Moving in

     I think its time to update you all with what has been going on around here.  Some happy things have happened and some very sad things have happened, so you know its real life.  Good and bad, happy and sad, that is life.

     After 6 delays I wont even get in to we finally signed on our new house last Wednesday.  We moved a few things in and spent the night that night.  Early the next morning I got a call from my sister that my dad had passed away.  The girls and I had just went to see my mom, and step dad and my dad over labor day and spent a week with them.  I am so thankful we went when I felt the urge.  Four of my five daughters got to see him then.

     The week before he passed my two oldest daughters step mom passed away unexpectedly.  She went in for an angioplasty and went into a coma and then died.  She was only 57.  My oldest daughter who lives in Cody Wyoming was able to come for the funeral.  It took her two days to get there.  She was not able to come for her grandfathers funeral and it made her very sad but everyone understood it was nearly impossible for her to come.  There were three of the grandchildren who were unable to attend.
My two sisters and I took my dad out in the country and said a prayer and scattered his ashes.  That was the hardest part for me for some reason.


This is my dads obituary.

Robert L. (Bob) Collier, 76, died Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 at Trinity Manor Nursing Home in Dodge City. He was born Feb. 9, 1936 at Trousdale the son of Henderson Laverne and Ruby Jewell (Ghan) Collier.


Collier grew up in Ford and graduated from Dodge City High School. He then attended Dodge City Community College. He worked for Mayrath Manufacturing in Dodge City. Collier later worked in the family business's at the Boothill Grill and Delmonico Restaurant. After he retired, he worked at Wal-Mart.

On August 23, 1959 he married Vera Sonday in Woodward, Okla. They later divorced.

He was a member of the Wichita Midian Shrine where he was a Shiner's Clown.

Collier is survived by three daughters, Roberta Conley and husband Wayne of Dodge City, Carol Collier of Dodge City, and Debra Olson and husband Jeff of Lake City, Texas; two brothers, Charles Collier and wife Norma of Littleton, Colo. and Richard Collier and wife Judy of Barataria, La.; 10 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Gene Collier.

Memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at Swaim Funeral Home with Rev. Ryan Ausmus presiding. There will be no public visitation as cremation has taken place.

Memorials are suggested to the Shriner's Childrens Hospital of St. Louis in care of the funeral home. Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.

My dad was a great dad.  He adopted my older sister and I when he was just 21.  Even after my parents got divorced he was still our dad.  He never abused us, he was always fair.  He was not perfect but he did his best. 

Gone too soon

This is the only family picture we ever took and Mollie wasn't even born yet.


This was our last vacation. We were in St. Elmo, Colorado. This was in June. Charles Michael Hornung my husband died 3 weeks later. He was so sweet and good and handsome. When I look at this picture it makes me cry. I miss him so. The younger girls never got to know him and the older girls miss him so much.
He was 41. It is 16 years ago July 17, 2011. Time passes. Hearts remember. I love you Charlie.

I am thankful that God allowed me to meet and marry Jeff. He has stepped up and been a father to the girls. I know he and Charlie would have liked each other. I love Jeff too.
Jeff and I have been married for over 10 years and most people don't realize that Jeff is not the biological father of the girls. They all act like blood. Sometimes I think we even forget.

Time heals all wounds. I never thought I would love again. But I did and I do.

Gilbert

I attended first grade in 1963-1964 in Hays, Kansas. In my class was a little boy named Gilbert. I liked Gilbert. Gilbert liked me. We used to chase each other around the jungle gym at recess.
In December my birthday came around so mom had a class birthday party for me at our house. Every kid was invited and every kid came. It was an unseasonable warm year because I remember we ate outside.
Later in the spring Gilbert had a birthday. He too invited every kid in the class. We were going out of town but I convinced mom and dad to let me take Gilbert his gift first.
Gilbert lived in a big old apartment building. It was on the wrong side of the tracks so to speak. When we arrived we were packed and loaded into the car and I was to run in and give Gilbert my gift and go so we could get on the road.
When I got into Gilbert's apartment he was sitting on an ottoman crying. The party should have been well under way but there were no kids there. I guess their parents wouldn't let them come because Gilbert's family was poor. I went out and told my parents. They let me go back inside and play with Gilbert for about half an hour. I will never forget how hurt Gilbert was. I felt bad because every kid came to my party. It wasn't fair.
That was a great lesson to me I have never forgotten. It is also a lesson I have taught every one of my children.
Do not judge a person by where they live or their income. Judge them by their hearts and mouths and actions.
Say it together girls. Just because a person is poor doesn't make them a bad person.

I have thought of Gilbert through the years and prayed for him. I have always wondered how his life turned out. I have always prayed for his happiness and that he overcame the obstacles set before him.
Gilbert I hope you are happy and that you know the Lord.

The day I became a vegetable

When I was a little girl of about 6 or 7 I had a bicycle wreck. It had rained and my bike slipped in a water puddle as I was rounding the corner on our street. Apparently I fell and hit my head on the curb. It knocked me out and the lady who lived on the corner found me unconscious laying there in the gutter.

She was unable to get me and the bike to my home so she managed to alert my mom. Mom brought me home and laid me on the couch. I think I was still out or very groggy. She then went in to take a bath. She said she was in the bath and I let out the most ear piercing scream of pain she had ever heard. She jumped out of the tub and ran to me. I guess I was still screaming.

She called dad home from work and they took me to the tiny local hospital. There they tried to x-ray my head but dad said there were so many hands holding my head still it was hard to see the x-ray. In any case they decided I had a very severe brain concussion.

The doctor told my parents that I probably wouldn't make it and that if I did I would most likely be a vegetable. Apparently they forgot to tell me because I recovered and here I am.

Back to my story, while I was in the hospital I was suppose to lay very still so the swelling and bruising on my brain could heal. Nowadays they would have knocked me out and I probably would really be a veggie then.

Anyway, I was on the ground floor so my sisters would come to my window to visit me. Someone gave me a big bag of M & M's, quite a treat for sure. I would get out of bed and sort the candy by colors on a chair. Then the nurse would come in and catch me out of bed, scold me and sweep all my sorted M & M's back into the bag.

This scene was repeated many times. Finally the doctor told my parents it looked like I was going to make it and they couldn't keep me confined to bed anyway so they might as well take me home.

I used to make my mom so mad by telling her she was disappointed I didn't die. That was mean. Sorry MOM.

In any case if you know me in real life and you think I am strange, well I'm a vegetable so what do you expect?

My mom always used to say I was a fruit or a nut but I was no vegetable. lol.
The funny thing is Jeff had a bad accident when he was about the same age and he was suppose to be dead or a vegetable too.

Too bad we didn't turn into vegetarians, maybe we would be skinny.

What do you get when you mix two vegetables?????

Family History revised

Caroline Coon Sonday married a man named Cullep. He was aunt Dot's dad. He left her when aunt Dot was very small. Caroline then went to dress making school to be able to earn a living and support herself and her daughter.
She later met and married Joaeph Samuel Sonday at Brewster Kansas I think.
They moved to Cope co. where they homesteaded and lived in a dug out. It was in this dug out that Roy Edward Sonday was born in Feb. 1910.
They lost the farm and moved back to Kansas. Ralph Andrew Sonday was born in a sod house.
Carolines husband Joe raised registered quarter horses and farmed with a team named Opal and Maude.
They moved to the town of Sharon Springs Kansas when my mother Vera Lucille Sonday was 5 years old.
In town they had two lots where the house was and 1/2 block across the street where they kept their horses, cows and chickens.
One lot was used for a garden.
On the other lot was a two room house with a basement. There was no running water or plumbing. We had a privy (outhouse). The basement door was outside.
I (Vera)went to live with my grandparents the summer before I was to enter the fourth grade. That was when grandpa was running the ice house which he owned.
In 1947 about October grandpa was closing the ice house for the winter. That was when he turned the wrong valve and got ammonia in his lungs.
We took care of him at home until he died Dec. 14. 1947.
My parents moved back to Sharon Springs from Hays to run the ice house. Vera's parents were Roy Edward Sonday and Vera Blanche Butler. My dad continued to drive a truck and mom ran the ice house.
We all lived with grandma in the two room house. We finally got a room built on and had running water. Cold running water. Uncle Louie Sonday came from Nebraska to help get the room and water in the house.
Uncle Ralph lived in Oklahoma and was a major in the Army and an engineer for the State Highway Dept.
Grandma Sonday later moved to Muskogee Oklahoma to work at a motel. That is where Uncle Ralph lived.
When she came back to Kansas to live she was able to get social security. at first she got $17.00 per month. She sewed for other people and lived in Brewster. She lived in Brewster for several years babysitting and sewing to make ends meet.
Aunt Dot and Uncle Rudolph moved to California but grandma remained in Brewster for several years. She later moved to Dodge City Kansas where Roy and Blanche lived.
This account was written by Vera L. Miller daughter of Roy and Blanche Sonday. Granddaughter of Caroline and Joseph Sonday.

I am so excited about this

I received a letter from my mom today. She had sat down and wrote some family history about my great grandmother. I knew much of it but there was quite a bit I didn't know and some I had forgotten. I called her to thank her and ask her to write about my grandparents next.
I am so thrilled to be able to record this about my great grandparents. When I have a bit of time I will blog what she wrote.

Caroline Ellen Sonday and Joseph Samuel Sonday

My great grandmother was Caroline Sonday. Grandpa Sonday died long before I was born. I want to record the things I know about them while I remember and can ask mom about the accuracy.
Joseph Samuel Sonday and Caroline Sonday came from Missouri in a covered wagon. Somewhere along the way the wagon train had to stop and they set up tents. My aunt Dot was born in a tent along the way west. When they setteled I think it was in the Brewster Kansas area.

The next two births were boys. Ralph and Roy. Roy was my grandpa.
Joseph worked in an ice house for many years. He died because he accidently opened the wrong valve in the ice house. One was for water and other one was for ammonia. For some reason he opened the wrong valve one day and of course the ammonia caused him to suck in his breath. He died three days later after much pain.

My great grandma was a tiny little woman. I towered over her even though I am a girl. She had grit thats for sure.
She came west in a covered wagon and lived to watch man walk on the moon. I spent a lot of time with great grandma. She facinated me. She always came up with things for me to do. I bet I tried her patience.

She taught me how to sew on her treadle machine. I wish I had that machine. The first thing I learned to sew was strips so she could crochet them into rugs. You had to sew them a certain way so that they could be crochet without bumps and lumps.

One time she gave Roberta and I old glass jars and some clay. She told us to cover the bottle with the clay. When that was done she spray painted the clay gold. We then went through her button box and picked out buttons to push into the clay. I think we fought about who got what buttons. I still have my jar. I wonder if Roberta does.

I remember one time grandma wanted to do a crewel stitchery thing of the tree of life. I helped her draw the pattern on the back blank part of an old calendar. She then stitched the picture on a piece of gunny sack. It was a big picture, I think I still have that around too.

Everything grandma did was wonderful. I wanted to be a part of everything she did.