I’ve talked about my Aunt Mardene many times on this blog, and what an amazing lady she is. She recently ended up in the hospital with some heart and breathing problems and gave us all a little scare. My sisters and I tried to help out when she returned from the hospital, as we each spent some time with her.
This little black board sign greeted me when I arrived at her back door. She wears hearing aids and doesn’t always hear very well, and nobody wanted her to miss any visitors. My sister Linda converted an old painting into this cute board which sits by the door.
I enjoyed my visit (I ended up there on a Saturday night/Sunday, so we got to just sit around and visit, while my sisters helped do odd jobs and actually worked!) We ate some famous Maddox Chicken that I picked up on the way there, and savored a slice of fresh peach pie that we shared! It was heavenly! (Note to self: next time buy a whole pie!)
It was fun thinking about growing up on the farm and all the things that are now very different from when I was young.
We went for a Sunday afternoon drive and drove past the old homestead of my great grandparents, Levi and Matilda Bodily.
The farm has stayed in the family for many years and the relatives living there have done a great job of keeping the old barn and house in good shape.
If you are familiar with old Cache Valley barns you know that many of them are crumbling, leaning, and falling apart. This one still has a fresh coat of paint on it.
It’s hard to see, but the date says since 1875.
I spent the night in the bedroom with old family portraits of all the Hall and the Bodily clans decorating the walls. It is always comforting to study the faces of each member of their large farm families, piecing together little bits of history I remember, and admiring their pioneer spirit and hard work.
This bedroom was also my parents’ bedroom and their memories are always more vivid for me when I’m there in their house.
Yes, I really miss them a lot!
(Mardene lived next door until a few years after my parents’ had died, when we talked her into moving in their house.)
When I headed home, I decided to continue my reminiscing and I drove the old highways through the west side of Cache Valley, weaving in and out of little “towns” like Newton, Trenton, Amalga, Mendon, and Wellsville.
I wanted to find the old Cache Valley Cheese plant that I remembered going to as a small child with my dad when he hauled milk. He would let me ride down the rollers on empty milk cans as he waited to load them back in his truck and each visit always ended up with a delicious scoop of dairy fresh ice cream.
I’ m not sure that I found it, but I did see an old factory about where it should have been. It didn’t look at all like I pictured it in my memory. I need someone to fill me in on the history of the building. (Anyone know what happened to it?)
The West side of the valley is less developed and quite different from the sights you see as you drive through Logan. Richmond, and Smithfield, but beautiful in its own way.
I kind of hated coming back to reality and the hustle and bustle of life-as-a-busy-school-teacher.
It is always nice to slow down for a bit and keep the past from completely slipping away.
What do you think of the old saying, “You can never go home”?
In some ways you can go back, but it isn’t ever quite the same!
JoAnn
