cafe. Those Toyotas did not have a gentle suspension so when Tim hit a bump in the ditch going into the parking lot, it actually ejected the cassette tape from his player.

February 12, 2024

Gingo Part2

Today’s story is going to focus more on my Uncle Gale or Gingo as I called him when I was younger.

Gingo gave me my first taste of beer. As with most young kids, I thought that was pretty good. I saw my Uncle pouring a drink out of another brown bottle and wanted some. I guess I got a little demanding so he poured me a little. Turns out it was whiskey and I spit it all over my Grandpa’s floor.

February 12, 2024

Hunting

I’ve commented how marksmanship was important in our family. We ate a lot of wild game so hitting what you aimed at was critical. The first shotgun I hunted with was a H and R M48 Topper. This was a break action 20 gauge single shot that Dad had started with before me.

I still have it.

Dad had gone to a Noble 12 gauge pump by this time.

They were sold by Montgomery Ward and I have it as well.

February 11, 2024

Aunt Lena

It’s odd, the things that stick out in your memories of younger years.

I have mentioned my Grandma Sorenson pulling a frozen apple pie out she had pre-made and baking it because I claimed I smelled a pie. I was about 4 or 5 when she died but, from what I remember, it’s easy to see where Mom got her cooking skills.

She was a slender woman in her late forties but came home from work and had a stroke. They took her to the hospital but they couldn’t save her. I didn’t know what was going on but my parents, Grandpa, and other adults in the family were at Grandpa’s house. They were all in a somber mood and Grandma wasn’t there.

February 9, 2024

Mclean Stories

More history from both sides of my family.

The McLeans evidently had family in the Toppenish region. My Dad’s Great Grandmother was driving her buckboard wagon back to the Tieton area after visiting relatives there. A presumably drunken Yakima Native started riding after her and firing shots. The older lady calmly stopped the wagon, stood up, and shot her tormentor out of the saddle.

It didn’t pay to mess with the McLean women either. Especially since this woman’s maiden name was Weddle! My mom’s family were Scandinavians from the Port Orchard area. They came here from New Ulm, Minnesota. Same state as the McLeans.