I forgot to tell anyone it would be a “skimpy Christmas.” I’m expecting a good time. I wish you’d come over. – Ina
“But, to come back to Christmas
again,” read Ina to Ethel and Sadie the next evening, as once again they
snuggled together before the blazing fire. “I think the best time I ever had
working for that especial time was that very first Christmas at Gilbert when
those little evergreens inspired me to attempt another something out of nothing.
I enlisted little sister Mabel’s interests, and we put in all those long, long
afternoons and evenings that otherwise would have hung heavy on our hands doing
things for the little folks. Remember how it surprised you and Bertha and how
after we had come and gone, tramping through the snow, Jack had you light the
lamp again and together you inspected our handiwork. I think there were some
funny-shaped eats in there, too, weren’t there? Well, anyway, it pleased all
the biddies, and the way you four Dobsons looked when we presented our trees
was pay in plenty. 
“And last but not least,” Ida
concluded, “you kept all those old Christmas things from the ‘gulch’ for some
time. I want to see them.”
“And that’s all Aunt Ida writes about
Christmas,” said Ina.
“That’s a terrific letter, isn’t it,
Gram,” asked little Sadie. “Tell me about the first Christmas here at the farm?
Did it happen just the way Aunt Ida said?”
“Yes, indeed it did,” said Ina.
“Grandpa Jack and I and Uncle June and Aunt Bertha were living together in a
little cabin down in the draw. We didn’t have a tree or gifts. It was enough
that we were starting a new life in this place. And Aunt Ida and Uncle Ed lived
nearby, together with my ma and pa. Uncle Ed didn’t like the homesteading way
of life, so he sold his farm in 1901 and moved his family to Drain, Oregon. Ma
and Pa left with them.”
“But you did like it here,
didn’t you Gram?” asked Sadie.
“Yes, your grandpa and I loved this
place and wanted to stay,” Ina assured her. And then, not wanting the child to
see how much it hurt when they left, Ina quickly announced that bedtime had
come once again. KW
3 comments:
Yes, I think it would have been less fun when people left. I’m sure having a community and the ability to help each other out with both labor and emotional support made it bearable. It would have been hard to be cold in the winter and possibly without water?!
Ida Dickson Patchen, Ina's sister, enjoyed writing. Her granddaughter, my second cousin, sent a copy of Ida's diary of the days when they packed up and left Gilbert. Ina followed as far as she could. They knew she was upset, Ida said, because she talked non-stop. (Silly, ain't I, but I'm about to cry.)
They went to a spring for water, so it's possible there wasn't much available if / when it froze.
Having family near is such a blessing. I'm glad Ina and Jack still had June and Bertha!
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