I think one of my earliest memories is of riding my tricycle back and forth in front of Uncle Owen and Aunt Claria’s home. There was a birthday party going on but it was for the big kids. It was August 4th, 1949. I know because that is the day my younger brother Richard was born. I don’t think I was aware of my little brothers entrance into the world. All I was interested in was that party. As I pedaled up and back my foot slipped and my bare toe got caught in the spokes of the wheel and I started to cry because my toe was cut and bleeding. I ran into our house. My Grandmother Sorensen was there and she took care of me. That is what I remember. What I do not remember but what I have learned later in my life is that on that day my Mother was fighting for her life. My Grandmother was very upset with me and my cut toe was just one more problem that she did not want to deal with.
What happened was after my Mother gave birth she was resting when she said she felt a sudden rush and she was soaked in blood. They said later that all of the afterbirth had not been delivered completly and she was hemorrhaging. She lost a lot of blood, my Dad was very worried as was my Grandmother. I was only three years old so I was unaware of all this drama. I only had a hurt toe and could not go to the birthday party.
My Dad and Uncle Reid gave Mother a Priesthood blessing and I think they had to give her blood transfusions. When she finaly came home she was very weak and spent a lot of time resting. One day she was resting and my older brother Doug and cousin John were out in the back yard trying to build a tree house in a tree just out side Mother’s room. Suddenly Doug screamed “John hit me on the head with the axe.” Mother met them at the back door, blood all over the place. What happened was John was up the tree and he dropped the small axe and it hit Doug on the head. The head bleeds very easly. It was a small cut that required some stiches but not life threatning. We had a very active childhood.
That tricycle of mine played a big part in my life. My Mother told me I had a wandering spirit. I would start riding and pretty soon, I would be blocks away from home. Mother said she would call up Dad and say Barbara is missing AGAIN. He would drive around and find me merrily rolling along. Sometimes neighbors in other neighborhoods would spot me and call my Mother. One lady said I thought she was my Grandmother. I remember making my way to a little corner grocery store all the way down town. The grocery store man told me to wait until I recognized someone. Uncle Orwin from across the street came in and I grabbed him around the legs and held on for dear life. You need to realize that from where we lived to the down town area of Cedar City I would have passed the College, the High School, the Jr. High School and the Grade School. It was close to two miles for a little girl to peddle her trike. Of course I do not remember the complete time line but I think that incident probably cured me of my wandering ways or else my Mother tied me to the house until I was ready to go to school.
Hey Barb, thanks for sending me your blog site. I love reading your memories. It is so interesting to see how we all have slightly different memories of the same things. You have a whole different take on the day Richard was born and your stories about your wanderings were somewhat new to me. Anyway, good job, and I’m looking forward to more!