Westby Remembered

I thought I'd post most of the remaining photos that I took when we were in Westby last week. Many more were put on Wednesday's Hodgepodge post (one post ago). The horses are in the valley west of Westby, just down the road a bit from the next photo (which I know you've seen before, but wanted to give you context):

The roads had been sanded by the time we got there, so they weren't too bad, but they had had an ice storm and I can't even imagine driving the truck on those treacherous roads in order to spread sand on them! Shudder!

An American Bald Eagle,
showing off for me

 More rust, more weathered barn boards.

I think this is an old haybine.
No longer in use.

I thought this was the most unusual silo!

The ancestors' house
It would be so tempting to try to buy it if it ever came on the market.
But the carriage house has been painted...
...
...
lemon yellow!
I couldn't bear to include it in the photo.

And here are the original owners/builders of that house,
the cheerful looking couple sitting in the front row,
Mr. C's great grandparents.

Just before sunset

Looking toward the sunset from Coon Prairie Lutheran Church
(featured on last Sunday's post)

Rejoice, everyone! It's March 2

and we've made it through the worst of the winter!

***


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Have a great weekend, everyone!

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So Great a Cloud of Witnesses

 Faith. Hebrews 11 and 12.

After writing about the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, the writer of Hebrews exhorts us:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart."

 Have a blessed Lord's Day, friends.

Claude and Maude c. 1893

I've been trying to figure out just which two children of the Timblin family are in this photo. Since John McClellan Timblin and his wife Mary Susan Sophia Hunt Timblin had one son, Claude, then I'm assuming that it's the sister closest in age to Claude, who is sitting for this photograph. That sister would be my grandma, Maude (Timblin Petersen Haselhuhn.)

The birth dates for these two are 1887 and 1889. Although the photo is undated, I think that the year 1893 fits, for if it had been taken later than that, the next child, Ruby, would most likely have been in the photograph also.

Poor Claude. He had six sisters! At least they wouldn't have been fighting over who gets the shower next.

I never knew my great uncle Claude, but I did have the privilege of knowing my great aunts: Ruby, Hazel, Jessie, Verna, and Bessie. Except for Bessie who died of cancer in 1967, my great aunts all lived to their nineties. I remember attending Great Aunt Ruby's 100th birthday party!

All of those great saints looked forward to seeing their Savior. What a blessing it is, to have such vivid memories of their hospitality, their generosity, and their faith in God.

Lloyd's Siblings c. 1923

Another amazing photograph of my dad and his siblings. These are the children of Victor and Lydia Nelson, before Lois and Elaine were born: Dorothy, Esther, Ruth, Merlin, Lloyd, and Donald. (My dad tells me that Dorothy's middle name was Mary. Esther's middle name was May. The boys used to tease them, singing, 'Dorothy Marry and Esther Might.' There's nothing new under the sun. :-) Lloyd, my dad, is the one looking forlorn, toward the ground. I don't know what his problem is. Maybe his eyes were light-sensitive. So that's where I get it!

I don't know that my grandparents thought of themselves as poor, for they were in the same boat as everyone else. Unlike some of the struggling souls who raised families during the Great Depression, they were able to provide food for their family because they lived on a farm.

Take a look at the house in the first photo. Then think of all we have today...and how often we still feel deprived. Somehow, my grandparents did a great job raising their kids and did it without TV, computers, cellphones, continual entertainment, and the latest fashions. They trusted God, went to church regularly, loved their children, worked hard, milked the cows, tilled the soil, baked their own bread, raised a huge garden, taught their children how to do all those things, and grew together as a family.

My father was a year old when the great Influenza Epidemic of 1918 ravaged the nation. Perhaps living in a rural community may have been the reason that the influenza didn't reach my dad's family.

How quickly we turn away from the values of our forefathers, and exchange faith in God for faith in the government. We demand that our neighbors supply our needs, rather than working hard and asking God's blessing on our efforts. We've forgotten how, or maybe never learned, the simple arts and crafts that were common to survival, that no one felt 'special' for having learned. It was just part of life.

I'm thankful for my God-fearing grandma and grandpa who passed along their love for God and their values and attitudes to their children. I'm looking forward to the day when I will have the opportunity to tell them so.

Do you have a special photo of someone in your family? Not necessarily an old photo, just one that means a lot to you. What makes it special?

John McClellan Timblin's Store

When my great aunts had an auction years ago, Kevin and I purchased this root beer jug and mugs which had been used in my great grandfather's store.

This post is particularly for Bobby, my dear friend and cousin, adopted sister and confidant. I came across this photo of our great grandfather, one of our great aunts, and a hired girl in Great Grandpa Timblin's store in Barron - where the root beer jug and mugs were used to serve customers.

John McClellan Timblin was born in September of 1862, after his father Isaac B. Timblin of Armstrong County Pennsylvania went off to fight in the great American Civil War. I'm not sure when John was named, whether his father chose the name after he returned home, or if a letter home instructed his wife Sarah McFarland Timblin to name the baby John McClellan. In any event, the middle name was chosen because of the fondness Isaac had for the general under whom he fought - General George B. McClellan. (Actually, it would be more accurate to say 'served,' since McClellan was notorious for not getting around to the fighting part.) And evidently my great-great grandpa's fondness for McClellan lasted longer than Lincoln's did.

Unfortuntely, although I do have a photo of Gen. George B. McClellan, I do not have a photo of Isaac Timblin. (Isaac...now wouldn't that make a great name for a baby!) :-)

The photo below is of my mom Maxine, far left, and Bobby's mom Ruby, far right. Between them are Margaret and Claude (Bud), their siblings. Evidently, Uncle Johnny, the youngest of the five, was in the house being spoiled by my grandma. I'm thinking the photo could have been taken c. 1927 or so, and that the photo of the store was taken c. 1910.

My mom had fond memories of Grandpa Timblin's store. I have no idea where the store was located, other than somewhere in Barron, Wisconsin. I wish I'd thought to ask her.

Be sure to ask your relatives for their family history. The time comes quickly upon us when those whom we wish we had asked are no longer with us.

A Rich Inheritance

Look at that little boy, proudly holding the skis he got for Christmas, 1927. That's my dad. What a cute kid! Now that little boy is nearly 93 years old and living in a nursing home. And actually, he's still really cute!

My father is not, nor has he ever been, rich in a worldly sense, but he most definitely gave me a rich inheritance. He taught me who God is and who I am. I can clearly see my dad and mom sitting at the table, reading the Bible and praying daily for their children, their friends, their pastor, and their church.

I learned by Dad's example that God is gracious and kind and 100% reliable. Dad never expected me to be perfect, but he certainly wasted no time in instructing me when I'd done something wrong. He brought me to repentance - and eagerly forgave me. And that's what God does.

I learned from my father that I am a sinner, that Jesus took all of God's wrath toward my sin on himself when he was crucified. Because of that great love for me, I am forgiven of not only my sin but also my GUILT. Jesus freed me from the bondage of sin and guilt. Only through Jesus do I have complete joy and peace in my soul! My Dad taught me that.

Even though it is I now who reads the Bible to him, rather than the other way around, Dad has a calm assurance that he is in God's hands and believes God absolutely. He's still teaching me by example. What a rich inheritance!