BC : Created by Rebecca Harding Orr September 2012 | This collection of tales is dedicated to my grandmother Jennie , for making me feel I was her favorite grandchild ; my uncle Glenn , for always making me smile and , man , can he weave an awesome tale ; and my father Keith , for too many reasons to list . Each has touched my heart in a special way . I am deeply grateful to be a member of the Harding Family . 3 : William John Harding | Bill was born November 10 , 1907 in Raymond , Alberta , Canada . His parents were John James and Helen Christina ( Palmer ) Harding of Utah . He married Jennie V Johnson on April 26 , 1933 in the Cardston Alberta Temple . He died on January 5 , 1982 and is buried in the Taber Cemetery . Life History - in his own words The earliest recollection I have of anything in my life , is crawling over my mother 's feet as she lay on the bed . I don 't remember anything else until I was about 4 yrs old , when I found myself living with Uncle Reed and Aunt Sarah Harding . There was a little girl about my age next door . I used to play with her whenever I got the chance . I was told to stay away from her place , but I 'd sneak over once in awhile . During this time I was given a small hammer as a present . It was magnetized and would pull the nails out while I was trying to drive them in . I remember one day I tried to nail myself inside a box . Uncle Reed and Aunt Sarah were a newly married couple with their first child . Their daughter Olive was born while I lived with them . One day they left me alone with Olive and I fed her some salted peanuts that I had . I sure got in the doghouse for that , but the peanuts didn 't seem to hurt her . 4 : My dad came from Provo , Utah , which was a good place to come from , and he worked for a while on a canal , herded sheep for a while , bought a small farm north of Raymond , courted my mother and married her . About this time , my father got the homesteader fever , and as homesteads were up for grabs in Taber district , he came over here and got himself a homestead . Sometime during this period , I was born . My mother wasn 't very happy about leaving her family and friends and coming over to this den of iniquity , and away out in the lonely prairie . The General Authorities of the Church at that time were not favorable toward immigration to Taber , and there was a house of prostitution down by the river . About a month or so before my youngest sister , Helen , was born , a man in Taber shot the place up and killed a person . Dad had a two - room house built . There was a enough room in the attic for a bed , and I used to sleep there sometimes with the hired man . The first time I slept with him , he pulled the covers off me in the night . I nearly froze and was afraid to wake him . That was the last time anyone ever pulled the covers off me . I learned to get the bed covers in my hand and tuck them under my shoulder , and always turn so as to pull the covers around me . My memory only goes back to when I was living with Uncle Reed . However , I remember stories that were told about me after my mother died . I guess I was inconsolable . Uncle Leslie Palmer said I cried steady for two weeks . A 3 yr old child couldn 't remember why his mother went away and left him . I expect that experience left an indelible mark on my psychic , making it difficult for me to give whole - heartedly to people . I always held something in reserve subconsciously . I don 't intend to get hurt like that again . My sister Helen , who was born when my mother died , was raised by my Grandmother and Grandfather Palmer . Iola stayed with a neighbor , and dad tried to keep me with him , but it didn 't work . I started living with Uncle Reed . They were pretty good to me considering I was the5 : Additions ( continued ) - Bill never went past Grade 10 in high school because he was needed on the farm so badly . But he did attend the Raymond School of Agriculture for two years in 1927 - 29 and graduate . He studied Agronomy ( soil and plants ) , Animal Husbandry , Physics , Math , English , Science , Chemistry , Carpentry , Blacksmith and Welding , Bee Keeping , and Auto Mechanics . Once he wrote an essay on sugar beets and won an award of $ 25 . - One summer Bill wanted to get a way for a while so he bought a round trip train ticket to the Calgary Stampede . When he left the train station , he locked his suitcase in a locker , and then when he returned at night he would get his suitcase , find an empty boxcar and change into his old clothes and sleep over night . The next morning he would change back into his good clothes , shave in the washroom , and then put his suitcase back in the locker . This way he had a good time without spending a lot of money . He always loved to go the Stampede and see the displays . And he never liked to spend a lot of money . - Bill took many parts in plays . One of them he took the part of a detective and Witt Harris was the villain . They took this play to Grassy Lake and when the end came and Bill grabbed his gun to shoot the villain , Jimmie Jensen jumped up in the audience and shouted , " Shoot him again ! . " - When Bill was living home with his family he seemed to enjoy music . He took violin lessons for a while , played a flute very well , and was a master with the mouth organ . His folks had an organ and he did pretty well on that . Later he mastered the art of getting heavenly music out of a saw , playing it with a violin bow . For all the Seventies parties and other programs he was asked to play his saw , and he usually had a lot of good jokes to go along with the entertainment . - Bill married Jennie V Johnson in the Cardston , AB temple on April 26 , 1933 . - He was very quiet and , like his father , not easily riled . He was very peaceable and would not take part in any hostility . Once an Indian slashed Bill 's thr6 : From top left , clockwise : Rose Hannah ( Francis ) Johnson ; Frank Milton Johnson ; Frank ; Jennie , Myrle , and Leo ; Baby Jennie ; Jennie and Rose ; Jennie , Leo , Myrle , and Frank ; Beautiful Jennie and Leo . 7 : Jennie V . Johnson Harding | Jennie was born July 7 , 1908 in Taber , Alberta , Canada . Her parents were Frank Milton and Rose Hanna ( Francis ) Johnson . She married Bill Harding on April 26 , 1933 in the Cardston Alberta Temple . She passed away on September 15 , 1999 at the age of 91 years , and is buried in the Taber Cemetery Life History - As written by Jennie , herself I was born on the 7th day of July , 1908 , in Taber , Alberta , Canada , in a little small house in the northern part of Taber . My mother almost lost her life , and I was almost strangled to death , because the chord had wrapped around my neck . After I was born and revived and my mother was out of danger , I guess my father was very much relieved . When I was blessed , I learned that my father carried me up to be blessed under his arm like a sack of potatoes , and my mother was very amused . When I was 1 . 5 yrs old , my father was called to serve a mission in West Virginia . My mother took me and moved in with her parents and took in sewing . My father paid for his own expenses on his mission ; he had saved up quite a bit of money , had sold his property before he left , and purchased a piece of land in Mapleton , Utah , where he built our home two years later . 8 : My mother had a baby boy , who was still born . This baby was born on October 1 , 1912 . It seemed awful to me to see that sweet little baby lying there so still and cold , and we were very saddened . We did enjoy our new home , and soon my parents planted many things around it - fruit trees of all kinds . We had a big porch with banisters on the sides , and as I grew older I used to run and leap over them onto the ground . My parents took me to a circus in Provo one time , and I am told that an ice cream man came around and wanted to sell me an ice cream cone . My mother said , " No " , so he whispered in my ear to cry for it . So I did , and I got it . I think I must have used this method quite a bit in my lifetime . We went to Canada for the winter in December 1914 . My brother Leo Frank was born . My mother was sick most of the winter , and I suppose my father had his mind on her most of the time . One time , on the way to church in the buggy , I fell out and he went on without me . When I came in the church crying , he was very surprised because he had never missed me . In early spring we went back to Utah . The irrigation ditch ran right by our house , full of mountain water . It was the most wonderful place to play . Big tall , beautiful trees grew by the stream , grass on the banks , and moss in the top of the ditch , little waterfalls , and pools that looked deep . I used to spend so many pleasant hours playing there , dreaming my dreams . It was always shady and cool . As I got older , I 'd read by that stream , do my fancy work , or crochet , the sounds of the stream trickling along , the rustle of tree leaves , the birds singing . Oh , to go back to my childhood and to feel as I did then . It was all so much a part of me . My father purchased some homestead land on top of a mountain , up in Spanish Fork Canyon , just above Thistle . We used to go up there and stay for a week at a time in our one - room cabin . When I was quite young my father would go to Billy 's Mountain a lot . One time my mother was standing in front of the stove , building the fire for su9 : One of my childhood friends was Stella Hatfield , and she had a brother named George . He was deaf and dumb , and it was hard for him to make himself understood . He could only squawk hideous sounds , and he used to go quite crazy at times . One night , when my father was away , we heard George coming because he was making those awful noises . My mother had locked the doors , but we were still afraid . We knelt down in prayer . My mother prayed for a long time , asking the Lord to bless George and calm him down so he would go home . She really prayed for our protection . He finally did calm down and went home . We had a hard time sleeping that night , but we were so thankful . When I was 8 years old , my mother bought me a nice dress , it was all white with eyelet lace . I thought it was really elegant . Also she bought me an expansion bracelet and a locket . Then she curled my hair and put a pretty ribbon in it , and then we had our picture taken , Leo and I . I suppose the big occasion was my baptism . I was baptized in Hobble Creek on August 6 , 1916 . We often had time to take fishing trips up in the different canyons , and many times we stayed over night . It was so wonderful to camp out under the stars at night , to be able to hear the trickle and murmur of the brook all night long , and hear the horses as they chewed their hay and stomped around . I loved this more than anything else we ever did . My mother loved it too . She would put the baby in a box and read or do some kind of sewing or fancy work . It seemed like they were peaceful , lovely times . We had wonderful Christmases at our home . Father loved to play Santa Claus . He was always the town Santa . He always sounded so jolly and real , and used to play such tricks . One time he hung his stocking , and I hadn 't noticed there was a hole in the toe . The next morning all the goodies for the stocking was on the floor and the stocking was empty . One would never know what they would find on Christmas morning . One morning , while father was out doing the early morning chores , I heard Santa come10 : being nice to me . She bought me something to eat . I felt happy and secure . We went up the canyon to their camp , which wasn 't very far , and I enjoyed the rest of the summer in this beautiful canyon . I learned many valuable things from my father . He tried to live a righteous life of honesty and keeping the Lord 's commandments . His example for me was nearly perfect . His life was mostly spent in ' doing good for others ' . He set patterns for me that I will never forget in teaching me the things that were best for me . I loved him very dearly , but he missed my mother so much , and I think he was very discouraged at times . He was not so happy , and I noticed this more than ever this winter and it made me sad . As I look back on my early life with my parents and brother and sister , it seemed so short and so long ago , but it is still very real to me . And the great love that we had , and the fun and pleasant things we did , and how much our dear parents desired we children should grow up and love the Gospel of Jesus Christ . They taught us many powerful and important lessons in the short time they had with us . In the last remaining years of my father 's life , I suspect I was one of the reasons he had so many worries . I was spoiled , there is no doubt , because my father always gave me whatever I wanted . I just had to do a little coaxing . And I knew he loved me . Still at the age of 16 , he would hold me on his lap and call me " Little Jennie " . In January 1925 , my father became very ill . He was sick a long time before he finally gave in and went to bed . He had been cutting trees down and sawing them up for firewood . Uncle Lewis came and did his chores and Aunt Alice came and stayed at my father 's bedside day and night . My father had suffered a great deal , and I had stayed up all night with Aunt Alice , and the next morning he called me in . He took my hand and told me to be brave , and to take good care of my brother and sister , and remember my mother 's words to me before she died . He told me that his whole life had passed before his ey11 : Now I was beginning to get very interested in Bill Harding . I was going out occasionally with Bill . There was something special about him . He had a car and he was so handsome . When he looked at me with those gray eyes , I almost flipped . Iola was one of my best friends , and it was due to her that I could see Bill oftener , because , naturally , I went down to her place to visit her , but I guess I couldn 't help it if Bill happened to be there . The next summer , Bill was a away shearing sheep . I thought he had another girl , and so I decided to go to California with Cloy Francis to stay with Aunt Mabel . I left Taber thinking I would probably never see Bill again . I saw many beautiful things in California . I couldn 't seem to get Bill out of my mind . We did correspond , but he didn 't seem to write back very promptly . And although I read between the lines , and I was sure he loved me , he didn 't exactly write it out . But I used to meet the mailman faithfully every morning and be disappointed so many times . When I went to the dances , and was dancing , I used to shut my eyes and imagine it was Bill . I could never seem to have any interest in anyone else . I guess it was hopeless . I was in love with Bill . In 1932 , I came back to Taber , and surprised Uncle Ted and Aunt Eva . I had been in California for two years . I was so glad to be home . I enjoyed the courting days with Bill , and at Christmas he gave me a string of sparkling crystal necklace . I always just loved it . On April 26 , 1933 , we were married in the Cardston temple . That was a day never to be forgotten . I felt the presence of my mother and father there that day . I am sure that they were as happy as I was . | In April 1927 , I left for Canada . Uncle Ted Francis had been wanting me to come to Canada to live with them and to help them . I decided to go because my little sister was up there and it would be so nice to be with her again . It took three days by train to travel from Salt Lake City to Taber , but it was a pleasant journey . When we arrived , the wind was blowing very m12 : 1 . Blaine 2 . Blaine and Joan 3 . Glenn and Joan 4 . Jennie and Joan 5 . Bill , Glenn , Joan , and Blaine 6 . Joan ( Blaine in window ) 7 . Glenn 8 . Going to Church 9 . Jennie , Bill , Blaine , Glenn , and Joan 10 . Blaine | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 13 : Jennie : In 1939 , Bill purchased a rubber tired wagon drawn by our team of horses and that 's how we got around . The next year , in 1940 , Bill 's father purchased a big Farmall tractor . When the weather would permit , we used this tractor many times to go to Church on . Bill held Joan on his lap . Glenn would stand just in front of the steering wheel and hold on to a bar , and Blaine and I would stand on the back . Glenn : " I remember going to Church on the tractor . It was cold and I thought I would freeze to death before we ever got there . " Joan : " Sunday mornings when we were snowed in , the days before snow plows , Dad would pull his warm clothes over his suit and walk the five miles to church through the snow drifts and cold . He loved to go . I remember one time , I walked with him . I followed in his footsteps . It was important to try to step in the same places in the snow that he stepped in . There is symbolism in this too . And I have always tried to follow him . I 'm so grateful that he was following the Saviour . " Jennie : In 1942 we got our first truck so now we had a way to go to Church . Glenn : " I remember riding in the back of that truck with Blaine and Joan going to church . It was cold and dusty as could be , and we 'd be covered in a layer of dust by the time we got there . Later on dad built a little kind of dog house in the back for us to get in out of the wind and most of the dust . It helped a little , but we still had to clean ourselves off when we got there . " Jennie : Wadena School closed up in 1946 and our children then rode on a school bus to the Taber School . Glenn : " The bus only came as far as Sekura 's corner and we walked the half mile to catch it . Lots of days when the weather was really cold and the wind was chilly , we 'd freeze our ears , cheeks , and even our fingers . They 'd turn white with the frost , and when we got to the house and started to thaw out we 'd end up with the chillblains . HOH that used to hurt . The school bus never came the same time each day either . Some days we 'd get to the corner14 : 1 . Glenn 2 . Blaine , Glenn , Jim , Joan 3 . Jennie , Bill , Jim , Blaine , Glenn , Joan 4 . Joan 5 . Jim 6 . Blaine , Joan , Glenn , Jim 7 . Jim and David | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 15 : Dear Myrle ; I shouldn 't tell you this because you are liable to grieve so , but I have just experienced the most horrible thing I have ever been through in all my life . Our home at the Dry Farm lies in ashes this morning amid practically everything we and Iola owned . Oh , I just can 't think . Everything races through my mind so fast and so cruelly that I can hardly stand it . Yesterday , I was home alone with my children , and I built up a wood fire . The wind was from the north , and I forgot and let the fire go up the chimney . Every other time in my life I have gone out to look at the roof to see if everything was alright and this time I didn 't . I must have worked around for five or ten minutes , and I went in the front room and it was full of smoke . I dashed upstairs and it was true ; I couldn 't believe it . Everything went blank before me and I was panic stricken . I thought for a minute I would drop , but then I decided I had to come out of it . So I dashed down and got two buckets of water , but I couldn 't reach the fire from there because it was on the roof and in the loft , so I dashed around to the left side of the house and carried the ladder . Then I crawled up twice with water and tried but it was no use so I carried the ladder around the other side and carried three buckets of water up there but I must have known all the time it was futile and I had wasted all that time , so I ran and got the children out . Then for just a second again , I wanted to give up the ghost , but I fought with myself again and went to work , and how I worked . I prayed God to give my strength and I know he healed me . And oh how I prayed for someone to come . First of all , I drug Iola 's china closet and dishes out and broke some of the dishes , then her silverware . Then I ran for my cedar chest and grabbed Iola 's rug as I went . Then I threw pots , pans , kettles , tubs and things out the window . I went upstairs and grabbed what clothes I could and the dirty clothes too . Then I carried what bedding and mattresses I could find and I tho16 : 1 . Jim , Bill , David 2 . Joan 3 . Jim 4 . Blaine , Jennie , Joan , Glenn , Jim , David 5 . Jim , David , Keith 6 . Jennie , Joan , Bill , Blaine , Jim , David , Keith 7 . David 8 . Jim 9 . Keith 10 . Glenn and Blaine 11 . Keith 12 . Jennie and Joan 13 . Blaine and Glenn 14 . Blaine 15 . Blaine and Bill | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 17 : Jennie : These were the war years , and we had a very hard time being able to buy the things we needed . Underwear , stockings , socks , and material were the things we needed most . It was a real struggle . Most of the time I had to darn and patch constantly . We were rationed on many things . We had to have German prisoners come and do our beet thinning , hoeing , and bean picking . The guards , accompanied with a gun , came out in the field with them . We paid them so much a day , and they worked better if we gave them special things to eat . I had to boil water for them three times a day ( for their coffee ) and usually fed them sandwiches and cookies . There were 20 prisoners picking beans and 10 doing our beets . These men sure liked Glenn . It was just one and a half months away from the time I was to have a baby ( Keith ) . It was a great burden to have to spend so much time taking care of the German prisoners and my family . I wasn 't well , I had swelled so badly , and it was miserable for me . I was lucky enough not to go into the hospital until we were almost done our beets . Glenn : I used to go out with mother to give the prisoners the food . I remember how they would pick me up , play with me and tussle my hair . I loved it , but the guard did not like it . He would shout his warnings to the prisoners . I remember thinking , " why is that dumb old guard so mean ? " Jennie : We were also rationed on sugar , and so that year Bill went into the bee business . Glenn : First dad put the beehives west of the house about 50 feet . We couldn 't even go to the outhouse without being chased and stung by bees . I remember mom giving him an ultimatum , " Bill , either you move those hives or I am going to burn them ! " He moved them . I remember the first honey harvest we had . Mom and dad would take the honeycombs frames and put them in the oven on cookie trays . The honey would melt off and they could pour it into jars . However , the beeswax would melt too and it would float to the top of the jar and form the perfect seal . When we started to have our own honey , 18 : 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 . David , Keith , Jim 2 . Keith 3 . Keith and David 4 . Keith 5 . Blaine , Jim , Joan , Glenn , Keith , David 6 . Harding children at Cameron Falls , Waterton AB 7 . Grandma Mollie Harding , David , Jennie , Keith , Jim , Blaine , and Glenn 8 . Keith , Bill , David 19 : 7 | 8 | Glenn : Dad was different somehow . I honestly think he was comfortable with silence . I think he , for the most part , chose silence . And I 'm going to tell you why I think that . But before I do that let me say that dad could handle himself in conversation very well . He could express himself with the most profound clarity I 've ever heard from any man . I 've heard him give talks in Church that were absolute masterpieces . Members would reflect and talk about their experience with dad 's talks for months afterwards . Dad played the saw . I don 't know how many of you remember that or even knew that . He was pretty good at it too . He was asked on a number of occasions to entertain at Stake Social gatherings . Dad developed a humorous routine of jokes and stories along with playing the saw that would send the audience into gales of laughter . I watched Doug Miller at one of these Socials , laugh uncontrollably so hard that he fell right off his chair into the aisle . A couple of men had to help him up he was so weak from his laughing . Maybe some of you , maybe all of you that can remember dad , will remember some of the incredible bits of wisdom or the amazing lessons that he would teach you from one simple sentence or phrase . I 'll never forget the lesson taught when my sister Brenda , requested a Priesthood Blessing , A Father 's Blessing , from dad . Dad felt very humbled and honored to do it but requested a couple of hours to prepare himself . Eventually he came down stairs into the livingroom where we were waiting . I was surprised to see him dressed in his Sunday best clothes . He placed a chair in the center of the livingroom and then he simply said , " I 've done everything I know how to do to make myself clean . I 've bathed and washed my body . I even cleaned under my fingernails . I 've combed my hair and shaved and put on my very best suit of clothing . I 've spent about an hour and a half on my knees repenting and pleading to Heavenly Father to forgive my weaknesses and to let me enjoy His Holy Spirit as I give this blessing . " T20 : Glenn : We had lots of chores to do on the farm every night and morning . I don 't think any of us enjoyed it very much either , especially in the early mornings . Us older boys would take our frustrations out by maybe pulling , yanking , or squeezing the cows teats a little too hard . But Keith who was a little too young to milk yet , would take his frustrations out in a way more dramatic and entertaining way . Every morning he would chase a calf that we kept locked up in the corral until he caught it . Then he would wrestle the calf until he could get it in a headlock , and then he would bulldog or wrestle the calf until he could throw it down on the ground and then just maul this poor calf . He was just acting out what we all felt . It was the most entertaining thing to watch . Everyday Keith would catch this calf and wrestle it to the ground . After a few minutes he would let the calf up and it would run away , and Keith would chase it again and repeat the process . After about a month of this daily beating up of the calf , it finally got smarter . When Keith would finish mauling it and then let it up , the calf would just lay there and refuse to get up again . And it really got smart a few days later . Whenever it saw Keith coming out into the corral , it would just lay down flat on the ground and play dead . This took all of the fun out of it for Keith , and he left the calf alone after that . The really amusing thing about this story is that about a year later Dad wanted to sell the calf at market . I was assisting Dad to load this great big steer , and it was refusing to go in the chute to be loaded on the truck . We poked it , prodded it , twisted its tail and did everything we could think of to get this animal on the truck without much success . Just while we were vigorously prodding and pushing , I noticed the steers head come up and its eyes get wide , like a light just came on in his brain . Without a moment 's hesitation , the steer laid down right there in the chute just like Keith had trained it to do a year earlier . It was the 21 : 1 . Brenda 2 . Joan , Brenda , Keith 3 . Keith and Brenda 4 . Brenda 5 . The Harding Children 6 . Blaine diving 7 . Blaine 8 . Joan 9 . Harding Family 10 . Keith ( Spotty on left ) - note all the tongues hanging out ! | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 22 : Joan : The fall of 1951 was a terrible year for the sugar beet industry . It is still today recognized by farmers as the worst year of all time . Winter came early . The ground was partially frozen early in the season . It was unusually cold and irritating to the beetworkers . Blaine , Glenn , and I stood bundled up against the cold on the back of the International Sugar Beet Harvestor at 5 o ' clock in the crisp , chilly morning . Because the ground was partially frozen , the escalator belt not only brought up the sugar beets , but it also brought up great frozen clods of dirt attached to each beet . If the beets hit the belt with a thud before , it was now a clobbering . You wouldn 't want to get your hand under it . There were great poundages of sugarbeet - dirt clods bombarding the moving belt , sending up large , billowing clouds of dirt and dust . Not knowing what else to do , we breathed the dirt while we worked . We didn 't only have to top the beets , we had to get the dirt clods off . It was hard , dirty work ! It was going to be this kind of work continually from then on for the rest of the season . The farmers were desperate . There was no let up from the cold and frozen dirt . We had breakdowns more often . The Harvestor had to work harder and slower . We were kept out of school for more than a month that year . Our working days were longer . We had to work morning , afternoon , and late into the evening in a race to get our beets up before the big freeze . We were doing 16 hour days . I would get home for supper , look in the mirror , and see a black face . The dirt caked in my eyes , my nostrils , my mouth , my lips , and settled on my skin generally . There was one night when we got home late at night that I just fell on the floor and went to sleep . Everyone else headed straight for bed . When I woke up in the morning , I was on the floor , still dirty with my dirt - laced face and hands , yet called to begin another 5 o ' clock morning . It was the harvest from hell . In all of this , I do not believe that anyone ever complained . Mother was an 23 : 1 . Jim , Keith , Brenda , David 2 . Bill 3 . Keith , David , Brenda , Jimmy James Edward Hoe Handle Humperdink Harding ( as so lovingly named by Glenn ) | Glenn : When I was a kid growing up , nobody had indoor plumbing yet , especially in the country . Even quite a few in town still used the old " Out House . " One of the favorite Halloween tricks kids would play was to sneak into the yard and tip these toilets over . Well , one Halloween night I was with the Layton boys ( don 't remember if Blaine and Joan were there or not , probably were ) , and we went out toilet tipping . After quite a successful evening we came back to the Layton home and were gloating over our many conquests , and Dick Layton got up and announced that he had to go to the toilet . It was pitch dark outside and as he groped his way to where the toilet should have been he all of a sudden fell in the toilet hole . Someone had been there and tipped it over . He came back into the house so mad he just threw himself onto his bed . Unbeknownst to any of us , the cat had been on his bed and did its business right on Dick 's pillow . Dick did a huge face plant right in cat business , and that was even funnier than Dick falling into the toilet hole . One Halloween night dad had put off milking the cows until way after it was dark . Well , he went out into the corral ( which was made of barb wire fence ) and proceeded to milk the cows . Our toilet was right next to the corral fence . All of a sudden the cows all turned to face something coming . Dad stopped milking and just sat there quiet . Then he heard the barb wire fence make a squeaking noise , and he knew someone was sneaking up to probably tip the toilet . He waited until the guy got right up beside the toilet and then he yelled , " BOOOOOO ! " Dad said the guy took off running and hit that barb wire fence so hard it sounded like a truck going through the wires . Next day dad had to tighten the wires they were stretched so bad and he found pieces of torn clothing still attached to some of the barbs too . Joan : I was there the night we al24 : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 1 . David , Keith , Jim , Brenda , Bill 2 . Keith 3 . Jim 4 . Brenda 5 . Bill David , Brenda , Keith 6 . Bill , Keith , Jennie , Brenda , David ( and swimming suits drying on the antennae ) 25 : Keith : When we were boys we would sleep in the attic , and it was unfinished so we had the rafters and the roof boards and the shingle nails were sticking through , and there 's no insulation up there . First of all there was just this ladder that was straight up the wall ; we 'd climb up there and then there was kind of a plywood lid that you could put over the hole at the top . But later we got fancy and we got one of those ladders that folds down out of the ceiling and goes up on an angle . Dad would get us all up there at night , and then he would fold it back up and close it up so he could keep the house warm . So we were up there for the night - that 's it , and the frost would form on the bottom of the shingle nails , so in the morning you would have a big ball of frost on the bottom of the shingle nail . We were all bundled up snugly in our beds under the mattress sometimes . We didn 't have beds , we just had a pile of mattresses so you just kind of move down as needed . And then in the morning he would come and open it up and get us all down there , and he 'd have the fire going in the stove , and we 'd all gather around the stove and probably get our socks on down there or something , and then go outside . Glenn : When I was just a little kid we had neighbors , Mr . & Mrs . Holivite , ( not sure of spelling ) who lived just to the north and east of us . Mrs . Holivite was a very large woman , bossy and mean . Her husband was a meek little man who hardly ever said anything . He was a really nice man . In later years I got to know him quite well as we farmed right next to them . But she was a large woman , mean and domineering . We could hear her yelling at her husband , cussing and swearing half a mile away . Sometimes when we used to go swimming in the big canal we 'd have to cross their land and she 'd see us and come running up the field yelling and hollering , waving a big stick and swearing at us kids to get out of there because we were trampling her grass . Actually we weren 't even on her property . We walked along the 26 : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 27 : Brent ( Joan 's son ) : I remember Mom telling this story to me when I was fairly young . In later years , I shared my version with Grandma who suggested that some of my facts might be incorrect or embellished . Even so , my version is pretty fun , so I 'll share it . Around the time Keith was preparing for his mission , Grandpa had been struggling with the loss of some cattle . At one point it had been stated that if one more cow were to die there wouldn 't be enough money to send Keith on his mission . One morning while making breakfast , Grandma looked out the window to see a cow lying feet up in the pasture . Glenn : She ran out of the house , jumped in the car , and headed towards the dry farm to get some help , which is where we were harvesting beets . She met up with me coming down the road , told me what was happening and gave me the knife . I drove as fast as my beet truck would go to the house , leaped out and ran as hard as I could go across the fields leaping fences to where the cows were . The cows were fine . However , at least one of the cows looked like it had been bloated . It 's left side was still puffed up a little bit , but it was standing in the drain ditch with its back legs down in the bottom of the ditch and its front legs up the bank , which is about the only way a cow can be relieved of the bloat on its own . It was chewing its cud and belching . I remember thinking , " Cows never do that on their own . It was like someone had led the cow to the drain ditch and positioned her there . " When mother got back to the house she remembered her toast . She ran into the house which was filled with smoke and discovered that someone had unplugged the toaster and let the sides down possibly preventing a fire , but the toast was burnt black . Brent : The toast was nicely buttered on the counter . Glenn : The toast was definitely not buttered . Joan : A few days later at church , Mom visited with Dad 's cousin , Jesse Harding . He had been hunting ducks on the Harding pond that day . He said , " What in the world was going on at your place the 28 : William ( Bill ) Harding The Gospel has always been important to me . I have always believed in prayer . I know that God lives and Jesus is the Christ . He came to save us from our sins . He took our sins upon Himself , on condition of repentance . The Church is true . We have a Prophet at the head of our Church . Joseph Smith is the Prophet who restored the Gospel on this earth for this dispensation . I always believed that , without a doubt . I love each member of my family . The highest teachings of the Gospel are all on the progress of the Eternal Family . And all the teachings of the Gospel lead us to this . In fact , the Gospel is " The Eternal Family . " The Book of Mormon is true . I leave my blessings on my family . Amen . Jennie Harding I know that Heavenly Father lives . Hallowed be His name . I also know that Jesus Christ is God 's only begotten son . He is our Redeemer and beloved Savior , and our Mediator . He will intercede for us to the Father . His atoning sacrifice was the greatest thing that ever happened on this earth , which gives us hope of Eternal Life . Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God . I know this to be true . Our present day Prophet is Ezra T . Benson , who stands at the head of the Church . I love to read and study the scriptures , especially the Book of Mormon . It is another testament of Christ , and I know it is true . Amen . | Testimonies | The Love of Two Sisters | Janet ( Glenn 's Daughter ) : I remember one time when Grandma came to Utah to visit Aunt Myrle . They sat on Myrle 's couch for about 2 hours exchanging compliments back and forth to each other until , by the end of the evening , each of them was the most wonderful human being on the planet . David and I even sensed a little bit of competition with each other . Oh well , either way , a competition in being nice is not such a bad thing . They were great ladies . I loved their visits and their cheerful example . Jennie : My sister Myrle and I have always had a great love for each other , and since we are the only ones left in our family , I believe our love has become strong29 : Dear Jennie , I have thought a lot about what to give you as a Mother 's Day gift from your husband . I could give you a card with a verse expressing some sentiment or other . But that is an easy way out for someone who is too lazy or thoughtless to give something of himself . I could get you some flowers or a vase or a platter of some kind , or dishes or kettle , but all of these are only material items easily come by . Oh , they are not to be sneered at . They represent , if given , the same as does the card , the thought I have for you , not just now on Mother 's Day , but every day of the year . I 've thought a lot about you lately and wondered what you got out of life . Is what you have received worth the work and ache and pain ? Is it worth the disappointments , the skimping and doing without things other people would take for granted ? Is it worth cooking and washing and serving and cleaning for people who seldom comment unless something went wrong ? I 've thought a lot about how you came to live with me as my bride . How we loved each other ! How eagerly we faced the future ! A temple marriage ; children born under the New and Everlasting Covenant . How we would teach them the Principles of the Gospel ! No child would ever go astray ! I 've thought a lot lately about the future . About which of us will be first to be called into the Spirit World . It doesn 't matter , I 'll be lonely without you whichever way it is . Then on the morning of the first resurrection , will I be worthy to call you forth as my wife to live together forever in Celestial Glory ? Oh how I pray that I will be ! How bitter it will be for me if I 'm not . I love you . There has never been another since the day you said you would be my wife . I pray that God will grant you health and happiness here and joy and rejoicing hereafter . Yours , Bill | The Love Letter 30 : THE PURE LOVE OF CHRIST , I have learned this is what true love means and how deep it can be , and it has filled my soul . It has written itself upon the tablets of my heart . My whole being has been filled with the pure love of Christ . I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ , and I love my family and just everyone . I love the beauties of the earth . I am so thankful I had the privilege of coming to this earth and so journeying through life . I have had trials and tribulations like everyone else , but I think I always retained a bit of happiness to tide me through , and then I was so blessed with a wonderful husband and wonderful children . I was so blessed with very good parents and stalwart ancestry and very good relatives that took us children into their homes and helped in raising us . Then the family I married into have been so good to me . I love them too , and friends , dear good friends . My cup runneth over , dear Lord . And I can 't forget my beloved grandchildren , and now many of them have sweet children who are my great grandchildren , which I adore . They brighten my life with their sweetness . The Lord has blessed me more than I ever deserve . What a great life I live . I thank my Heavenly Father for it every day . There is only one grief in my life , and that is seeing so many of my grandchildren fall away from the Church . I wanted to tell you , and I am sure I am speaking for my husband also , that there is a way to come back . You can be forgiven , you know , and we will all help you . It is very important that you think seriously about this , because we are living in very troubled times , and the prophecies concerning the end of the world and the second coming of Christ is near at hand . We all love you and pray for your welfare . Please come back into the fold of your dear family , and we will all welcome with the greatest of love . You are part of our precious family . In the New Testament , Christ gives a parable . It is found in Luke , Chapter 15 . It will tell you about the lost sheep and how the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes out 31 : MEMORY LANE