Early Childhood Memories

(Beth, Ruth, Ellis, Nada)

I loved going to church! Putting on a Sunday dress and pretty shoes has always been my joy. But when we got to church, we could sing songs!

I loved music from the very first. Since Dad was in the bishopric (for 15 years straight) my older sisters and Mom tried to keep me reverent. It was quite a task, they told me.

I thought when singing time came, I could sing one of my week-day songs. One of my favorite was, "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny." It went something like, "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, how you can love! Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Heaven's above."

Well, when I would start singing that song, one of my family would put their hand over my mouth. Now why would they do that on Sunday, when during the week they enjoyed hearing me sing it? I was only 2-years-old, but I can remember how I loved singing in church!

(Ellis, Ruth, Beth, Nada)

We rented our upstairs to various school teachers and young couples. One summer, a little girl my age moved in. Her name was Arlene Burger, and she didn't have clean speech. She taught me so many new, colorful words that seemed to escape from my mouth during singing time in church. One I can remember was "Boo-see". Mom never let me sing that word either, as it meant "Bull sh--". So there was another no-no. What different rules we had to follow in church...

(Nada with Margaret Holman 1941)

After my little brother Dan was born on June 17, 1942 (one day after my 4th birthday), my favorite job was to babysit... with a real live doll! I pulled him all over in our little red wagon; even out to the potato field and through the orchards. 

(Nada and Mom with Baby Dan 1942)

One day when Dan was 2-years-old I took him for a ride out to see Dad and ducked under the fence, but forgot to have him duck his head. The barbed wire cut his lip, and I cried harder than he did. 

Another time I was showing Dan how to feed the rabbits, and after the carrot was gone the rabbit kept chewing on his finger. It bled and bled and required stitches. I remember how we all spoiled and nursed him back to good as new. He has those scars still today.

I had a wonderful childhood in Plano. Such wonderful places to explore... out in the apple orchard, out among the animals, and with Snappy, our dog. He always followed me around as if to protect me. When we would go to the well, he knew we would fill his water dish.

(Nada with Snappy)

I had so much fun cleaning out Dad's old pig houses. They were tee-pee looking small wooden houses, with even a window in them. I told Dad he must have raised pigs so I could have so many play houses.

Of course, I didn't play alone. We lived miles from any of my friends, so I had to invent some playmates I could play with every day. Their names were Keith, Jean, and Boyd. I took them everywhere with  me.

One day, my mom sent me to the store (about 2 and 1/2 blocks) to get some butter. When I got half way home I was tired of carrying it, so I sat it down by the mailbox and told Keith, Jean, and Boyd to bring it.

When I got home, Mom asked me where the butter was, and I replied, "Oh, Keith, Jean, and Boyd are bringing it." Needless to say, I had to go back for it and just about got a swift kick with it.

Many times when I was setting the table for dinner, I put three extra plates on it for my make-believe friends. My family always knew who I had invited to come to dinner. They went along with my make-believe friends amazingly well.

I also spent hours up in our storage room, where we kept old magazines, reading endless stories to Keith, Jean, and Boyd. My friends were great company, as they never argued about what games we would play or what stories I would read to them.

Even though Beth, Ruth, and Ellis were years older than I, I have always felt very close to them. They let me tag along most of the time, except when it came to Saturday night baths.

Mom always had me and my little brother Dan bathe first. Then we would go into Mom and Dad's bed for story time with Dad, while Mom supervised the girls' baths.

Ellis was busy for hours carrying water in to heat on the kitchen stove. I always felt they wanted to get rid of me when bath time came along. I could hear them talking and laughing around the kitchen stove and felt I was left out. But Dad made our Saturday night stories fun. He would let Dan and I make tents under the blankets while he read to us.

My family were avid readers. I remember one year we all saved our money and bought a six-volume set of classic stories. All of us counted the days when they would come in the mail. One day, Dad announced that we were to meet the mail man at the end of the field because he had a special delivery box. 

So we took our red wagon and followed Dad through the field and waited for the mail man. How excited we were for weeks, enjoying the new books we had saved and earned for. 

We always had good literature in the house to enjoy. One of my favorite stories, called "Tick and Tock," was written by my mom's childhood friend, Arta Romney Ballif, and was published in the book "A Story To Tell."

Since it was such a family tradition to spend our evenings reading, I have always enjoyed having a good book by my bed, and have loved reading ever since.

My sisters taught me how to make Hollyhock dolls. They were bright pink flowers that grew by the north side of our house. They were the size of sunflowers, only the petals were silky in texture. Mom was always running out of straight pins, as we had to pin the dolls together.

When I was five-years-old I had my first birthday party! I invited 2 girls with dolls, and 3 boys to be the "Dads." It was such fun planning it, only the boys were more interested in the merry-go-round than playing house. Mom fixed us pigs-in-a-blanket and home made root beer. They all went home happy.

(Nada's Fifth Birthday 1943)

The first time I remember calling on the Lord for help was when I was five. I had just received a beautiful ring for my birthday and lost it. 

After looking and crying, I remembered I hadn't asked Heavenly Father to help me. So, kneeling down by our back step, I pleaded with Heavenly Father to help me. After looking some more, I found it. I know it was a direct answer to my prayers. Since that day, Heavenly Father has answered many childhood and adult prayers.

(Winter in Plano 1943: Nada on Ellis's Skis)

I got a beautiful blue table and chair set the Christmas I turned six, and would set my friends and Hollyhock dolls up to it for tea parties. Once Grandma Silvester came out and surprised us, and of course she was invited to our tea party. What fun memories that day.

(Grandma Silvester 1944)

Another time I remember a surprise visit was when Grandpa Silvester caught a ride to Plano with the mail man and hid behind the door. When I came home from school he jumped out and scared me. He entertained us with his mouth organ (or harmonica), then we ate his peppermint candy he always carried in his pockets.

(Grandma Silvester 1940)

My beloved Grandma Silvester passed away in 1945. I got a new store bought suit (first one ever) for the funeral. It was gray and had little red and white flowers embroidered on the vest.

(Dan and Nada 1945)

With mother's inheritance money, we got our first refrigerator and piano! How excited we were to have music in our home with a piano, a radio, a telephone, and now an electric refrigerator! 

1945 was also the year that World War II ended. We had gone to Idaho Falls about the time when the temple was dedicated. While in town we heard sirens, screaming, people crying, horns blowing, and flags waving. 

I was very frightened, as Mom started to cry, and I thought the world was coming to an end. She quickly explained that the war was over! No more sugar and gas rations, among other things.