Part 5 of Grandma Birdean remembers Grandpa Joseph Stickney
Grandpa Stickney seemed to enjoy farming and that was his life. He raised beautiful work horses and he kept them well groomed and well fed. There were new colts and calves being born every spring, and everyone in the family had work to do. Grandma and Grandpa - Annie and Leatha were twins, Leona, my mother, William, Ivan, Albert, Julius, Edna, Sadie and Rowena.
My mother, Leona, had a great sense of humor. How she managed to develop it is a mystery. Everyone else in that family were stern and un-smiling. Life was to be tolerated - not enjoyed!!
Mother told me that her mother did not like her, so she spent most of her time outside, working on the farm with Grandpa. When thrashing season came, all the farmers helped each other in turn until all the wheat was thrashed and put in bins for winter.
Mother helped in the thrashing. She lifted sacks of grain and carried them on her shoulder and and emptied them in the grainery for winter use. She worked in the barns and on the farm doing the the work of a man.
Mother did not look like the rest of the family. She favored Grandpa. They both had coal black hair, while the rest of the family had brown hair.
Mother said Grandma did not like her, though she did everything she could to please her. One day Mother and her sister Edna were arguing in the house. Grandma hit Mother in the mouth, and knocked her front teeth loose. Mother went down to the barn to wash away the blood in the water in the horses trough. Grandpa came out of the barn and said " What happened "Leonie?" She said, "Mother hit me." Grandpa was angry. He went in the house, and confronted Grandma. Mother did not know what was said but from then on Grandma made Mother's life miserable.
Mother started having young men noticing her at this time. She was so pretty, with coal black hair and big brown eyes.
She was always smiling and she had a wonderful sense of humor. One young man wanted to take her dancing, and after getting permission to go, she decided to make a new dress for the occasion. She worked diligently at sewing a new outfit to be ready for the special night.
Some of the family made fun of her and said, "If your boyfriend sees how terrible that sewing is, he'll never take you out to dance again."
Mother turned the dress wrong side out and hung it on the front gate take sure he did see her stitches. Now she was a young woman, she had dates and she did indeed go dancing.
This ends Grandma's remembrances of Grandpa Stickney
