Chapter
8
Family Reunions and Gatherings
Family reunions was another favorite time that I looked forward to. Every year we had a Frost/Warner Reunion usually at the Heyburn Park. It was an all day affair with lots of food. In the afternoon there was a program where our talented cousins would perform. There were always kid's games with prizes to win. But most of all, there were the aunts, uncles, and cousins by the dozens. Aunt Faye was always my favorite aunt. I think it was because she was the only person that ever made a fuss over me. In later years, our reunions were just the Frost family. We also had Dayley Reunions. I don't think we ever missed either of these reunions. We were very close to both families. I have always loved my cousins.
It
was always a real treat when any of the Grandparents came out to
stay, or when we went in to stay at their houses. When we stayed at
Grandma Frost's house we got to sleep in a wonderful fluffy feather
bed. We loved to hear her tell us stories of when Daddy was a little
boy, about the mountain lions, cougars, and even wolves and other
animal plus the Indians that roamed their neighborhood. We just
couldn't get enough of her stories. The little kids always begged her
to take out her false teeth. When she would flip them out of her
mouth it frightened them.
Dayley Reunion, 1941. Back row: Thelma, me, Eunice, Lois Dayley, Maxine Dayley, Nelda Dayley,
Dorothy Dayley, and Myron. Middle Row: Irma, Sherell Dayley, Lorna, and Marian. Front: Gerald,
Ronnie Moore on Grandpa Dayley's lap, David Dayley, Grandma Dayley holding Lonnie Peck.
When we stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Dayley's we slept on the couch in the front room. Above the couch was a long shelf that held a wonderful clock. The clock ended up in our family. Gerald got it running perfectly. I enjoyed hearing those beautiful chimes each hour. Grandpa would tease the daylights out of us, usually over boys. We didn't dare mention a boys name or he was our “Beau”. Lots of times I would miss the afternoon school bus, just so I could stay with one of the Grandmas. Grandma Dayley also had a marvelous pump organ that we loved to play. We as a family, often wonder what happened to it, no one seems to know.
Aunt
Jeannette and Uncle Henry Rasmussen lived in Springdale, two miles
straight east down the canal bank. Bertha, Betty, and Delbert were
their only children. We spent a lot of time up and down the canal
bank and at each others houses. Lorna and I would play with Bertha
and Betty. Gerald and Delbert were the same age and lifelong buddies.
The Dayley Family - Standing: Aunt Daisey, Aunt Jannette, Mother, and Aunt Nina.
Seated: Uncle Slim, Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Myrl.
One night Uncle Hen (as we called him) and Bertha were both away, Lorna and I got to sleep overnight with Betty. Betty slept between us. Just about the time that every one got to sleep the coyotes started to howl. That was a new sound to us and we were awakened and very frightened. They sounded like they were right outside our window and we thought for sure they was going to come in and eat us up! The more they howled the more frightened we became. Lorna said “Celia” I said “Lorna”. This went on for some time because we did not want to be awake alone. We woke up Aunt Jeannette and she yelled, “You kids shut up and go to sleep!” So we reached over Betty's sleeping body and held hands and every few minutes we would squeeze hands. That went on most of the night. We were not so anxious to sleep there after that.
I
was happy when our teenage aunts would come out to stay, Daisy, Nina
and Ruby. They were kind of silly. They always brought their makeup
and would some on us. Daisy had lovely long painted fingernails. One
day she went to sleep in the car and had a hand sticking out the
window. I snuck up with the intent to cut off her fingernails, but
woke her up. It is was a good thing I didn't get the job done or I
would have been chopped meat. They liked to ride the horses and
bikes. When they started dating they didn't come out as much.
The Frost Family in 1935: Back row: Daddy, Uncle Earl, Aunt Christena.
Middle: Aunt Nettie, Aunt Elva, Grandma, Aunt Cora, Aunt Ruby.
Front: Aunt Faye, Aunt Florence, and Aunt Pearl.
The town cousins, Garth and Jack Dunlap and Jay Drussell really liked to come out to stay. It was okay as long as we had time off from working in the field. When we had to work Daddy put them to work along with us kids. Then it wasn't so fun and they wanted to go home. Glen and Dale Owens also came (Glen more so). Once they rode their bikes all the way from Jerome just to stay a few days. He had a crush on Thelma, but she didn't like him that much. He also liked Eunice, they were just two months apart in age. But Eunice didn't pay very much attention to him either, as she always had her nose in a book. That didn't seem to bother Glen as long as he could ride the horses. He would like to have traded his bike for a horse.
My Grandma Dayley was a plump little lady in her older years. She loved flowers and planted all kinds around her little house out on the farm next to my parents. By then her hair was white and very long, down past her waist. I loved to watch her brush it. She took a lot of time doing so. She would put it over her shoulder and started at the top and brushed the full length over and over then twist it and roll it up into a bun that covered the back of her head. She had a very large lump under her right ear. It was a goiter "enlargement of the thyroid gland", and enlarged as she aged. She passed away 30 December 1957, at the age of 83. My Grandma Frost was also a stout lady, her hair remained dark all her life. She died 1948 the age of 75. Grandma Frost and Grandma Dayley were born1day and 1 year apart.