A visit to the sheep camp

December 7, 1941 - I was now eleven years old. Sadly, I was just as foolish as always.  Age does not seem to improve my judgment at all.  On Sunday, December 7, 1941, my mother and I accompanied my father on his weekly trip to check on his sheep herd and take needed supplies to his sheep herder.  His sheep were located on a government lease some twenty miles south-west of Vernal.  I remember how cold it was and the icy condition of Highway 40. It had recently snowed and the highway was covered with a sheet of ice.

After lunch mother decided to hike while dad was doing other things.  I tagged along with her for awhile but then became involved in climbing a small hill.  When I reached the top of the hill I could see mother walking along a dirt road.  I watched as she reached Highway 40 and decided to cross the highway.  This occurred at a spot where the highway started down into an area known as the "twist".  The road twisted around the hills and washes and was quite steep at this point.  As mother reached the center of the road her feet slipped out from under her and she landed on her back.  I could hear a scream and watched as she started to slide down the middle of Highway 40.  She picked up speed and was spinning like a top.  She had absolutely no control.  I was quite impressed.  She performed some maneuvers I never dreamed that mothers could do. She must have continued on in this manner for a quarter of mile when she finally slid off the road into a snow bank and was able to stop. I rushed down the hill to congratulate her on a terrific performance.  I said I was going to try to duplicate her slide. She strongly informed me that I was not going to be so dumb  She told me later that she was terrified because she could picture herself sliding around a corner and meeting a car head on.  I gave up on using highway 40 as a slip n' slide.

Notice the above date. This was the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.   Because we were out in the desert with sheep, we knew nothing of this.  When we returned home that evening, the neighbors quickly informed us of the attack.  I remember my father saying that this war wouldn't last more than three months.  Later I teased him about his faulty estimation of the length of wars.  It was almost six years until the Japanese surrendered.

Grandpa's wisdom - 
Is it common for 80-plus year olds to have problems with short-term memory storage?  Storing memory is no problem; Retrieving it is.

How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles?  Take off your glasses.

If Biblical Headlines were written by today's liberal media;

On the birth of Christ: HOTELS FULL, ANIMALS LEFT HOMELESS, Animal rights Activists Enraged by Insensitive Couple.

On feeding the 5000: PREACHER STEALS CHILD'S LUNCH, Disciples Mystified Over Behavior.