 |
| The Dobson Family, c. 1918: Julian, Vance, Myrtle, Ina, Shirley; seated -- Ethel and Earle |
THINKING OF THE CHILDREN
Out of the welter of Christmas plans comes this letter and
how I wish I were coming to you with it or better still that you were coming
home. No use to think of these things though, and I hope and trust you’ll be
with friends and be cheered and happy. –
Ina to her son Vance
Ina would have liked nothing better than to host a reunion of her family at Christmas, but it was not to be. This afternoon as she dozed in her rocking chair, her thoughts drifted to her children:
· Pearl, the eldest,
lived in northern Alberta with her husband and son. They came seldom, and winter
travel in the intermountain region was ill-advised if not impossible. They
planned to come next summer, and Ina looked forward to it.
· Ina could count on Myrtle,
plucky and independent, to get on the train and come home from Portland. Yes,
Myrtle would be here.
· Earle, a teacher in
Idaho Falls, spent his summer vacation with them to help with the farming. He
never came home in winter, but they needed him in the summer, so Ina accepted
his absence with grace.
· Ethel’s husband was in
government service and visits were infrequent, but Ethel loved Christmas on the
farm. She last visited the Christmas of 1930. Hopefully she would come again -- but
not this year.
· And Vance – Now, Vance
was stubborn about coming home any time of year, but in Ina’s view, he needed to keep in touch
with his roots. And at Christmas, Vance was a great asset to the festivities. When he
played the piano, the house was filled with rich-sounding melodies, and all were roused
to sing out with gusto. No, it just wasn’t the same without Vance.
“No
use to think of these things,” Ina said to herself. She was so grateful that
Shirley was with her. At 23, Shirley was efficient and dependable, and they did
have such fun together, preparing gifts, baking, and planning the holiday
festivities. KW
[Pearl was already married and living in Alberta when this family photo was taken.]
2 comments:
Did the other children play piano?
I know that Pearl played the piano and gave Daddy his first lessons. After that he took lessons from a woman who lived at Gilbert. (He showed me the place, but I don't remember now.) And Daddy taught his little sister Shirley, but I don't think she took to it.
Post a Comment