Dad's Diary June 10 & 11

June 10
1934 - Hot today. Buck Stanton, Jack Reva and I went riding. Spot flipped Jack. Saw some buckarooing in the corral.

1935 - Kay doesn't seem to be getting any better. Was pretty warm today. (I don't know what was wrong with her - m)

1936 - Kay, baby and I went to the show "Wagon Wheels". Working across the creek digging ditches.

1937 - We bought Oren's car for $165.00. Paid $65 cash and $13.90 per month. Visited Dan.

1938 - Dr. Johnstone was there today. Saw a salmon jump at the drift below camp. Arthur ate supper with us.

June 11
1934 - The Hocketts came up last night. We all went up P-16. Robbed studs 50 cut. (I dunno - m). A nice warm day. We have 105 men in camp.

1935 - We had another first aid meeting this evening. Kay is still in bed.

1936 - Dr. Johnston pulled my tooth so I laid off today. A trout broke my leader this evening.

1936 - Went over to Mike's for eggs. A few showers. Today's work of cleaning up seemed awful long.

1938 - Sultry today. Had to spend the PM on the tower.
- - - - -
2009
Yesterday my sister, I haven't seen her since last year, came by with her husband. We sat around visiting, and eating cake. We talked about something that happened over 60 years ago. I thought it was something I remembered, but what I remembered wasn't exactly what happened.

We spent the summer on the Eagle Butte Fire Lookout. It is located just a few miles north of the Agency and is very, very HOT in the summer. Rattlesnakes hung out in any shade they could find, including under our water tank. She was about 7 so our older brother must have been about 9, leaving me to be about 1, so what could I remember! Anyway, she said there was a tire swing tied to a juniper tree. She was sitting in the tire as my brother twisted it around and around. As he let the tire go, as she was 'unwinding', her long hair was caught in the rope. My quick-thinking brother grabbed her and held her up as they both screamed for our mother. Eagle Butte tower was quite tall so it took her a while to come down.

Mom ran to the house, grabbed a butcher knife and headed for the kids. My sis told me that was almost as scarey as the hair twist - seeing her mother run at her with a butcher knife! Mom cut the rope just above where the hair was twisted into it. Gloria always wears her hair short now.

I had heard this story so long that I thought I remembered it but I couldn't have because if she was 7, I would have been 1. After the Eagle Butte Lookout, Mom started spending summers at Shitike Butte Lookout. I remember that one well, I spent many a summer there. We had a tire swing tied to the tower. That was the swing I recalled, but she said that wasn't it. She should know!

Mom was pretty good with a knife! One time she was cutting vegetables for a salad. My other brother was watching her. She asked him if he was interested in making a salad. He said "No, I want to see you cut your hand." She chased him outside and around the house with the knife. What a woman - what a brother!