Making Mud Pies

One warm summer day when I was about five or six, Dad and Mother had to go to Burley, Idaho after something.  I was taken down to Uncle Vance and Aunt Vida’s place to play with Cousin Marilyn, while they were gone.  Marilyn was about two years older than I was. We played, swung on the big rope swing out under the trees in the back yard and had a good time.  Then we decided that we would make some mud pies.  We mixed up a nice batch of mud to make our pies or cookies out of.  While we were looking in the old root cellar near where we had our pies laid out we found a light brown tube of jelly like stuff.  When we mixed the jelly like substance to our pies it greatly improved the texture.  We would lay them on a board and pat them out and were certainly proud of ourselves when we looked at our array of pies.

When Aunt Vida called us in for dinner, hurried and washed our hands and cleaned up.  As we were eating, Uncle Vance asked us what we had been doing.  We excitedly told them what we had been doing and how good our array of pies looked.  We told him we found some of the best stuff to mix into our pies.  He asked us where we found it and what it looked like.  We said, “Down in the old cellar.”  Uncle Vance’s face went white, he got up from the table and went outside.  When he came back he told us we had been using dynamite.  It was some that Grandfather Lind had used years before.  It was old and had liquefied and even the slightest jar could have made the nitroglycerin in it explode.  Luckily he could find no more.

I’m sure the Lord was looking over us that day and had something more in this life for both of us to do.

The New Saddle and Bicycle

 When Douglas was about fourteen and I was about eleven, for a winters project, we ran a trap line and trapped muskrats in the creek.  We had good success with our new venture and caught a lot of muskrats and occasionally we would find a mink in one of the traps.  I don’t think either one of us kept track of how many we caught, but by spring we had a nice pile of pelts.  Every afternoon after school we would walk home along the creek and check our traps.  We would carry what we caught along with us.
 
When we arrived at home, we would skin what we had caught.  We had to be very careful and not cut a hole in the skin with our knives, as that lowered the value of the pelt.  The pelt had to be taken off the animal in one piece.  Then we would take the pelt and stretch it fur side in, down over a heavy wire frame that Dad had made for us.  Dad made us several of these frames, as sometimes we would catch several muskrats.  The skins had to dry for a week or more, then we had a place in the garage where we could store them.

In the spring a peddler came around and bought all the pelts we had.  Daddy supervised the
sale so I’m sure that it was a fair deal, that we got as much money that way as if we had hauled them to town and sold them.  When the deal was complete, we had enough money that Doug could order the saddle that he wanted and I was able to order the bicycle that I was hoping for.

Montgomery Ward’s was the catalogue that we used to do the ordering.  The pages were well worn by the saddles and bicycles.  After the order was made, then came the long wait for the articles to arrive.  About two weeks later our prized possessions arrived with the mail carrier, it was indeed a happy day.  That night we took the saddle to the corral with us when we went to milk.  After the milking was complete, we tied old Speck (a brockle faced milk cow) up to the corral fence and put the saddle on her.  Doug said, “Now I’ll ride old Speck as he got in the saddle”.  He was doing a great job of riding, when all at once Doug and the saddle both left the cow.  We looked at the saddle to see what the problem was, one of the three inch rigging leathers had broken.  The next trip we made to Burley, we took the saddle to Hoggan’s Leather shop and had the saddle repaired.  Doug never did ride old Speck.

My Hawthorne bicycle was red with white trim.  It had a speedometer on it so that I could tell how many miles I had ridden and how fast I was going.  The speedometer was marked in increments up to thirty-five miles per hour.  One day I rode down to the school house and was on my way home, when a brilliant idea hit me.  If I were to ride it up the Grouse Creek mountain, I could really come down fast.  As I started up the mountain, I soon realized that the road was too steep to peddle.  I pushed the bike about a mile and a half up the mountain, then got on the bike and coasted down.  Coming down was much easier than going up.  I really got going fast, in fact, I got going so fast that it broke the speedometer and it never worked again.

As I got older, I have thought about what a stupid thing that was to do.  I could have easily killed myself.  The bike was well used for many years as was Doug’s saddle.  Our trapping adventure that winter gave us enjoyment for many years.

An Answer To Prayer

(R-L): Grouse Creek Jack, Jenny (his wife), and their granddaughter

When I was about eight years old, Indian Jack and some other Indians came from Fort Hall, Idaho.  They were trading moccasins or gloves for deer skins.  We had some deerskins hanging over the beams in the shop.  Daddy traded for a beautiful pair of beaded gloves.  They were almost white, with beaded cuffs, that went about half way to my elbow.  I was super happy and proud to have such a beautiful treasure.  I was told that I should never wear them while riding the horse as the reins would get my gloves dirty.  I don’t remember if any other gloves were traded for at that time.  All I remember are the gloves that I received.

One day, I saddled up Eagle, our grey saddle horse.  I knew I wouldn’t be gone long, so I took my gloves to wear.  I hadn’t gone far, when I noticed that the reins were getting my gloves dirty.  I took my gloves off and put them in my hind pocket.  I kept feeling to make sure the gloves were there, but when I was about a mile from home, I felt and the gloves were gone, my heart sank, I was sick.  I turned Eagle around and rode back over the same trail, looking for my gloves.  When I got to where I had put them in my pocket, I had still found no trace of them.  I retraced my trail again and still no gloves were to be found.  I was really sick and frightened and didn’t know what to do.

I decided that if I was going to find my gloves, I was going to need to get some extra help.  I had been taught and had seen prayers answered before.  I got off my horse and knelt down by a service berry bush.  I pleaded to Heavenly Father with all the fervor I had, promising all the things I could think of, to please help me find my gloves.  I got on my horse and had ridden only a short distance, when I found my gloves laying right in the middle of the trail. 

There was no doubt in my mind that God answers prayers, He had answered mine, He has answered prayers for me many times since.

Fun at School

L-R Back: Marilyn Lind, Barbara Baker, Vonda Bird; Front: Dwain Lind (kneeling), Marvel Lind (standing), Noel Nelson (standing), and Doug Lind (kneeling).

When I was in about the third or fourth grade, and Douglas was in sixth or seventh grade, we had been having our lessons as usual.  During the noon hour, about six horses came down the lane by the school house.  Doug was in an adventuresome mode, as he generally was.  I don’t know who made the suggestion that we run the horses into the school yard, but the gate was opened and the horses were run into the school yard.  Doug said, “I’ll get up on the fence in the corner and you crowd the horses into the corner,” which we did.  Doug jumped off of the fence onto the back of one of the horses, I don’t know whether he got hold of the mane or not.  The horse was very startled and started running and bucking.  Doug didn’t stay there very long, but it was very exciting while he was there.  Laurel Hill, the teacher, was a little agitated and made us turn the horses out in the lane again.  I don’t know if any thing was said to the folks or not.

Update on Reunion information

We were able to get tickets for the Challenge Course, but there was only 1 ticket available for the Lake (for both Friday and Saturday).  We'll keep checking back for any cancellations. 

Information for PC Lind Reunion

We (Uncle Marvel & Aunt Junelle's family) are hosting the PC Lind Reunion on June 17th and 18th at the Heber Valley Camp directly east of Heber, Utah.  For directions, please click here.  There is no cost to stay at the cabins, but please contact us at mnjlind@gmail.com or at 801/878-9977 before June 15th to reserve a bunk for the night.  The bunks are plywood, so bring foam pads, air mattresses, sleeping bags, etc.

You are welcome to arrive any time after 2:00 pm and the camp rules can be seen by clicking here.  We will be staying at the Eliza R. Snow camp #1.  Interior photos of the cabins can be seen by clicking here. A map of the Heber Valley Camp can be seen by clicking here, but you will be given a copy of the map by senior missionaries located at the Welcome Center (entry gate) to the Heber Valley Camp upon your arrival.  At our campsite the pavilion is equipped with 2 refrigerators, sinks, grills, etc.  The pavilion is also equipped with indoor restrooms (with hot & cold water), but you will need to provide your own towels, soap, shampoo, etc for the shower.

We've made time in the schedule on Friday afternoon to visit the Legacy Lake Waterfront, please click here for more information and pricing.  Please note that we need to schedule tickets (and pay) at least 10 days prior to our check-in.  Which means that we need to know before June 6th if you want tickets for the Legacy Lake Waterfront and we need the money to pay for the reservations.  It should be noted that campers without prior reservations are welcome to check with their camp hosts upon arrival at camp and purchase any available tickets.  It is free to go to the lake and watch the other campers, you only need to pay if you want to be involved in the water activities at the lake.

If you would rather go for a hike, the Heber Valley Camp website has hiking information: Hike Route Sampler - hiking suggestions that originate in each camp, Hiking Trail Descriptions - a brief summary of what you will see on each trail, Hiking Times - a chart showing the approximate time it takes to hike from various locations around Heber Valley Camp, and Hike Plan - a required form that establishes a contact person while campers are on the trail.   The Heber Valley Camp trails host is to available to help campers plan hiking routes and advise them of any special situations. Our camp host can help you contact the trails host once you are in camp. 

There is also a sand volleyball court near our cabins and the camp hosts have a volleyball we can use.  We will also have a game of horse shoes set up.  We also have the option of doing a service project for the Heber Valley Camp.

Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm.  We will provide meat and homemade root beer.  Please bring potluck to share.  After dinner we will have a campfire, with time to visit and play games.  Quiet time in camp is designated from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am.

We will provide a full hot breakfast on Saturday morning at 8:00 am. 

We've made time in the schedule on Saturday morning to visit the Challenge Course, please click here for more information and pricing.  Please note that we need to schedule tickets (and pay) at least 10 days prior to our check-in.  Which means that we need to know before June 6th if you want tickets for the Challenge Course and we need the money to pay for the reservations.  It should be noted that campers without prior reservations are welcome to check with their camp hosts upon arrival at camp and purchase any available tickets.

Lunch will be at noon and we will provide a make-your-own layered taco salad.  Please bring potluck to share.

After lunch we will need to clean up the camp as directed in the Check-in/Check-out form.  There is also time for hiking, volleyball, visiting, horseshoes, etc.  We need to have the camp cleaned and inspected by the camp hosts before we leave.  We need to check-out before 5:00 pm on Saturday.

We look forward to seeing everyone there, please contact us at mnjlind@gmail.com or at 801/878-9977 with any questions.

• Please RSVP to Marvel & Junelle and let them know if you'll be able to attend before June 15th.  
• They also need to know if you will need a bunk for Friday night before June 15th.
• Money for reservations at the Waterfront and the Challenge Courses are due to Marvel and Junelle by June 6th.

The Old Ford

1919: L-R: John P. Lind, Lynn Clark, Philbert, Oscar & Laurence

On the ranch, in the shed below the road was an old 1916 (?) Ford Touring car, which used to belong to Grandma (Emma) Lind.  I think that it was the one that Uncle Oscar bought and after his death became the property of Grandma.  I don’t know if she ever drove it, but none the less it belonged to her.  Anyway many a happy hour was spent as a young boy as Doug and I pretended to drive the dusty old car.  It had a fold down top on it, four doors and two leather seats, the top was never put down.  I don’t remember if we were ever bank robbers, but we would chase the bank robbers and try to catch them.  Sometimes I would even get to pretend drive and that was very exciting.  We would get to go to many different places on exotic vacations, anyplace that our minds could think of to go.  It was a wonderful old car.

When Oscar was about 16, Dad told the boys they could have the old car if they could get it running.  Oscar and Dwain were the chief mechanics, Doug figured he was as good of help as they could find and Me, I was a good shade tree mechanic, most of my ideas went by unheeded.  After all I was only eight or nine and to older brothers didn’t know much.

The car was pulled out of the shed and work on it started in earnest.  First we got the motor running, because if the motor doesn’t run you can’t go very far.  After the motor was running and bands in the transmission were going, then we decided what to do with the body of the car.  It was decided to strip it down and make it into a pickup type vehicle.  The body was cut off behind the front seat, the back seat and the top were discarded.  A wooden platform was built on the back behind the seat that we could sit or stand on, so now we were ready to try it out.  The tires were no good as they had rotted while sitting in the shed, so the maiden voyage was made on the rims.

One of the interesting things about our “hotrod”, was that it had a Ruxstell gear in the differential.  This was kind of a low speed gear when you pulled on the floor mounted shift lever, giving it a two speed effect, high and low.

After we got tires on our auto, we were able to drive it all over on the roads at the ranch.  Oscar even taught me how to drive it, which I really appreciated.  We took it fishing, coyote hunting and one time we even decided to drive it to Grouse Creek to the 4th of July celebration.  There were about six of us that piled on to it and we were off.  Dwain was the chauffeur for us on that eventful day.  We putted down the road and up the mountain, as we started down the other side everything was going fine.  We came around Lower’s Curve and down to Poison Creek, as we were going down the grade by the creek, it started to pick up speed.  Dwain pushed on the brake and nothing happened, he tried everything he could think of, nothing worked.  We might make it around the gentle curve 1/4 of a mile ahead, but there was no way we could make it around Scott’s curve on ahead and we would go off the grade and down the hill.  The only alternative at this point, was to try and go up over the bank on the left and up the mountain.  Dwain grabbed the Ruxstell gear lever and gave it a hard pull, as he did this, every thing on the car seemed to work.  The sudden jerk almost threw us off, but we had been saved from serious injury or worse.

We went on to Grouse Creek and spent the day visiting with our cousins and friends.  The rest of the day was relatively uneventful.  The trip home was made in good order.

Oscar and Dwain went into the Army in World War II, Dad, felt sorry for a family with several boys in Moulton and gave our car to them.  They got it running and had lots of fun with it.  Us boys were really not very happy campers over the situation, but all turned out well in the end.