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| Doris, Melvin and Rayola |
"I came along as the eighth child (fifth son) of Lewis and Mina Hodgkinson. Two more daughters, Rayola and Doris, were born after I arrived which evened out the count to ten children - five boys and five girls. We knew we were loved at home and even though it must have been difficult to make ends meet during the Depression, we younger children felt no undue concern for the necessities of life.
Growing up in a rural community had its advantages. There was always lots of work to be done such as herding and milking cows. (The cat seldom missed a drop of milk squirted at him during the milking process.) We fed the pigs, gathered the eggs (making sure we didn't bring in the door-nobs used for nesting), hauled water, mended fences, planted, irrigated, weeded and finally reaped the harvest. Our garden contained peas, beets, corn, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cantalope, watermelon, etc. Who can forget the marvelous aromatic fragrance of new mown alfalfa or the delicious taste of a tomato picked right off the vine, or the sweetness of new little potatoes cooked with fresh green peas? We always had a dog or cat to keep us company. Riding bare-back on "Old Beck" without halter or bridle was almost an ever day experience in the summer. Cleaning the manure out of the barn can be recalled with equal vividness, but it was never an appealing job."
Beautiful writing, makes you actually picture those early days in Vernal. Happy Birthday Mel - thanks for the amazing example you are to all of us.
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| The five youngest, Doris, Rayola, Melvin, Mary and Grant |
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| The Boys in the family, from left to right Reed, Lewis, Melvin, Lowell, Grand and Ralph |
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| Melvin |
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| Melvin as a child. His hair looks so light. |
Looks like a school picture and I love that he is wearing overalls.
Melvin and Doris
Mary, Melvin, Doris, Mina and Rayola
Melvin, Mary and Wilma
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