Paned Glass- By Wade

This is actually second hand from Dyke;

Grandpa Roskelley's house has been a thorn in our families side for 25 years. Some of the various yearly repairs were weekly mowing and the yearly Chinese Elm tree removal, not to mention the new carpet and hard wood floor sanding that has been done.
Dad needed some new paned glass for the rental but now that the kids are gone and sometimes mom is not as available as dad would like her to be he sometimes will take matters into his own hands, or his life into his own hands.
Dad made the trip from our house on grand view hill to Jones Paint and Glass on center street Provo on his bike. He ordered the sizes of pained glass and payed the man. After receiving the glass Dad pulled out a roll of Duct tape and requested the salesman tape the glass to his back so it could be carried easier. Dad, as we all know is legally blind, rode his bike from Center street in Provo to BYU football stadium, a distance of about 15 miles with the glass strapped to his back.

Tree removal -By Wade

Dad told me this story the day after it happened;

Dad was cutting down the tree next to the tree house. Climbing out onto the tree to get to the far reaching branches. Rich Clifford came out and said "Chet you had better be careful, some of those branches look like they will hit that power line".
when telling the story dad said this "I couldn't see the power line so I thought I was OK." apparently forgetting he was legally blind he forged on.
Dad continued to cut down the tree despite the warning. Dad cut down the largest trunk just above the tree house landing. It slid down the trunk hitting him in the head and falling to the ground severing the power line. Dad a little dazed heard a new sound coming from the ground. He climbed down the tree house and then saw the end of the power line on the ground dancing.
He later stated "they charged me 900 bucks to fix that... It would have been cheaper to have the tree cut down professionally."

Get to work! -By Wade

Jumping on the trampoline and working in the garden were 2 weekly activities in the summer. One summer day Cody, Josh and Adam Smith and I were out back jumping on the trampoline when Dad came out and said "didn't I tell you guys to weed the garden?" Cody and I knew play was over and we jumped off the trampoline and headed to the garden to begin our work. Josh and Adam jumped off also, knowing this was their Que to leave, heading towards home. Dad apparently not being able to tell who was who grabbed the Smith boys said "Where do you think your going?" and with a swift kick to both of their back sides they were out in the garden weeding with us. No words were spoken between the Smiths and us but it was only a few minutes before they had worked their way back far enough in the garden to slink over the fence to the "railroad tracks" to run off home.

Free house- by Wade

Dad woke the boys up early one Saturday morning, packed us into the blue station wagon (the one that was 2 cars that had been cut in half and welded together) and hauled us to The Palmer's old house. Dad had been given this house by his friend Alan Palmer. According to Chad and Dyke, dad thought we could go to the house and strip it of all of it's 2X4's and then take it down brick by brick. Then the boys would sit on a street corner and sell the old house off, brick by brick. Dad did tell us it had a swimming pool which instantly increased it's street cred.
We arrived, and the street cred imploded. The house was made of cinder blocks and was not ever fit for human inhabition. I remember walking up the stairs, the walls weren't even sheet rocked. at the top of the stairs was found "Donny and Marie" and "Oak ridge boys" 8 track tapes, which turned out to be the only treasures pulled from the house. Once up stairs we got a full view of the "pool". More like a Cement pond, the Palmer's had run out of utility money and the garbage had not been picked up for what looked like a year. They had piled the last years garbage into the cement pond till it was filled to the brim.
It seems we made more than one trip out to the free house but our attempt at making money off of the cinder block house was soon abandoned.

A Gas Station in Nebraska - By Tia

Reading Wade's tale of being left at home while the family drove off in the camper reminded me of a similar instance I had with Beth and Laura in the middle of Nebraska.

When Chad got married it meant two very important things: we got a new Mini-Van (a Chevy Astro Van that is) and we got to go to Minnesota for his reception. Up to that point we'd only had itchy, cramped station wagons and the van was a roomy, soft seated pillow in comparison. Lucky for us, the back bench folded itself down into a bed. That was extra nice because we didn't stay at hotels when we travelled for days at a time, we'd just pull into a rest stop and sleep in the car. As we ventured back across the never-ending-highway that is Nebraska, Beth, Laura and I were asleep in the back of the van when my Mom pulled over for some gasoline. We woke up just in time to see both of our parents going inside to pay and to use the facillities. Thinking we'd better take this opportunity to use a real toilet rather than the side of the road later on, we all three hopped out of the car too. We went inside and used the bathroom, came out and to our surprise the van was gone! We walked outside to see if they'd pulled it into a parking spot or around back and couldn't find it anywhere! We went inside and asked the attendant if they'd seen a grey mini van pull out a few minutes ago and he was able to confirm our worst fear - WE'D BEEN LEFT!

He assured us that they would be back in no time and that if they were gone for too long that he would call the police and they would track them down. In my overly dramatic ten year old mind I started going through the possibilities of being lost children forever, having to live on the streets and in train cars. As we sat outside on the curb waiting we talked about all sorts of things. Finally, about an hour later we saw in the distance the astro van speeding our way. My parents both got out of the car as soon as they screeched to a stop and ran over to us.

My parents had assumed that we stayed asleep in the car and when they returned they just took off. As they drove and had a conversation my Dad (remember, he's blind so we isn't able to just look in the back seat to see if we're still there) said to my Mom, "Linda, it's awful quiet back there, will you check on the girls?" That's when my mom pulled over and found out that we weren't there at all!!

Cat toss- By Wade

The Smiths across the street had gotten a new kitten. Andy and I were outside playing basketball when their new cat wandered into our yard. I picked up the cat and threw it into our pool that was really an oversize galvanized steel cow watering trough. Andy thought this was good fun so after the cat climbed out of the water he threw the cat back in. Being boys we made a game of this and challenged each other to get further and further away from the pool for the cat toss. I went last because on the last toss the cat didn't quite make it to the pool and hit the side before falling in. The cat crawled out of the pool, only able to use its front legs began to howl, attracting the attention of the little girls and their friends. the girls who were there began to cry. suddenly mom from the kitchen window began to scream at me "you killed it, you killed it" over and over, then coming out of the house to yell at me some more.

I got on my bike and rode down to the pet store where the man at the counter gave me a kitten and a box. I rode home trying to carry the cat, in the box, while riding my bike. The cat would reach out of the box and bite and claw my hand. I took the new cat to Suzie Smith, apologized and offered the new cat as a peace offering. Suzie refused the cat and the apology.

Leavin' town- By Wade

We were going on a trip to palasades lake, every one was getting ready, when the final call came. "Get in the camper". I heard feet scampering out the front door as I was holding 1 green shoe with white stripes down the side,in my hand and shuffling through the pile of crap in my closet looking for the other. It was at that point I saw my He-man on the floor, and thought he would be a nice addition to my camping gear. I found my other shoe in the storage area and ran up stairs and out the front door. There was the red and white Chevy with a camper on the back rolling around the corner off to vacation with out me.
There was no build up to the sobs that came, I lay down on the ground and cried, knowing they were not to be back for several days. I cried myself to sleep lying on the door mat, on the porch. I don't know how long I lay there but mom later told me they got to Nephi before Trina asked "Where's Wade?"

Running away- By Wade

Mom had told me to go clean my room and that had my temper flared. I must have been pretty young because when I decided to run away I had visions of a Norman Rockwell painting, a run away with a handkerchief on the end of a stick. We didn't have any handkerchiefs, that weren't in dads pocket, so I decided a sleeping bag would do, a red one from BYU's outdoors rental department. The sleeping bag had holes burned in it, from many camp outs where the bag was placed to close to the fire. Mom had used black thread to close up the holes in a cross stitch pattern. I went to the storage room to collect my 2 cans of Chile con carne, and I shoved them in the stuff sack.
Cody walked in and said "what ya do'in"
In my most indignant voice I said "I'm running away!"
Cody simply asked "can I come?"
Somewhat startled I agreed to have him come and I grabbed 1 more can of Chile, cause we now had 2 mouths to feed.
I lugged the sleeping bag out to the back yard past the garden to the back side of the fence next to the "railroad tracks". By this time the sleeping bag and 3 cans of Chile had become to heavy so we decided to rest. Cody and I sat down and talked for a while then Cody turned the subject to future food "What are we going to eat once the Chile is gone?"
This was the question that turned my anger. Mom always cooked for us and while the food was not 100% of the time good tasting, it did somehow keep us alive. Giving in we then made our way, retracing our steps, back to the storage room and put away the Chile and sleeping bag and Cody then helped me clean my room by trying to get me to play "A-team", where he let me be B.A. Barachas, Cause I had darker skin, and he was Hanable because he had blond hair.

Marmalade vs. Salsa - By Tia

One morning when I was in High School (I think it was 1997 or 1998) I was cooking some eggs in the kitchen for breakfast. Dad came in and put some bread into the toaster and then walked over the fridge. Because of his vision, when he talks to you he likes to put one hand on your shoulder and his face really close to yours so he can try to see you using his peripheral vision (so close that you can always smell how recent his last teeth brushing was). He walks over to me with a jar of marmalade jam in his hand and putting one hand on my shoulder, face close up and the other hand extended out in front of me he asks, "Is this a jar of marmalade jam?" Thinking it a silly question, I answered in my snooty teenage way, "uh, yeah" to which he replied, "oh, good! Yesterday I put salsa on my toast" in a voice that suggested this was normal.

That afternoon I was talking to my brother Cody and I told him what had happened and this is what he had to say, "Yeah, yesterday I was eating breakfast at the kitchen table and Dad sits down with a plate of toast. I said to him, "Hey Dad, what did you put on your toast?" and he says, "Jam" and I say, "I think that is salsa." Dad then takes a bite and says disgruntled, "You gotta be kidding me, it is salsa.""

New clothes By Chad Roskelley

I remember not having gloves or boots for winter, however Mom had a solution: multiple layers of mismatched socks on our hands and on our feet covered by a plastic bread sack and a rubber band to secure: They worked great for sledding down the hill but getting back up was nearly impossible. And Mom knew we wouldn’t be out long before the bags would tear and we would get all wet.

Our most exciting days were the one’s where we got home from school to find that our, just older cousins in Michigan, had grown out of some clothes and sent us a box of Hand-me-downs. That was the day that we got new, at least new to us, name brand jeans, winter wear, socks and the much coveted store bought briefs.

The biggest fights I remember having with my brother was over the one good pair of matching white socks or the one pair of fruit of the loom briefs.

Mom made most of our clothes: She made us coats, she made jeans, shirts and she even made us boxer shorts. I remember the Christmas that we received our home made, multi colored boxer shorts. They actually looked pretty good lying folded and flat in the bottom of a gift box. The boxers looked great laying flat, they even had a nice folded fly to keep things nicely covered up when not in use, however Mom had somehow neglected the fact that butts are round not flat and when the boxers were worn, the nice folded fly that was supposed to act as a cover stretched out and made a nice diamond shaped window.

"I'd Like to Get a Litter Out of Her" -By Beth

You know what my dad loves? Tradio. Not radio. TRADIO. I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I’ve found my dad laying on the couch with his radio sitting on his chest listening for his favorite program to start. Sometimes dad would even have to get up at 6 a.m. just to listen to his program, broadcast out of Richfield, Utah. Most of the stuff for sale was out of Sanpete, Carbon or Emery county. He wasn’t bothered by the idea that he’d have to travel 1-2 hours to secure his deals. What he cared about was the DEAL. Yes, he’s a man with an eye for a bargain, and as one of his colleagues from over at BYU once said of him, “Your dad would spend $10 just to save $5.” Truer words were never spoken.
Dad has sold and bought innumerable commodities over tradio, but none so great as his dog, Snickers. On one afternoon in 2006 dad listened devotedly to his program and heard of a found dog available for free to a good home. The dog was located in Chester, Utah (fate, right?). They drove two hours to pick the dog up, and gave her a home even though she threw up in the car on the way there. Dad assured us she was a Yorkie and was valuable. But she looked, well, old. Don’t dogs that size only live about 10 years? She looked to be about 9 1/2. “I’d like to get a litter out of her.” He mused to us when we met the old pup. “Wow, Dad." I said, "I think she’s too old to have puppies.”
While Snickers was fully trained – going potty outside and polite and aloof to the grandkids, dad still felt compelled to “train” her. One night as we came over for a visit he excitedly asked us to watch as he showed us her new tricks. Now, remember that he’s blind? It hasn’t ever really stopped him from doing anything he wants to do, which is so much to his credit. (You’re a good example in that, Dad!!) On his knees with a doggie treat in his hands he called Snickers to him and said in a commanding voice, “Snickers! Sit! Sit. No. No. Sit. No, sit!” Then he cocked his head back to us and asked, “Did she do it?”

Hide and seek - By Tia

The year was 1990 and I was only 10 years old. We'd just attended the baby blessing of the 3rd grandchild in the family - Kyle, and were at Trina and Brian's house for a luncheon. All of the kids were shuttled downstairs to play hide-and-seek. Kim Dickerson, Brian's sister, was counting and I followed Laura into the downstairs bathroom - sure that she would love to share her hiding spot with her little sister. As she lay flat in the tub, shoving me out, ("Tia, we can't both fit, go hide somewhere else!") I crammed myself into the cupboard next to the toilet. Unfortunately, the growth spurt I'd just finished meant that the door didn't completely close and I was sure I'd be found out! As Kim went around the basement finding people, I realized that she'd totally missed me! As they called for everyone to come out so they could start a new round I stayed put, certain that I had the best spot and I wasn't giving it up! I could hear that they began a new round so when the door to the bathroom opened and someone walked in I just thought it was another "hider", but then I heard the door being locked.Through the crack of the cupboard door I could see a tall man situating himself on the toilet to "manage the situation". I shut my eyes tight and tried to pull my legs in as close as I could and just waited - mortified at the circumstances I was in. A few minutes into the "situation" Laura and Kim were pounding on the door and the man inside was yelling back, "I'm in here, give me a minute!" Laura knew that I was still in the cupboard. When he was finished, the man washed his hands and opened the door as a gaggle of kids flooded in to open the cupboard. As soon as they opened the door I burst into tears of embarassment. Trina pushed her way through the crowd, ordered everyone out of the bathroom and sat me on her lap and held me while I cried.For the rest of the afternoon I was too embarassed to go upstairs to confront this man - I only wanted to tell him - and everyone- that I hadn't looked and I'd plugged my ears, as if that would have made him feel any better! I think the story is hilarious now - could you imagine?!!!

Tia

A whole candy bar! By Tia

When our sister Trina got married, we thought she'd hit the jack pot! Her new husband not only drove a Trans Am, they would take us to Sounds Easy pizza on Friday nights and get us a large pizza and rent movies for us to watch on their hip wicker furniture. On one of our first of hundreds of sleep overs they stopped at 7-11 on the way home. As Brian got out of the car to run in for a Diet Coke refill he looked at me and my two sisters (Beth and Laura) squished in the barely-there-back-seat of the Trans Am and said, "What treat do you girls want?" Instantly, the three of us put our heads together to discuss what treat we would all consent to share. Brian got a puzzled look on his face and said, "You can all pick your own treat, I'm not just buying one for you to share." What?!! That concept had yet to be introduced to us up to that point in our lives and it took a few moments for it to sink in. We'd never gone to the gas station before and had someone buy us our OWN FULL SIZE CANDY BAR! Laura was the first to chime in, "I want a Snickers," Beth followed, "Me, too!" And me, being unable to deviate from my cool sisters who always told me what to do, finshed off with, "Uh, huh, that's what I want to." So, in he went and out he came with three Snickers bars and a giant Red Cream soda for us. It was a night I'll never forget - a night we fully became aquainted with the idea that we could each have our own treat, even if it was the exact same thing!

P.S. - Later, Trina and Brian also introduced us to Kids Meals at Hardee's and took me to Showbiz Pizza for my 5th Birthday - HEAVEN forany 5 year old!!!

Cadaver lab - By Wade

When I was about 10 years old my dad, ever the bargain/thrift store hunter brought home a stack of plywood. The stack was huge, 20 to 30 pieces deep. The plywood wasn't your normal plywood, it was solid 1" thick plywood, not the 23/32" plywood you by at Lowe's these days. Each piece was heavy and had an oily strip about 5-6 feet long along and 2 feet wide, straight down the middle. My dad gave us strict instructions we were not to touch these boards. This was in the days when every scrap piece of wood we could find was dedicated to the building of club houses in the field behind our house. The new supply of wood gave us a new supplier of club house wood. This relieved Farmer Johnson (the name sounds cliche' but that was his real name) whose wood stack would receive a temporary reprieve from its many liquidators. We did not even attempt to resist, we began to pilfer, slowly, so as to not be detected. We took a panel here and a panel there over several months. My dad was legally blind so he didn't discover his wood had been taken until he went to find the wood for one of his many home improvement projects. My dad came unglued. He, not one to hold his temper back, first gave us a tongue lashing then personally escorted us to the club house and supervised us while we took every nail out of the wood and replaced the wood back in the stack. Dad then ordered us to go shower. I imagine that there was some amount of time we were grounded because that is the way things were. It wasn't until a few years ago while some of my brothers and I were talking that the real reason we got in so much trouble came out. My dad, who worked at BYU, had received a tip from the BYU cadaver lab that they were throwing out all their old cadaver boards. He went and picked up the whole lot. He later, when confronted about the story, admitted to the fact and laughingly gave me this morsel, "Those were nasty boards. It seems to me there was even green slime on most of them." That oily streak down the middle of the board was the oil that had sloughed off of the dead bodies and seeped off onto the wood... Gross!!!

Geese - By Wade

When I was young, around 10 years old, the Clifford’s moved in next door to us. They brought with them a barn yard full of animals. I remember shortly after they moved in their geese adopted our yard as the yard they would protect from intruders. I remember running from the front door and hurdling the fence as the geese would chase me, nipping at the back of my legs and I would repeat the same on the return trip to the house. My dad is legally blind which means to him he can see shadows and objects that are white. One day as my dad started walking down the entry to our house he spotted what he thought was a piece of garbage and bent down to pick it up, when he picked it up he found it was a surprise left by the goose. As I watched from the front window of my house, I could see the rage that was welling up inside of him, body tensed, cheeks flushed when the offending goose began to advance flapping his wings. Dad, being an old farm boy, started chasing the white goose around the yard while trying to catch a glimpse of the goose’s white feathers, with the little vision he had, so he could grab a hold. The goose was backed into the corner of the yard when my dad grabbed him by the neck and swung it around like a lasso, then he let him go at the pinnacle. The goose flew over our fence, distanced the driveway and landed in the neighbor’s yard. The goose popped up and ran away unharmed. Mr. Clifford’s head then popped up from under the car he was working on and said "everything OK Chet?" Dad then said "yeh keep your goose on your own yard."