Savage Senior Citizen

A newspaper article from right before my grandmother passed.

The Savage Senior Citizen organization began the spring of 1973.  In the beginning the group met at various churches with 10 to 14 members.  In 1976, the new firehall was completed with room to accomodate the senior citizens.  In 1979, the organization purchased the Madsen Hardware building.  The purchase was realized by a grant, their savings and generous donations.  The center is still open at this location today.  The center serves congregate meals every Thursday at noon, with coffee and goodies which are ready by 9:30.  The Savage Senior Center is an active group, participating and supporting many Savage activities.  Presently, the center has 60 active members, including fifteen over 80 years of age and four over 90.  We are very proud of our center and thank the ten members who began it in 1973.  Back Row L to R: Edgar Fisher, Sandy Ler, Elmer Inhoff, Normal Etzel, Bob Koeppler, Jean Odenbach, Leonard Odenbach, Vivian Reed and Frank Reed.  Front Row L to R: Madeline McVay, Luella Hafeman, Gertrude Chance, Melda Asbeck, Violet Ronningen and Pat Suit (Submitted by Terri Miller)

It's Good!

Memories of Grandma Madeline.  In her things my mother found this Kid's Kooking Lesson #4 recipe for Fruit Basket Upset involving fruit cocktail (which I despise, by the way.  I'd make it with real fruit now), bananas (peeled and diced), and mini marshmallows.  The min marsh note took me a while to figure out, although in retrospect it makes sense.



This is the amusing part - according to Grandma it's my salad and, "Its good."

Grandma

My grandma passed away a few weeks ago, just before she turned 98.  Her goal was to make it to 100, and we were all sad she didn't make it to a big shindig with all the family like we'd had for 95 and 90.  My cousin and aunt and mother cleaned trailer while my sister and I tagged along to the conservation office for fallowing land, the lawyer, the accountant, and the bank (and the funeral home).  And a lot of dinners.  Although if you've seen one dinner in Sidney, Montana, you've seen them all.  Not a lot of culinary diversity.  Just not a lot of diversity at all.  While I was spending the night in the trailer - a short night thanks to the roofer at the church who starting shingling at 6:00 a.m. in the rain - I took some pictures of the pictures in one of the albums.  They're not great, but I wanted to get them out here for my sister and any family that wants them.

Grandma and Aunt.


Grandma with my Aunt and Uncle


Allison with Grandma in 2002.


A card I sent my grandmother that she kept (I think she had all her cards from ever).  It's disturbing that I didn't comb my hair until I was four.  Particularly as I seldom have to comb it now until the end.


My grandpa and grandma at the Williston Amtrak station, which is how Allison and I got to Sidney and back.  On the way back, we met someone from Kenmare waiting at the station, just down the road from my other Grandpa in Donnybrook.  She didn't remember much of Donnybrook, but told me she liked small towns and the dances, like when she'd gone to the dances outside of Sidney, Montana, in the early 80s.  Which means we were likely at the same dances as it was just down the road from my grandparents' farm.





Dinner with my folks among others.


This was probably her 95th or 90th birthday party.




Excellent picture.  My cousin says this was down in Tucson.  They look pretty happy.


The picture of Don and Madeline I always think of when I picture them.

Forgotten Grandma Photos

I don't think I posted this after the trip from Denver to Sidney, as Pooteewheet pilfered some of them for Facebook, and that can trick my brain into thinking I already said something about them.  But better late than never, particularly as my father can find them online and share them with her.

While we were getting grandma settled into the trailer, Eryn set up her sculpture garden for her.


The squirrel in the front is new.  When we were at the grocery store, Eryn picked out a new addition.  She had several choices, but felt the squirrel was best.  Grandma was exceedingly happy to get a new animal that Eryn picked out herself.


A different view.


Eryn also got a new sweatshirt.  I was worried that it was white.  And too big.  But she's always growing, so the size wasn't as big of an issue.  It looks really nice on her and she looks just like an official Sidney Eagle.


Grandma (Great Grandma) and Eryn right before Grandma drove us to Williston in the rain storm that later turned into several inches of snow.  I believe there's an 88 year difference between the two of them.  Pretty neat to have a great grandma who's still moving and can hang with you at that age.

Denver - Oskar Blues I

Eryn and I flew into Denver today to meet my parents and grandmother so we could drive my grandmother back north to the farm in Montana.  Usually we'd head down to Tucson to pick her up, but time was tight with ballet (Eryn, not me), so we only had Sunday morning through Saturday morning to make things happen.  We were still going to head down to Tucson, but my parents wanted to see more of Eryn, so they met us in Denver to trade grandma.  The best thing about that is the beer.  I haven't been to Denver before (just skirted it), and haven't even been in the area long enough to tour a brewery before, so this was my big chance.  I'm not talking about Budweiser and Coors.  I'm talking about good breweries.  Odell.  Great Divide.  Oskar Blues.  Breweries that are like Surly and Summit.

Today we went to Oskar Blues.  Unfortunately, it wasn't doing tours on Easter.  But the restaurant was open, and the guy who was on his way out of the brewery to bike stopped long enough to sell me some G'Knight from the brewery and let me look around for a minute.  Hell of a brewery.  The focus is beer.  Bikes.  Kids.  Fun.  I'm jealous.  That's what a job should look like.

This is a flight from Oskar Blues restaurant, just up the street from the brewery.  Couple of IPAs on the list.  One is 10% and smells like it's made out of crushed flowers, there are so many finishing hops in it.



I liked the flight so much I took a second picture with my stout in the foreground.  As a second beer, I had a glass of TenFidy.  That's like drinking concentrated Guinness.  It's got some real chew to it.


I know this is fuzzy, but vaguely readable, in case you want to know what was in the flight.  Check out the % on the alcohol.  Might as well be drinking two beers for every one.


Ingenious use of a keg.


Eryn trying to "pick up" the keg.


A better attempt.


When that didn't work, she went to a straight fashion shoot.


Girls' bathroom.  Flashdance is how you could tell.  What a feelin'.  I must be peein'.

Vacation, Day 3: Sidney, Montana

Day 3 was Grandma's 95th birthday. Easy to remember as we were out there for her 90th five years ago. We celebrated at the same place, the Elk's Lodge, where my grandpa was a member. I don't know if Dad was a member (of the Elk's). I know he was a DeMolay boy. I know because Grandma always say, "Johnny was s DeMolay boy." I don't know what his rank/level/office was, but if you're a member, doesn't that imply you're an organist?

Pictures of grandma over the years. There's a nice interview with her from 1995 here. Holy crap, that was 15 years ago. Grandma was only 80 then!

The grandkids. Zoom in so you can see my brother's face (in the orange shirt). Looks like he's being goosed. I bet it's Thomas' fault (in the maroon). Completing the back is my cousin Gary. Front is my sister, Grandma (if it weren't obvious), James, and Kristy.

The whole fam damily, including spouses and great grand children.

Ronnie, who used to live with us when I was younger. He does computer consulting in Sidney. I suspect he doesn't have much competition.

My family with Grandma.

Mom and Grandma. Pooteewheet was disturbed that I had relatives at this event who were cousins who were married to each other (not pictured here). Not second cousins. First cousins. During our trip, the fugitives from Arizona were on the loose, and they were first cousins who were dating. It was disturbing to Pooteewheet that a.) it wasn't just criminals, and b.) my relatives had compounded it by having a child (with developmental problems). I pointed out that we only attend these things every five years and we don't really deal with all of my relatives in the interim. For good reason sometimes.

Eryn and my mom playing catch the dragon.

Grandpa John wants to get in on the action.

Ollie and Artie, my nephews.

The great grandkids with grandma.

Eryn playing cards with my brother, Andrew. I can tell you what Eryn is thinking. "YOU'RE A CHEATER! YOU'RE A FUCKING CHEATER! YOU POS, YOU'RE DEALING YOURSELF THE SAME DAMN CARD OVER AND OVER OFF THE TOP OF THE DECK JUST SO YOU CAN FINISH UP BECAUSE YOU'RE AFRAID YOUR NIECE WILL WIN. I HOPE YOU DIE. I WANT TO HELP YOU DIE. THIS IS WAR, AND IN WAR THE UNJUST SHOULD NEVER PREVAIL. I CAN CUT YOU WITH THIS CARD. I CAN KILL YOU WITH IT. YOU'LL BLEED OUT HERE ON THE FLOOR OF THE LOYAL ORDER OF THE ELKS, MIXING YOUR BLOOD WITH THAT OF YOUR CHEATING ANCESTORS. DIE DIE DIE CHEATING UNCLE SCUM!!!"

The kids with grandma. My Aunt Joanne is missing as she died of cancer many years ago, but they look like a happy group.

Eryn's comforter that Grandma made her with the ballerinas on it. Ellen wanted us to show it to Grandma, but I don't know if she ever got to see it. We'll send her a picture just to be sure.