EARLY FARMING ACTIVITIES

At this time, we milked cows by hand, morning and night, using a kerosene lantern for light. Milk had to be carried to the house to be “separated.” The cream separator was in the pantry room of our home. This machine had to be turned the correct speed to separate the cream from the milk. Then the skimmed milk had to be carried out to the hog house where it was mixed with ground corn and oats to feed to the hogs. The cream was sold in Lennox. Washing the separator was not my favorite indoor sport. The “plates” had to be washed separately and kept in proper order. In summer, I did this chore outside.

Feeding the hogs.

Sometime during those early years Grandpa Plucker did fix up the barn a bit. Nothing fancy, but we were satisfied. Later a new hog house was build and later still, a new garage.



   

Fixing the barn.

 Laundry in the early days was OK as long as the Briggs and Stratton motor would start to power the wringer washer. We had an older building near the house for this chore, called a “wash house.” There was some kind of heat, I suppose a kerosene heater to heat water for the washer and heat the room. Clothes were hung outside and finished drying in the house in winter.

Stacking the bales.

Plowing the snow.

 

My husband was an ambitious farmer; he acquired new machinery – some second hand and a lot of it new. We had hogs, milk cows and stock cattle. And – let us not forget the chickens. Every spring we ordered 1000 baby chicks from a hatchery. For several years I sold eggs to the local grocery store and a nursing home in Sioux Falls. Lots of time was spent cleaning and grading the eggs so the customers would be happy.

Chickens in the brooder house

An opportunity came along to purchase a big electric egg cooler. It would hold eight cases of eggs. I wonder how many people found spoiled eggs during the time before we had the cooler. To make things easier we also had a milking machine and bulk milk cooler which helped to do the chores more efficiently.





 

Farming more acres seemed no problem to Eddie; he managed to get bigger and better equipment. After the boys were through high school we sold the milk cows. What a relief! No more twice-a-day milking. No more cleaning the barn, washing the milking machine and cleaning the milk house. The milk check was nice, but perhaps the egg check would buy the groceries and clothes. (I’m always looking for a bargain!)




A Grain Combine

 

 Cutting oat silage.

 

1984 Auction Sale.

THE FAMILY GROWS

June 30, 1948 our first child was born. I had no idea what it would be like. The first indication of birth was water breaking all over the kitchen floor. Scary! Eddie’s sister, Marie, was with me while Eddie and Dick went to Men’s Chorus practice. I don’t remember who went to tell them to come home – there was no phone. Dr. Volin came to our house and after assessing the situation said we had better get to the hospital ASAP! Dale Allen was born at 12:20 a.m. and weighed seven pounds and five ounces. We were in the hospital for six days I think. What a joy that little boy was; he was happy and chubby.

Farming was going along well these years with cows to milk, pigs to feed and chickens to raise. We were thinking about having another baby – and soon, baby number two was on the way.

Weather was a big problem the winter of 1951. A lot of snow fell the first week in March. Eddie and a neighbor scooped our driveway open by hand so we could get out if necessary. Sure enough, we were driving to the hospital between “car high” snow banks. Kenneth Lee was born on March 5^th at 3:15 a.m. He weighed seven pounds and seven ounces. Ken was a happy-go-lucky kid afraid of nothing. Both our boys were born 10 days early. Coming out early didn’t seem to bother them at all.

Life went on happily and we decided to try for a girl. We put in our order and Faye Doreen was born on September 15, 1955. She weighed eight pounds and three ounces. She was a screamer at first and I suppose somewhat spoiled. She had that bottle until she was almost two!

It was 1959 and we had two boys and a girl. Where to put everyone? They were getting bigger. We had the attic space finished with sheet rock, new windows and a closet put in and then there was still room for storage. The boys were thrilled to have a larger room.

Lots was going on it seemed. Oops! I’m pregnant again! We were looking forward to another baby, hoping for another girl, of course. I thought it was a neat way to get out of teaching Sunday School. I had been doing this after Faye was old enough to go to Sunday School.

I could have felt better. I thought, “Just keep going, it will get better.” Somehow I had a premonition that something was not quite right. My doctor said I was fine – just pregnant.

Our baby was due in February, but Nola Dawn was born on January 6, 1960. She weighed six pounds and twelve ounces. She was termed a “blue baby” perhaps with a heart condition. She remained in the hospital for five weeks. We went to see her every day until we could take her home. What a day! It almost seemed like we had adopted her since she couldn’t come home when I did.

During these years of raising the kids, we enjoyed baby-sitting services from both sets of parents.

Baby Nola presented some problems that our pediatrician was concerned about. He suggested Mayo Clinic to have her heart condition checked out. The first trip was in March, 1960. I think two more that year. We had appointments to go to about every year and a half until she was twelve and that was the last visit. Nola was finally diagnosed with Noonan’s Syndrome – not heart related.

Faye had gone with us and touring the clinic she became interested in health care, later going to the Vocational School in Mitchell, SD. Faye became a Licensed Practical Nurse, the equivalent to a nurse’s aide.

 

THE DeVRIES QUARTETTE

 

 

The DeVries quartet was singing a lot in those days. They practiced every week at one of the homes. Darlene Friese was their accompanist. We had a piano! We also had a new cook stove, a new couch, a bedroom set, a used oil burner and a kitchen cabinet that my parents gave us. We were at home in our cottage.

I also played the piano for church services that first six months or so. My mother at that time was the regular pianist. Soon after that Bernetta Plucker Nogelmier Berens was chosen to be the church pianist/organist and has had that position for over sixty years.

The next year, Grandfather Plucker’s 160 acre farm became available – the very same farm where my parents had lived nearly 20 years earlier. On March 1, 1947 we moved there to live and love for the next 38 years.

 

The Germantown Men's Chorus
Dorothy DeVries, Accompanist
Wiert Eekoff, Pastor