The Journey to the West 14

After my grandparents died it was decided that Parm would keep the farm as none of the other siblings wished to do so. Some idea of the value that was placed on the farm might be seen in the fact that my mother’s share consisted of a piano. I don’t know what arrangements were made with Wade, who was making his way as an auto mechanic. Uncle Otto, for reasons that I do not know, did not settle for a share, simply postponing the decision indefinitely. Of course my mother was married by then, as was her adopted sister Mary. Otto must have graduated from Stanford as an engineer at about this time (more on Wade and Otto later). Under Parm’s management real changes began. This was partly because of Parm, but also because of the times. Electricity came fairly quickly (I assume under Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Project). Running water came next, and then, eventually, an indoor bathroom. All three of the brothers were very mechanically inclined. This, too, was part of the times. When my grandfather bought the first car, a model-t Ford, it was said the brothers had it completely apart and rebuilt on the first day. Tractors, that did not come into widespread use until after WW II (at least in North Idaho), soon followed. I remember the first tractor being a gigantic machine that required someone strong to steer it. One year, when times were apparently tough, my father took time off to help out on the farm. His job was to drive this monster tractor. He did well on the farm except for the fact that he was allergic to wheat straw. Tractors, like automobiles, evolved quickly, becoming more and more efficient. Parm, being a kind of mechanical genius, could actually buy various parts of old tractors and make serviceable ones out of what many would have regarded as junk. Somewhere, somehow, he learned how to weld and do metalwork, and I guess just about everything he needed to do. He continued to farm, of course, and with the new equipment he was able to cultivate more and more acres. In what had been a large root cellar, about 50 yards from the house, he installed a sawdust-burning furnace that he fed with sawdust he got free from somewhere. He had created a large workshop in part of the barn where he had every tool or gadget he needed. To an outside observer the place appeared to become more and more chaotic as Parm collected things he felt he had to have. In the evenings we listened to Amos n’Andy on the radio, and then later followed news of the war.

Parm was married to Mamie. Mamie had been previously married and had a son almost exactly my age, Ted. As the farm was his turf, and as he was at times a bit of a bully, we had a few bad moments. But they were very few and most of the time we got along splendidly. We went together every morning and afternoon, along with a clever dog, to bring in the milk cows. I remember being absolutely amazed when Parm got his first milking machine. It was pretty good but the cows still had to be stripped by hand and Parm would shoot the milk right from the teats into the mouths of cats and idle youngsters. They acquired an electric separator that would separate the cream from the milk that was still part of their income. I also remember being amazed when we visited some neighbors and I saw them milking a mare. I had never heard of such a thing and certainly Parm and Mamie didn’t do it. But there were still horses, now mostly just for pleasure, and Ted and I each claimed a grey half-brother that we rode regularly. On a couple of occasions we went on camping trips into the nearby hills. Like all young boys we rough-necked and dreamed of becoming cowboys or rodeo riders and such. Once, before the indoor plumbing, Ted and I retired to the two-holed privy where we could smoke (yes, we were pretty young) and talk. So intent were we on our conversation that we didn’t notice at first the smoke and the sound of crackling around us. Apparently, after lighting our stolen cigarettes, Ted had thrown the match out the wide crack in the door and it had started the grass on fire. We frantically managed to put it out before it got out of hand, but Parm, who didn’t approve of smoking at all, let alone for youngsters, was not amused.

Along with the changes and modernization that came to the farm came changes that were perhaps not so positive. One of the first things to go was the garden. Mamie still baked her own bread once a week, but now they bought most of their food just like urban dwellers. Mamie cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but that was it. You either ate what she cooked or you went hungry until the next meal. Alas, for breakfast she usually cooked oatmeal that I hated, but that was it. She was otherwise good to me but she had her ideas about how things should be and we all had to follow her rules. She, too, loved horses, and had a big white stallion that only she could ride. She was not too popular with my parents because when my father and his cronies wanted to hunt pheasants and ducks in the Post Falls area, Mamie refused to cook and cater to them. But she was strong and adamant and that was that. In those days the pheasant hunting was very good there and we always were successful. Ducks, too, we hunted at Hauser Lake and some of the streams nearby. And of course we fished in Hauser as well, perch, crappy, and bass were plentiful. In the spring the runoff from the lake went all the way down the mountain and onto the flat pasture, carrying with it bass and other fish. The bass could be speared with pitchforks and were sometimes even shot with .22 caliber rifles. Interestingly, I don’t think any of the farmers, and certainly not Parm, ever hunted or fished. I guess they didn’t have time for such sports, but they never gave up on their relentless destruction of their “enemies.” The enemies were, of course, anything that threatened their well-being. Gophers and badgers were despised because the horses would step in the holes. Hawks of any kind were shot on sight because they preyed on the chickens, coyotes likewise. On occasion I saw captured badger or coyote pups that were soon destroyed. Ecology or balance of nature I’m sure were completely unknown concepts. Of course bears, wolves, and cougars had long since been eliminated except for far back in the mountains.

There was a general store referred to as Ma Cogan’s. Mrs. Ma Cogan was a grey-haired Irish lady who spoke with a brogue and managed to have most anything one needed, including candy. My cousin liked Horehound drops that I thought were the worst tasting candy in the world. The store was at a junction where the road to Hauser Lake joined a secondary highway. About a mile down the road lived Jerry Cogan on a small farm. He was apparently quite a drinker and I remember he used to keep his booze in a ten gallon cream can. His house was built right up against a mountainside with huge boulders that we loved to play among. I don’t think he was much of a farmer but he seemed to eke out a living and always had something to drink. It was Jerry who threw a bunch of newly born kittens into a shallow puddle, which caused my cousin to break into tears and refuse to visit there any longer. It took me a long time to finally realize that Mrs. Cogan must have been married to Jerry Cogan. I never saw them together.

By the time I was fifteen or sixteen spending time on the farm no longer held any charm for me. This was partly because I did not like being away from my girlfriend, and partly because my interest in farming and horses had waned. By the time I stopped going there Parm had managed to cover an acre or two with his “treasures” that everyone else regarded as junk. My farming days came to an end, but there is no doubt that I learned much and benefitted from the experience. I saw Parm and Mamie and Ted only rarely after that.