The Family Cookbook
Culinary Heirlooms
3 twenty four

        Hello food fans! I just want you all to know how close you came to being subjected to my poetry. This recipe arrived yesterday, in the proverbial "nick of time," giving you much to be thankful for. In fact, a brief "Thank You" note might be in order to Merna Hellevang from all of you, as she has delivered you (at least temporarily) from a fate worse than knock-knock jokes! Bad poetry!

        This recipe is easy to sink your teeth into, so tuck your bib tightly into your shirt and prepare yourself for:

Merna's Blissful Beef Roast

2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1 cup hot water

Mix ingredients together and pour over a 3 to 4 lb. roast which has been browned.
Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours in a covered roaster.

Pour the following mixture over the baked roast:

1/3 cup ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. pickle juice
1/2 cup brown sugar

Return to oven for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy.

The sauce would also be delicious on ham.

        Sounds simply scrumptious! Thank you, Merna for another great addition to our fine and ever-expanding Family Cookbook!

        What the future holds is up to you. Don't make me break out the Haiku; then we'll all be sorry! See you next time.

The Migration of Our Young

I have been hearing of some very strange traveling patterns in our young eligibles. Not long ago someone told me Weston was headed for North Dakota -- er ~ make that South Dakota. I guess it was Chris that was trekking to North Dakota.

And then there is Tami, now that is a wide ranging girl -- she IS from North Dakota but first I hear she is in Washington, then Wisconsin and then in Central America, now in New York and I think there is more than education involved there.

Now the latest traveler appears to be Heidi Kaye -- I heard from my sources that she has been spending a lot of time on the move -- first she's in Missouri, then Colorado and why in the world she flew to New Mexico (after just visiting there with her folks) is more than I care to guess about! Now those in the know tell me they have noted a new resident (well maybe a visitor???) at the Johnson home in Long Lake. STRANGE!!!! *

And by the way -- to change the subject a bit......... Who was that beautiful blonde that Doug was seen with at Dassel Dairy Days? My informant said she looked vaguely familiar!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE WE WILL BE HAVING LOTS OF NEW PEOPLE IN OUR FAMILY GATHERINGS -- SOON!

* I think I should be able to snoop out a few pictures as evidence for the family -- to appear in The Bulletin before long! Watch for the September 21 Issue of The Bulletin.

Memory Lane

Country Living
by Dorothy

It was in the summer of 1940 that Uncle Curtis came for his visit. It was a very good time for the farming community in our part of Minnesota. We had gotten safely through the depression and were on the mend -- everything was rolling our way, or so we thought.

My own perspective of my surroundings was one of complete satisfaction! Just two years prior to that time the REA (Rural Electric Association) had brought electricity to our farm. With that and the return of better times, it was now possible to purchase a few nice improvements. The refrigerator now made it possible to keep our food cold (or even frozen) without having to lug it to the tank cooler. (Now that is another story.) And the electric range made it safe and easy for me to use for baking, or even to be left alone with the jam making. And, of course, we now had lots of plug-ins for our electric clocks, lamps, etc.

When Grandpa Mellon had remodeled the house on his farm, he had been very modern for his time. He had put in a pressure system to deliver water to the house. My Dad often wished that it would have been brought to the barn, too. He had bought a new furnace and then installed a boiler jacket, which heated the water to steam, which traveled to radiators in every room of the house. As they had no electricity to run this system, he had a windmill installed and an auxiliary gas pump was also hooked up to the pump, for backup when the wind didn't blow. This system was working fine in that summer of 1940.

Another item that we had always had as far back as I can remember was the telephone. It was the kind that hung on the wall and had a receiver attached to the side. You would pick it up and ring a long and two shorts for the Wrobbles. If you needed to call town, you would ring one short to contact "Central," who would connect your plug on her board to the receptacle opening on their line, and then she would ring the right number of shorts and longs for their phone. Now, of course, you do realize that there were no private lines -- so it was pretty interesting to listen in on the other parties on your own line. (That is as long as Dad didn't catch you at it.)

When I was writing about the Peachy Day I did wonder why my grandparents didn't call and let us know they were coming. I suppose, being that was long distance and one didn't spend money on that type of call unless it was VERY important, they just didn't think it necessary!

In the year I started 8th grade, our school district had just been consolidated with the Howard Lake School District. The bus had picked us up at the end of the driveway last in the morning and let us off first in the afternoon. (This had been a agreement my Dad as a schoolboard member had extracted in exchange for sending the school children to Howard Lake instead of Cokato.) A car was sent to pick us up in bad weather times, if the roads were too wet or snowy for the bus to make it. Very convenient!

I had liked my 8th grade year. To me it was so nice to find that I had made lots of great friends and that in almost every subject I was ahead of the class. The exceptions that come to mind were Music & Home Economics. I had no background in either one and had a struggle catching up to the rest. I must admit, too, that my Phy. Ed., handwriting, and spelling skills were certainly not above average!

In the years between starting grade school and starting Junior High School, my Dad had progressed from farming with horses to what we all considered modern methods. He and Mom had been able to choose a 1937 Chevrolet to replace the old Model T Ford, and they also purchased our first tractor, a Fordson. Now that Billy was working for Fritz Main, he was eligible for discounts on the things Fritz and Lillian sold, so he decided to escape a chore he despised. To that end (and because he was a thoughtful son), as payment for board and room for the year, he bought Dad a Surge milking machine.

A celebration would have been in order for Mom and me the day that the milker arrived -- as we were freed from our perennial chore of milking. (We were the two that didn't do field work and who had strong hands and wrists, so we had been designated milkers for the summer months -- starting when I was 10). I don't think Mom ever milked another cow after the advent of the machine to replace her! And though later I did learn to run it to Dad's satisfaction, I really don't remember doing it much (until Don and I were married -- and that is another story, too.)

One other thing that came about because of Billy's establishing a good relationship with his boss came when he was instrumental in giving Dad a chance to get a newer and more versatile tractor. An opportunity presented itself to buy an Allis Chalmers C (I think), which someone traded in. Billy spoke for it and then hurried home to take Dad to look it over. Fritz gave him a "good deal" -- so the men thought -- and we were soon the proud owners of a nice, shiny, orange tractor.

Fritz lined up all the necessary equipment to be used by the new tractor. It was all pieces that had been traded in by other buyers, but to us it was new and wonderful! When the truck delivered it to our farm, Modern Farm Living had arrived at our door!

The Dam
by Don

My memory was taken back as I read a note regarding a water dam on our grandparents' land near Great Bend. Perhaps you younger ones wonder what happened to it as I am sure you might of noticed.

If I recall (I heard the story over and over told by different people), the bend on the Wild Rice River near the home of Gustav and Rose Berndt was selected as an ideal site to build a dam to hold back water that was so precious in the dry 30s. This was at the time our country was on the way to recovery after the Great Depression.

President Roosevelt was instrumental to get a few work programs going. The one selected for this dam project was WPA (Works Progress Administration). We kids called it "we poke around" as it contained lot of inexperienced and lazy workers. The pay was very low, but some families made good use and later climbed out of the welfare status.

Two years were spent in bringing this project to completion. It was beautiful; sightseers come from miles to view it. Grandpa was very proud of it. He enjoyed folks coming and just gazing at it. Us kids would fish for bullheads from the river bank and have picnics near the dam. At night on a still evening one could hear the water going over the dam, a relaxing feeling.

I think it was built in 1937-8. Along in 1940 a disgruntled neighbor and good friend who was jealous proceeded to have it broken up because he had an excuse that it was hurting the water level on his farm.

I am not sure who actually blew it up, if it was under a court order, or if someone took it upon themselves to do it. Grandpa was very heartbroken for a long time and I wonder to this day if he ever forgave the neighbor for his unkindly act. The explosion took place at night, I understand, and this would tell me it was not a lawful act. I remember Grandpa had a hard time going by the broken dam and he had to drive by it on his way into the farmyard.

Now if there is anyone out there that could add to this story, come forward. I am quite sure it is like I remember it. My Alzheimer's is not acting up right now as I recall this incident of over 60 years ago.

Submitted by Don Anderson (Eldest Grandchild of Gustav & Rose Berndt)

Gust 1877-1956
Rose 1882-1964