We always looked forward to taking at break at Thanksgiving time to come “home”.
In 1983, I was living in Omaha, working for the Union Pacific Railroad, so it was about a 5-6 hour trip to reach “our farm” southeast of Haigler. Leah & Dwight Brewer were farming it then, and mom and dad were living in Tucson, Arizona year-round by that time.
Brenda was home for Thanksgiving break from Platte Valley Academy where she, Sandy and Tad were attending school. Lisa came out from Omaha, where she was attending college.
My husband and my two kids, Sandy and Tad and I arrived late Wednesday night. Dick and Sharon, Sheila, Melissa and Jerrod had driven many hours from California where he was working at Pacific Union College in Angwin. The kids had a great time playing and the adults visiting and preparing food for the next day. Leone arrived Thursday morning from Brush with her husband Kenny Carlson and 3 of her kids Kelly, Shelley and Jeri. OUR first grandbaby, Sarah Beeson was the center of attention. (Kelly’s baby and Leone’s grandbaby). Eunice & Brent Richard and their boys Casey and Shane arrived Thursday morning from Benkelman. We all planned to stay for Thanksgiving Day, help work cattle on Friday and spend Saturday together and leave on Sunday.
We had a wonderful time eating, visiting and playing games on Thanksgiving Day. The next day, Friday, was one of those beautiful Indian Summer days – 80 degrees, just a slight breeze – felt like summer. Dwight needed to take blood samples from some of his cattle in preparation for sending them to market, so we all pitched in and “helped”! We worked most of the day working cattle, and came in that night hungry and tired and excited to be all together again. It was a rare thing for all five of us to be together for a whole weekend and we planned to make the most of it.
We were up late Friday night visiting, playing music and singing as we always do when we get together. About Midnight it started snowing and by morning, our cars were buried, the road was covered and it was still snowing. It snowed all day on Saturday and into the night on Sunday – the day we were all planning to leave for home so we could go to work on Monday.
The men all went out to see if they could get the cars out and check to see if the roads were passable. And of course the cattle had to be fed. It was an all day chore just to get the tractors through the drifts to get hay to the cattle, leaving no time to worry about getting the cars out. We played MORE games – sang MORE songs – Played all the instruments available to us – made up new games to entertain the FOURTEEN kids ranging in ages from Kelly, who was 20 to Sarah who was only a few weeks old. On top it all, Eunice brought her baby puppy, Nipper.
Brenda and Tad bundled up and went outside in search of the largest snowdrift they could find. Wouldn't you know it; they found it in the middle of the road between the high banks dug out in the 50s when the 'new' road was built. They dug down for 12-14 feet until they hit the dirt and made a snow fort. Of course, the "mothers" in the group made them move to another place to build their fort, since we worried that the snow plow would come through any time.
Brenda had a pet chicken named PET, and she dug herself through the snow drifts to bring PET inside the house where she would be safe. Of course, this caused a problem for Leone, who is deathly afraid of birds of any kind. (We used to accuse her of making it up so she wouldn’t have to gather eggs.)
We ran out of milk for the baby and there was no more bread. The fact that we happened to be at Leah’s house is what saved us from starving to death! Leah always had a big garden and spent hours freezing and canning every fall. Her cupboards and freezer were better than having a grocery store next door. She came up with THREE meals every day for TWENTY-THREE people for FIVE days! What a great cook and person she is!!
Delores Zuege called on Monday to see if we needed anything and Gary Zuege, her son, brought Milk and bread and some other supplies on his snowmobile. What a lifesaver that was!!
Some of the guys finally got through to St. Francis by going around snow drifts, through fences digging with the blade on a four wheel drive pickup. Some of them were out of cigarettes and beer so they HAD to make it to town!!! haha
The maintainer from the county finally got through on Tuesday, so some of us left late that afternoon and some left on Wednesday.
For the whole family, that weekend is one of the happiest memories we have. (All except Leah… It must have been a nightmare for her!)
-- Contributions from Gregory family members
Saturday, September 16, 2006
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Haiglerites - Lived to be 100+ years old
Haiglerites 90+
- Beulah (Brown) Oster - March 12, 1917
- John Phifer - Nov. 21, 1917
- Lillie Ethyl (Tiff) Sampson - April 11, 1918
- Sophia (Keller) Zuege - August 20, 1918
- Mildred E. (Zuege) Stute - Oct. 11, 1920
Haiglerites 80+
- Charlie Workman - March 31
- Cleo (Water) Palmer - October 1923
- Grace Adams - Jan. 26, 1923
- Laura Pearl (Woods) Wall - April 16, 1924
- Harold Brunswig
- Veda Douglass
- Kathleen (Zuege) Waterworth - Jan. 5
- Gene Pennell - October 10, 1928
Haiglerites 70+
- Dode Faylor - April 22
- Dwight Brewer - July 30, 1941
- Leah (Gregory) Brewer - February 29, 1940
- Delford Trembly - August 9, 1939
- Ed Card - February 27, 1938
- Russ Hoover - March 21, 1938
- Eunice Tucker - November 6, 1938
- Iona Samler Maupin - April 4, 1934
- Violet Relph - May 1, 1930
Haiglerites 1 - 69 (Some of these have moved past the 70 mark!)
- Aaron Irwin - May 7th
- Bernice (Smith) Douglass - February 15
- CD Samler - January 19
- Cal Freehling - November 29
- Claudine (Wiley) Sterner - June 8, 1940
- Dan Leinen - September 10
- Dick Gregory - May 29, 1946
- Elaine (Adams) Corkle - July 29
- Eunice (Gregory) Richard - December 14, 1951
- George Sharp - March 27
- Glenda Smith - December 31
- Janice Irwin - December 27th
- Jerry R. Sampson - August 17
- Joanie Henderson - January 2
- Joann (Adams) Webster - March 5
- Joie Brown - December 4
- Joyce (Tucker) Lovenburg - Sep. 17
- Karen (White) Lindell - June 13, 1946
- Karen Harford - May 20
- LaVern Smith - January 12
- LaVeta (Smith) Blecha - January 12
- LeNeta Carlock - May 7
- LeeAnn Steinbeck January 30
- Leone (Gregory) Carlson - January 27, 1943
- Lloyd Douglass - March 18
- Marlin Crouse - May 7
- Mel Fisher - August 8, 1946
- Paul Freehling - May 23
- Sally Leinen - March 25
- Sharna Richardson - January 15, 1959
- Sherri Gregory - January 20, 1945
- Stanley Carlock - December 12
- Tim Steinbeck January 31
GOC Observers
- Alice Gregory
- Barbara (Dexter) Platon
- Claudine (Wiley) Sterner
- Dallas Adams
- Dick Gregory
- Don Harford
- Evoi (Billy) Clark
- Gail Harford
- Gladys Freehling
- Glen Childers
- Hazel Daniels
- Karen Harford
- Leah (Gregory) Brewer
- Leone (Gregory) Carlson
- Lillian Mahon
- Lillie White
- Linda (Harford) Jones
- Lloyd Douglass
- Melba Harford
- Myrna Oster
- Posts about GOC
- Ray Harford
- Richard Gregory
- Sam Clegg
- Sherri Gregory
- Veda Douglass
- Virginia Harford
Flying Haiglerites
- The Haigler Flying Ranchers
- Andrew Ainsley
- Neal Clegg
- Sam Clegg
- Rex Daniels
- Lorenzo (Doug) Douglass
- Lloyd Douglass
- Roger Douglass
- Dean Erdman
- Paul Erdman
- Dick Gregory
- Don Harford
- Gail Harford
- Ray Harford
- Richard (Dick) Hoover
- Carl Nichols
- Arch Palmer
- Beanie Palmer
- Royce Stute
- Bev Tracy
- Bill Tracy
- Rex Tracy
- Dan Webster
- Les White
- Ben Wiley
- George Zuege
Haigler Twins
- Haigler Twins
- Laurene Rohn & Larry Crabtree
- Marilyn and Gerrald Logan
- Gail & Galena Roach
- Kyle & Kaleb Greenwood
- Ryan Jean & Lucas Walker Mildenberger
- LuAnn Green Wall and LuRue Green Krutsinger
- Edgar and Edna Williams - b. 1895
- William & Stanley Palmer
- Frank & Frances Tiff - (Shauer)
- Fernando & Mahala Trembly - (McBride)
- Donna and Dennis Workman
- Marlene and Darlene Workman
- Rodney and Ronney Workman
- Rusty and Randy Flamig
- Robert and Richard Ambrosek
- Chase & Seth Barron (Grandsons of Delford Trembly)
- Robert & Delbert Tucker (Alvie's)
- Ali and Alvie Tucker
- Albert and Elva Enfield
- Natalie and Nicole Harford
- Sharon & Shirley Williams
- Lloyd and Floyd Smith
- Jami and Joni Pevler
- Stella and Zella (Altman) Wall
- Janice & Julia Relph
- Pearline and Pauline Freehling
- Sharon Ruth and Sheila Louise Rose
- LaVerne & Laveta Smith
- LaVoine & LaVonne Smith
- Elois & Elaine Adams
- Dorothy & Donnie Brown
- Carolyn and Marilyn Samson
- Galena & Gail Collicott
- Grand-daughters of Rae White
- John "Keefe" and Kiara Grace Schorzman
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