Extravagant Decor and Upscale Dinner

As  you recall, last week we left off with young Betty being dropped off to school by her driver, with plans after school:

Betty Margaret Calkins
in middle - 4 years old

As Betty runs towards the school doors, the wind whips around her and sneaking up her long wool coat, causing chilly drafts to chill her young bones.  Assisted by the wind, she pulls open the door.  In wedge like manner, the wind holds the door open, and rushes in and down the halls.  

Betty turns and looks at the door, for a moment she debates whether she wants to fight the wind, and attempt to close it on her own.  Reluctantly, she drops her books to the side of the hallway, and walks towards the wind tunnel of a door way.

Her small hands grasp the door handle and she starts to pull it shut with all her might.  A gust of wind unexpectedly blows her feet right out from under her.  She's blown right into the door, where she struggles to compose her self in some lady like fashion.  She takes a mental assessment of her predicament and realizes there is no way she could remain lady like.   The next thing she feels is the gnarly wind blowing her coat tails up and over the back of her head - quite a sight for anyone to come upon!  Luckily her mother was well out of view!

The principal, feeling the bitter wind roll through the halls, starts investigating which door is propped open.  As he turns the corner, he notices a student plastered to the doorway by the wind, unable to loosen herself from its forceful grip.  He quickly walks over to her, creating a barrier between her and the wind.  Betty quickly lets go of the door and runs back inside, leaving the principal to fix the wind stuck door.

During the day, the wind blew a snow storm in, coating the ground with a small dusting of snow that blew around in blizzard like fashion in the gusty wind.  Betty would watch from her desk the wind and snow dance together creating swirls and streaks of white for her to be enthralled by.

The school bell rings, finally, it's over. Such anticipation of the evening activities made the day feel longer then ever!  Betty runs out to greet her mother, who was standing by the car door being manned by their driver.  Elizabeth stoops down and wraps her daughter in her arms, protecting her from the windy chill.  Betty hugs her mother back, and questions, "Are we still going to meet dad?"

Marshall Fielding Building

Betty hurriedly climbs into the car, where the warmth from the heater envelopes her and melts any snow.  She quickly pulls her hat off, letting her hair remain fashionably messy.

Elizabeth gently climbs in after Betty, being sure to straighten her dress as she sits, as to keep it relatively wrinkle free.  She fixes her wind distressed hair and says, "Well of course darling, he's expecting us."

The driver, again, maneuvers himself through the cold wind as quickly as possible, being careful to not lose his balance as he rounds the driver side of the car.  He climbs behind the steering wheel and negotiates the Lincoln towards the highway, en route to the immaculate Marshall Fielding Building in downtown Chicago, where Betty's Dad, William's, office was located.
 
The Driver pulls up to the front entrance of the Marshall Fielding Building, where they are greeted with opulence and high class.  Betty scrambles out of the Lincoln, and quickly asks, "Mom, can we go look at the windows?"  Pointing her index finger towards the nearest window, she utters in excitement, "Look, they've just changed them."

Elizabeth, who too enjoys the scenes created in the windows, especially this time.  "I think that'd be a great idea.  How about you make sure to keep with me and not run off? "

Passersby admiring the windows at the
Marshall Fielding Building

The Christmas theme windows always conjure up images of Santa Claus, elves, toys, and new Christmas fashions.   Oh what a dreamy evening it was going to be, thought Elizabeth.  Her daughter, and her walking through the breezy snow that just fell a few hours ago.  Both of them enjoying the scenes before them, created in Christmas fashion, with an air of generosity cloaking them.  

After walking outside the building for a few minutes, the chilly air soon became too much for the ladies.  They decide to go inside and make their way to dinner.   Upon entering, Elizabeth had to remind Betty that ladies don't run in stores, especially in the Marshall Fielding Building.

Betty excitedly asks, "Are we going to take the escalator?"  She continues in child like excitement, "I love the escalator, it's so fun."

Taming the West

When one describes Montana, visions of panoramic wide open spaces, miles and miles of tree lined mountains, roaming flora and fauna come to mind.   Predators claiming prey, highlighting the circle of life - all helping man succumb to the reality that he is a part of nature, not separate from it.  We find that when man attempts to control and deter nature, he inadvertently tempts it with docile, tame, domestic, and carefully maintained plots of ranches and farms.

Growing up in Montana, Frank Lambert Houser, came to know first hand the trials and results in taming the wild west:

"Beauty" Pack horse 1930 from Houser Ranch

The Houser ranch was a section of several acres with tall, old growth timber growing along the edges. The timber was harvested and used to heat the house throughout the bitter-cold-wind-blowing winter months.  This same old growth wood was used to cook every meal over the wood stove.

One such family favorite meal was, mutton.  Frank Morrison Houser would slaughter one of their older sheep for Grace to cook her new england style family recipe of mutton.  The left over meat was canned over the wood stove and used throughout the season for various other meals.

Young Frank Lambert was quite often seen playing with one of the lambs on the ranch that followed him.  Yes, where ever Frank went, the lamb was sure to go!  However one couldn't guarantee that this lamb didn't become next season's dinner.

During this era family dogs were not required to be kept on a leash, in their yard, or to be quiet. When one has a pet rabbit, the neighbor dog can quickly turn into one of the wild Montana predators.  Frank Lambert owned Peter the rabbit as a pet, who ultimately succumbed to the predator drive of the neighbor's dog.
 
Every well ran ranch had a working dog, including the Houser ranch.  Cotton, a collie,would work alongside Frank Morrison herding the livestock and sheep on the ranch.  One of Cotton's most challenging jobs was in keeping the ranch safe from Montana's predators.  When the coyotes would come around looking for an easy meal, Cotton would work beside Frank Morrison in addressing and getting rid of these nuisances.

One such nuisance situation that was too much for even Cotton to handle.  Topsy, Grace's pet horse was found one morning mauled, but still alive.  The Houser family believes Topsy was most likely mauled by a grizzly bear, one of Montana top predators, besides man.  Frank Morrison had to put Topsy down and out of her misery.

Life in Montana wasn't easy, but carving out a part of history and taming the wild west was what the Houser family did.   The joy in facing the native beauty, the calm amidst the wilderness.  The sheer winter snow, like a blanket tucking the landscape to sleep, waking to blooms and blossoms in full succession.  Yes, the Montana mountains are calling, and overcoming those challenges is what our ancestors did.


The pictures below are from Betty Calkins' childhood, Frank Lambert's wife.  Note the differences between the Houser and the Calkins horses.

Unknown Calkin Children
on Horse.
Picture from Betty Margaret
Houser's memories

Unknown Calkin relatives riding horses
Picture from Betty Margaret Houser's memories

Ever See a Chicken Swim?

Turkeys, chickens, and swimming chickens?!

Before heading into the house in the evening, Grace would quickly examine the trees for her sleeping turkeys, making sure to they were tucked quietly and safely up and away from the many predators that abound around the ranch.

Day after day, young Frank was confused by the turkeys confusing tame 'pet-me' - wild 'runaway' actions they displayed towards him.  Although not the family pet, they did serve a great purpose in keeping the grasshopper population down - one would think that with the boundless plethora of grasshoppers to eat these turkeys would be nice, fat, plump, and juicy by fall - quite the contrary - they were quite skinny!

Front LtoR: Grace Houser, William G. Calkins,
Elizabeth Apgood (Nanny), Hope Henry,
Betty Houser - Back LtoR: Frank Houser Sr.,
Richard Tweed, Harry Kroh, Robert Funk,
Frank Henry, Frank Houser (my grandpa)

During the early summer Grace would hear the far off sounds of wild desperate clucking noises; wings flapping up and down, breaking the calm spring afternoon air; feet scratching and kicking up fresh spring growth along with moist warm soil next to the pond -  mamma hen 'lost' another baby to the lure of the pond's crystal clear sparkling water:

In the spring time, James (Frank's brother) would walk the quarter mile or so to the Flat Head River in search of one of the families favorite fowl.  He would locate one of the nests along the river bank, wait until it was safe, and then quickly and quietly raid the nest of it's valuable eggs.  He would continue doing this to several of the nests along the river bank until he had quite a clutch.

When James got home with the snatch of raided eggs, he would carefully sneak them into several of the hen's nests.  The mamma hen would incubate the stolen egg as one of her own, raising, caring, and loving it.  After about two weeks, the baby 'chicks' would finally give into the lure of the pond - and take to it like a duck to water.  According to Frank, "I'm sure the mother chicken had quite a startle when her baby chicks were swimming on the pond"

To keep the ducks from flying away, Grace would catch them when they were still being raised as confused baby chicks and trim their little duckling flight feathers to keep them ranch bound.

When I asked Frank why this was done, he answered in his matter-of-fact-I-can't-believe-you-are-asking-me-tone, "Well my brother and mother did this so we could have ducks - for dinner in the fall!"