Snow Storm 1983

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