The Little Burros of Panaca. . . .

In the picture, Ina and Delores

have their hair in the long braids

mentioned in the story.

Jaunita and David Quick, two of

the children of Panaca are

pictured on Thunder and Lightening,

two of the little burros in the story.

David wearing his big Cowboy hat!

One of my happiest memories as I was "Growing Up Ina" in my beloved Panaca was of the wild burros that roamed the hills above town. They were not wild in the way that you would class a jungle or savanna animal. When I refer to them as being wild, it means they roamed free and did not have a permanent home. Even though they often did not completely trust people, some of them had lived in an environment where they were owned by them and so did not always shy away. Over the years, we earned their trust.

The little burros seemed to belong to everybody, and nobody in particular. It is assumed that they drifted into Panaca after their usefulness at one of the nearby mines that dotted the hills from Pioche to Panaca, was at an end.

Regardless of how and why they were there, the children of Panaca had loved, cared for, and played with them for many years. Some of my older siblings had many of the same memories of the little burros that I have.

When these little burros came into town, they had several different corrals or barns they could stay in and all of the children of Panaca shared in their care; feeding, grooming, riding, and playing with them.

I have been a Phoenix Zoo Volunteer for 17 years. It has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Since I was a toddler, I have had a profound love for animals. Growing up in a ranching and farming family, I always had animals available upon which I could lavish that love. As a little girl, visiting my sister Theresa in Salt Lake City, Utah, I had my first visit to a zoo, the Hogle Zoo. I immediately fell in love with the truly wild animals. It is a love affair that has lasted my entire life.

When George and I married in 1951, he was in the navy stationed at the Naval Training Center in San Diego. When I first joined him there, we lived in Hillcrest on 5th Avenue. Part of beautiful Balboa Park separated us from the San Diego Zoo. We had little money and no car, but could walk through the park, over the Laurel Street Bridge, through the cultural center that held several museums, to the zoo. With George being in the Navy, our admission to enter the zoo cost us 25 cents each. Many are the days we spent at the zoo and in Balboa Park. We had our own special tree there where we could relax, play games, and picnic.

Our children were raised to love the zoo and spent countless hours there, and later at The Wild Animal Park. When Justin and Jeni were born, going to the zoo with Granddad and Grandma was a frequent pleasure. When Brinton and Trey were born, they too, visited that beautiful zoo with us. After moving to Mesa, Rhonda and I took Brinton and Trey often to the Phoenix Zoo and later as Miranda, Hannah, and Joshua were born, they were also able to spend time there with us at the Phoenix Zoo and at zoos when we have visited them in Kansas and Texas. Going to the zoo has always been a family tradition.

During the years that I have been a Phoenix Zoo Volunteer, I have trained to do almost everything that is available to the volunteers; Tour Guide, Trail Host, Animal Observation and Interrupter, and Animal Handler. I thought I had done it all, but several years ago the Zoo implemented a Story Telling program for selected volunteers into our program. I was fortunate enough to be one of those chosen. They had instructors come from ASU and several of the community colleges to instruct us in the art of being a Story Teller.

For our final exam, we had to write a children's story using the Phoenix Zoo's Mission Statement as the foundation of our story. We could choose to write from a personal experience in our life, or it could be complete fiction as long as it followed the zoo's mission statement, which is "to inspire people to live in ways that promote the well being of the natural world", with a goal of helping to preserve the diversity of life in nature. Within that goal, we were to choose our own personal goal. I chose to make mine "to educate people about our natural world and give them the opportunity to meet the special needs of animals."

The basic facts in my story are true, but to make it a story that children would enjoy, I added dialect and used many of the native animals who live around Panaca that children could easily relate to. I only used dialect that fit the pictures I was attempting to portray and which seemed completely natural for the circumstances. I took liberty with some of the discriptions but never strayed far from the truth. My instructors loved my story.

The pictures shown at the beginning of this post portray children from the story. Two of the Panaca children, brother and sister Jaunita and David Quick, are on Thunder and Lightening, the little burros of my story. Also pictured are myself, my sister Delores, and our brother David, wearing his big cowboy hat

The following post is my story. I hope you enjoy it. . . .

A Burro Named Mariah

Most of the people who lived in the little town of Panaca in the South Eastern part of the state of Nevada, were farmers and ranchers. Eleven miles away was the little town of Pioche. It was famous for it's rich silver mines. The mountains and hills between the towns were also dotted with mines. In many of these mines, burros were used to help the miners. A burro is a small donkey. They would carry supplies back and forth from the miners camps to the mines. Sometimes, these little burros would even go deep into the mines to carry out the silver and other metals.

This is a story about one of those shaggy little burros and the children of Panaca who loved her. It happened many years ago.

After a time, there was no more silver left in many of the mines. The miners had no more use for the little burros and so they were turned loose to wander in the hills around Panaca. Soon, the people of Panaca were telling stories about a shaggy little burro they had seen. Her long ears were lined with soft black hair and she had a black circle around one eye.

An old miner came into town one day and hearing the people talking about the little burro with the black circle around her eye, said, "I know this little burro. Her name is Mariah. Often, after a long day in the mines, we would sing by our fires at night. We sang a song about the rain and the wind, and the wind was called Mariah. We often saw her after she left the mines, roaming free like the wind that blew gently across the prarie and whistled through the canyons, and so we named her Mariah."

Soon, the children of Panaca were watching for Mariah. If they were lucky enought to see her, they talked about how beautiful she was. She had huge brown eyes with the longest eyelashes they had ever seen. Sometimes in the early morning, away off in the hills, they could hear the burros braying and it sounded like they were laughing as they called to one another.

Time passed and one year when winter came, the winds were colder and the snow fell earlier, piling into huge drifts. The burros and the wild horses, which were called mustangs, came down out of the hills hunting for food. Many had died. The children were afraid for Mariah. They talked their fathers into going into the hills to see if they could catch her and bring her to Panaca for the winter. Later, the fathers said it seemed as if Mariah had been waiting, and she willingly came with them. Oh, how the children loved her! They loved the soft snuffling noises she made into their hands when they touched her nose which felt like velvet, and the way she twitched her long ears, first one way and then another, as they talked to her.

The long, cold winter finally passed and spring came. In the early morning one beautiful spring day, Mariah heard the burros braying away off in the hills and the children knew she wanted to go to them, and so they walked with her out of town. But from then on, each year when the leaves began to change from green into beautiful shades of yellow, red, and orange, and the rain began to fall and the wind whistled loudly across the prairie, the children of Panaca waited for a day when the rain didn't fall and the sun came out. Then, their mothers would pack them a lunch, they would dress in warm clothes and sturdy boots or high topped shoes, and they would go to bring Mariah to Panaca for the winter. One or two fathers always went with them to make sure they didn't lose their way or get hurt. But, they didn't follow too closely because they knew this adventure belonged to the children.

Mariah had her own special place where the children could usually find her alone, and with the fathers watching, they would go there. They had a set of rules; they were never to chase Mariah or frighten her, and whoever was able to put their halter on her, was the one at whose home she would stay. The other children would then visit her there and help feed her and care for her. She loved being snug and warm in the winter and she loved the children, but when spring came and the leaves were budding on the trees and the gentle rains fell, and the desert was colored with the brillant colors of the wildflowers, she would call to to her friends in the hills and the canyons. Then, the children knew it was time to tell her goodbye and let her go.

How excited they were one year when they saw Mariah with two tiny little burros! She had twins! That winter, the children of Panaca had three little burros to love and take care of. They wanted to give Mariah's children names before they left in the spring. Mariah had been named after the wind. Often when the summer storms would gather in the hills and the wind would begin to blow, the lightening would flash and the thunder would crack, and so the children of Panaca called Mariah's children, Lightening and Thunder.

Time passed, Lightening and Thunder grew bigger and they were always with Mariah. One morning when the sage brush was covered with frost, and the trees were wearing their beautiful colors, and the squirrels were busy gathering pinion pine nuts to store in their homes in the trees, and the pocket mouse's cheeks were fat with seeds as she scurried back and forth into her burrow, and the sky was dark with ducks and birds flying off to their winter homes, the children were preparing to go into the hills to get their friends, the little burros. Mother handed them their lunches and apples, carrots. and sweet lumps of sugar for Mariah and her children.

A wise and gentle father gathered the children close to him and said, "Now children, as you begin your adventure today, I want you to remember that as you walk across the desert, past the sand dunes and into the hills, you will be going by many of our animal friends homes. Snakes, lizards. and horned toads live in the rocks and crevices, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, the little burrowing owl, and desert tortoises live in burrows in the ground, birds of all kinds build their nest in tress and shrubs and the grasses. Other animals live in many different places. Remember how frightened you would be if someone came into your home and destroyed it. Treat the plants gentle, also. The animals need them for food and shelter. They return nutrients to the soil and help to keep the rains from washing it away. We also need many of the plants for food and healing. "

At the same time, Mariah had called her children to her and said, "The children of Panaca will come today. This time we will go home with the two little girls with long blond braids that hang down their back. Their brother will be with them. He will be wearing boots and a big cowboy hat, and he will be carrying a halter. This family has a nice warm barn. They have lots of animals; dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs, chickens, ducks, and the little girls always have a lamb. They treat their animals with kindness and respect. They will clean our ears and clean and trim our hooves. They will brush the burrs from our coats and will stick a long needle into us. I know you won't like that but they do it so we won't get sick, and I expect you to make me proud and act like the well behaved children you are. Lightening, I know you don't like the children to sit on your back, but that doesn't mean you should bite or kick at them. Thunder, you don't seem to mind and it really wouldn't hurt you to let the children sit on your back. I am growing old now and they do not sit on me anymore, but you are young and strong."

And so, the little girls and their brother took them home and loved them and took care of them. The other children of Panaca loved them too, and the little burros felt their love and they were happy. They knew that when a child grew up, there would always be another to take their place.

This is a true story, I know, because one of the little girls with the long blond braids that hung down her back, who along with the other children of Panaca loved the little burros, was me.

About my last post. . . .

Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I become a proficient blogger. Case in point is my post, "What is a Relief Society Bug?" My biggest challenge is adding the pictures. I wasn't happy the first time around and prevailed on George to make it look good. He did and I am now pleased with the way it looks. The top picture is of the little chapel in the very early days of Panaca. In front is one of the Thorny Locust trees I talked about. The middle picture is after they enlarged the building with the first addition. The bottom picture is much later, and may have looked that way when Paul, Rhonda, and Craig were young children. I think the tree pictured there is also a Thorny Locust. The chapel as it is today, after more renovations and additions, still has beautiful old trees in front. I don't know what kind they are and I doubt that Panaca's children today would be able to observe any of those beautiful, busy little Relief Society Bugs scurrying around in the grass that now grows so beautifully there.

What Is A Relief Society Bug ?. . . .

The first picture shows the LDS Chapel as it was in the very early days after the settlement

of Panaca. The tree in front is a Thorny Locust.

The second picture is of the LDS Chapel some years later.

The third picture is of the Chapel as it looked when I was growing up with several Thorny Locust trees in front. Most likely the very ones we played under while observing the Relief Society Bugs.

The chapel still looked very much like this when mine and my siblings children were young.

After reading the story I posted titled, "Memories - That's Panaca", Rhonda asked, "What is a Relief Society Bug?'

The little church building in Panaca was on the main street which runs through town. It was located down the street from the Ronnow Store and almost directly across from the old Wadsworth Store. It was a hub for many of the town's social affairs. In addition to the Sunday Sacrament and Sunday School meetings, and the auxillary meetings of Primary, Mutual Improvement Association (young men and young women), and Relief Society that were held during the week, many other activities drew people there for fun, companionship, and celebrations.

In the very early days, there were just two rooms. Later an addition was added to better accommodate these events. There were wedding receptions and dances. Square dances were very popular. My grandfather, Nephi John, called these dances for many years. Dad learned to play the music as his father called them. He played the piano, and also a harmonica and jew's harp. He said he even "twanged" a fiddle. After doing this for many years, he learned to be an expert caller himself and carried on his father's tradition.

Box Socials were held often. For a Box Social, a girl would decorate a box or a basket and then fill it with a delicious dinner for two. The young men would bid on them one at a time. When the winning bid was placed, the young man who won, would claim it. The young woman who's basket it was, would step forward. They would then go to the place he had chosen to eat their dinner. It was all supposed to be done in secret, with the young man bidding on the basket that took his eye. Of course, there were ways for them to find out which basket belonged to the girl they fancied. Often, this information came from the girl herself. My sisters and I never lacked for bidders and it was always very competitive among the boys who were "as hungry as an unslopped hog", as my brother David used to say. I liked to think it was because we were very fair lassies, easy on the eye, but I suspect that a large part of it was that our mother had a reputation for being the best cook in the county. Her pies, cakes, and other pastries were legend and her fried chicken was, indeed, "finger lickin' good!"

On the 24th of July, the day started with dynamite being set off above town at 6:00 AM. It was the town's wake up call to begin a day of fun festivities. Breakfast would be served outside, a Pioneer Day Program held, races and games for the children, a Pioneer Parade, and throughout the day there would be horseshoes and softball for the men and Quilting Bees for the women. The day always ended with a barbeque dinner.

The 24th of July is Panaca's Homecoming and soon became a day for High School and Family Reunions. Few things have changed. There has been a difference in the prizes the children receive for winning a race. It used to be that the winner received pennies or nickels for wining, but inflation has shot it up to dimes and quarters.

I remember that this little church building was shaded by several large Spiny Locust trees. These trees grow to be very large, with trunks two to four feet in diameter and reaching an average height of 75 feet. Some may even grow as tall as 140 feet.

When I was a little girl, Relief Society was held every Thursday morning. While our mothers were inside for the meeting and activities associated with it, my sister Delores, myself, and many of our little girlfriends, would play outside. Our mothers would make us a sack lunch. Our favorite place to play and eat our lunch, was in the shade of the Locust trees. They were fascinating trees. Their trunks and branches had thorns, but I don't remember the thorns dropping to the ground. What I do remember, is the long pods that dropped from the tree. It was fun to pop them open and take the seeds out. In the spring, the trees had clusters of lovely white blossoms high up among the branches. My favorite memory, an amazing phenomenon, was the hundreds and hundreds of little bugs that were there from late spring into summer. They were tiny with a hard, black, shiny back, and wings that folded tight against their body. These wings had spots colored from a pale orange to a dark red. They were busy little bugs. scurrying back and forth over the ground among the pods and up the tree trunks. We didn't know what they were, only that they were busily and diligently going about their business, never stopping. So, we named them Relief Society Bugs. We would take our cheap magnifying glasses so we could study them up close. It was fascinating.

Something to ponder: Rhonda's question whetted my interest in finding out what this little bug really was. I looked up the Thorny Locust tree on the web this morning and studied the insects that make it their host. From what I read and the pictures I looked at, I think it is the Leaf Miner Beetle. I am glad I didn't know that when I was a little girl. To me, they were and always will be, "The Relief Society Bug"!

I do not rely on my memory alone. . . .

When I write a story, I do so hoping that my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will learn some facts about thier ancestors that they have not known before. Therefore, I must not rely on my memory alone. I have in my possession several books about Panaca and the key players in these stories. I also have copies of several histories written by different individuals. I will use these as reference to corroborate facts. My parents, James and Lois, were wonderful story tellers and they talked about their ancestors as if they knew them all personally. While I was growing up, I heard many stories about people, places, and events. Because I heard these stories over and over again, I have been amazed at how many facts I have remembered correctly. Of course, the stories I tell about my own escapades do not need corroboration from anyone but myself and my memory. But, I suppose that could be open for debate. . . . . .?

That's Panaca - Memories

I have previously mentioned how much I loved Panaca, the little town of my birth, and the home of my father from his birth. Growing up in Panaca was wonderful. One of the first settlers of the town was my great grandfather, George A. Wadsworth, a coal miner from Pillery Green, Yorkshire, England. After listening to missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he was baptized a member on March 9, 1852. He was 23 or 24 years of age. On May 23, 1856, he left England for America with his wife Elizabeth Broadbent and their eight week old son Nephi John, my grandfather. Also aboard the ship "Horizon", were his son James from his first marriage to a young wife who had died, other relatives and a group of converts. Upon arriving in America, George and his family were sent to Iowa City, Iowa, where George was to organize a branch of the church and preside over it. He was successful in organizing the branch and presided over it with gratitude and humility until March 1857, when he was appointed by Erastus Snow, James A. Little, and William G. Young, to assist in the great Mormon emigration to Utah. He and his family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with William G. Young's Company on September 25, 1857.

I hope to tell more of George later, but for now will say that upon the advise of President Brigham Young, he moved his family to Southern Utah. They lived in Panguitch for a year and in the Cedar Bench area for a short time before moving to Toquerville on January 11, 1859. They lived there for nine years. It was a hard time for them. They fought Indians and rattlesnakes and endured bitter cold winters with little food. George decided to move his family one last time. He wanted to live in a community where they could prosper and practice their religion actively and openly, and so George moved his family to Panaca, a little town nestled in the heart of beautiful Meadow Valley. Even though the country around Meadow Valley was desolate, the valley itself was beautiful with natural water springs. It had been part of the Utah Territory until 1864 when it became part of the new state of Nevada. Several pioneer families had already settled there and George felt strongly that this is where he should settle and raise his family. James and my grandfather Nephi John, the two sons who crossed the ocean with him, grew to manhood in Panaca and were stalwarts in the growth and prosperity of the beautiful little town. Their siblings also played important roles in it's growth. I hope to be able to portray that in future stories.

I didn't have the privilege of knowing my grandparents, Nephi John and Eliza Jane Terry, as my grandmother passed away at the old home in Panaca on September 28, 1931 and less than a year later, on August 20, 1932, my grandfather died, also at the old home. Even though I didn't have a chance to really know them, I know they loved me and I know that before they died, I was held in their arms and cherished by them. Though they were gone, I was surrounded as I was growing up by uncles, aunts, and cousins. It was a magical time.

Reading from the book, "A Century in Meadow Valley" and in my father's history, I have been fascinated to note that my ancestors, from George A. Wadsworth to the present, have followed the same traditons and customs. My children and my sibling's chidren, played on and enjoyed, the same "nature's playground" as we did and our father and grandparents before us.

In the 1960s while in Cedar City, Utah, I purchased a small book of essays and poems by a local writer. I don't remember his name, but I loved his style of writing. It seemed he could paint a picture and capture a myriad of memories in one essay or poem. I was so enthralled that I decided I would attempt to use his style to capture some of my own memories. Following is one of my early endeavors. Some of you may have seen it in a Tribal Gazette Newsletter.

That's Panaca! - Memories

A small pioneer town nestled in a beautiful valley. A town which was home to my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents. A town where I was born. . . . .That's Panaca!

Beautiful sunsets, stars, the sunrise, birds singing, gentle breezes, lightening streaking, thunder cracking, rain gently falling, soft white snow. . . . .That's Panaca!

A loving mother- Baking, canning, sewing, teaching, reading, reciting, playing, laughing - Always there for anyone and everyone who needed her. . . . .That's Panaca!

A gentle father - Ranching, farming, governing, teaching, sharing, caring, serving, helping - An example to his family, his children, his fellow men. . . . .That's Panaca!

Brothers and sisters - Loving, quarreling, sharing, helping, supporting, playing, studying - Always being thankful for each other and the heritage they share. . . . .That's Panaca!

The Court rock, the Big Ditch, the Spring, the Sand Banks, Condor Canyon, the Big Bridge, the Peak, the Indian Caves, Cathedral Gorge - Beautiful, magical, fascinating. . . . .That's Panaca!

Church, picnics, dances, box socials, parades, dynamite and races on the 24th of July, Easter Egg hunts at The Well, gathering pinenuts - Fun. . . . .That's Panaca!

Pollywogs, Horned Toads, Relief Society Bugs, the Fast Day, the Sorry Farm - fresh mown hay, flowers - Hollyhock Dolls, Weeping Willow trees - reed whistles. . . . .That's Panaca!

Cattle - herding, milking, pigs - slopping, a tiny lamb - loving, chickens - gathering eggs, cats - playing - Learning to care about all of God's creations. . . . .That's Panaca!

Dogs - Beans, Tony - barking, chasing, playing, licking - Horses - Pardner, Silver, Lobo, Blue, Skippy, Dad's Percherons - Moving as one and feeling free. . . . .That's Panaca!

Red Rover, Red Rover, send David right over - Bonfires and potatoes roasting, skimming over the ice in red and blue skating outfits - Laughing. . . . .That's Panaca!

Halloween - Mother's taffy, Thanksgiving - turkey and tarts, Christmas morning - Dad's Harmonica, a family parade - cousins, aunts, uncles - Together in love. . . . .That's Panaca!

A place to return to, bring your children to, introduce your grandchildren to - A place that to a happy child was a "little bit of heaven" here on earth. . . . .That's Panaca!

My children and grandchildren have been introduced to Panaca and have stored some of these very same memories in their hearts. I would hope that before I die, I might go to Panaca with my great grandchildren. They need to know and experience the rich heritage and love that is theirs and where it all began in a beautiful little town. . . . .That's Panaca!


Pictures from "Nature's Playground. . . . .That's Panaca !
Upper left - Cathedral Gorge
Upper right - The Peak
Center - The Sand Banks
Lower left - The Court Rock'

Thanks to my sister, Delores, for these wonderful pictures!

Love Is In The Air. . . .Sweet, Sweet Love. . . .#1

Mom made the shorts and top I have on. I loved it and you can tell by the picture that I thought I looked good in it. George thought I did, so I was happy. The picture was taken on the bridge going out of town toward the "Y" Service Station in the Spring before I turned 17. The other picture of me was taken at the end of my Junior year in High School.

The pictures of George were taken during his Junior year in High School. He was on the Varsity Basketball Team.

I began my senior year at Lincoln County High School in September of 1948. The High School was in Panaca and accomodated students from Caliente, Pioche, Panaca, Eagle Valley and several ranches in the area.

Four boys from Pioche, John Leach, Gino Choquer, Larry Spargo, and George Wimsatt, were friends who had an arrangement where they took turns driving on their dates. I was one of three Panaca girls who were dating these boys. We were not liked very much by the Pioche girls who always accused us of stealing their boys. We didn't much care, but were rather proud of the fact. The other girls were Wanda Nielson and Florence Lee. I was steady dating John, Wanda was steady dating Gino, and Florence was steady dating Larry. George did not have a steady girl friend and always stated that he did not want one. His dates would be with various girls. My best friend at the time was Ruby Lee, another Panaca girl. She spent most of her time telling me I did not want to date John, that he was a loser and I would be better off without him. At first, I ignored her because John was cute and lots of fun. Eventually, I found myself listening to my "best friend". I mean, why would I want to date a loser? So, I told him I no longer wanted to be his steady girl, in fact I no longer wanted to date him.

The next date night came around, and to my horror Ruby had a date with John. Did I feel betrayed? You bet! Was I mad? You bet! Did I want to get even? You bet! In fact, it became an obsession with me. Then a "Knight in Shining Armor" came to my rescue and swept me off my feet! George asked me for a date! I was delighted and flattered. After all, he was good looking and popular. He was on the Student Council for his class, co-editor of the Laconic, a member of the Block "L" Club and a letterman in both varsity football and basketball.

In my naivete, I found myself wondering how long George had wanted to date me. "Perhaps", I thought, "all of those times he saw me with John he was yearning to have his chance." I progressed from wanting to show John and Ruby I didn't give a hoot, because I was dating a boy who was more popular than John, to liking George for who he really was; a very sweet, humble young man with high moral standards. He was a boy who knew how to treat a girl with respect, and yet was a normal red blooded American Boy.

It wasn't until much later when I learned that the night it was George's turn to drive, he told them he didn't have a date and didn't much want one. Panicked because they needed wheels, the boys all gave him the "Why don't you ask Ina? She doesn't have a date and Ruby is rubbing her nose in it. Poor Ina will do anything to make them think she doesn't care." I remember that when I finally did find this out, my pride suffered a jolt. But just a mild one because by then I really liked George and he really liked me.

I was proud to be escorted by George to the Christmas Formal and my Senior Ball. I was proud to cheer for him with all of the gusto and exuberance of a rabid Lincoln Lynx fan as I watched him play football and basketball. We were a steady couple until I graduated from High School. Since George started School a year later than I did, he was a year behind me. After graduation, I left Panaca to go to Salt Lake City to attend LDS Business College and have orthdontics done on my teeth. So, we were separated. I might add that George was also separated from his Letterman's sweater because he was in love enough to want me to take it and I was selfish enough to do so.

It is true as the old saying goes, "True love does not always run smoothly." For the next next two years, ours didn't. . . . but more about that later.

To Be Continued. . . .

This is fun!

I got up this morning happy and excited and looking forward with great anticipation to adding to my blog. I knew I wanted to try blogging but had no idea that I would love it so much. I realize that I am brand new at this, but I am encouraged because response has been great. Thank you Rhonda, for helping me set it up and giving me a crash course on how to maneuver through it and make it work. I think the format turned out great! I intend on posting some old pictures with my stories, but even though Rhonda showed me how, I am not sure I am ready to attempt it.

You have heard me tell many of my stories. I am sure the reply to that would be, "yes, over and over again!" Some of them were previously written. This will be my first attempt at putting them all together.

My beautiful granddaughter, Jennifer, daughter of Paul and Joanne, wife of Chris, and mother of our beautiful little Ethan Michael, suggested that the next story I post should be about how George and I met and about our courtship. Because as she said, "If it wasn't for the two of you none of us would be here", referring to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, of course. So, that will be the next story I will tell.

How it all Began. . . .

I was born in the little Mormon town of Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada, at 10:20 in the morning of May 26, 1931. I was the fourth daughter and sixth child of the seven children born to James Allen and Lois Stewart Wadsworth. The other children born to this union were Theresa born October 6, 1918, Edna Myrtle born April 27, 1920, James Leo born May 21, 1922, Martha born March 9, 1925, David Nephi born February 14, 1929, and Delores born June 22, 1933. James and Lois were wonderful parents, loving, gentle, and understanding. They were hard working, industrious individuals. No task was too trivial, nor problem too small that it did not get their full attention. No undertaking so hard that they did not stick with it until it was accomplished. We were a happy family.

And so began a happy, carefree childhood for a little girl nestled in the arms of love and living in a beautiful little town where she could run and play with complete joy. That little girl was me, Ina Mae Wadsworth. I loved my life. I loved my family. And, I loved Panaca.

I can see it still, the Panaca of my childhood. Peaceful and serene she nestles snugly in her green valley. How smug she looks and how content. I am not surprised at her demeaner as I reflect on those glorious events of her birth and growth into the home of the child and the young woman who was "Growing Up Ina". I prefer to remember the Panaca of that time before progress and modernization dressed her in different clothes; a time when the lane from the "Y" into Panaca and through town was lined with beautiful big trees spreading their branches in a cool canopy over street and sidewalk alike; when the bubbling brooks that served as irrigation ditches rushed merrily alongside the country streets and sidewalks and a child could wade with delicious abandon in the cool stream all the way from home to Dad's store for a treat.

I can still hear the whirr of the mower and smell the new mown hay as Delores and I run ahead to watch for bird's nests and rabbit burrows, ready to call a warning to our father so they could be protected from harm.

I can smell the autumn leaves burning and somehow the smell is intermingled with the smell of turkey and dressing, rolls, pies and tarts, as Mother prepares Thanksgiving dinner.

I can picture a little girl sitting with her parents and siblings in church. Her hair is in bouncy ringlets and she is dressed in the lavendar dress her mother just finished sewing for her and Delores. She is content and thrilled as she listens to her father's beautiful tenor voice as he sings, "Come, Come, Ye Saints".

So begins an odyssey filled with love and laughter, joy and sorrow, and unconditional love as I began my journey through life.

To be continued. . . .

About my Blog. . . .

One of the first things I do when I get up so early each morning is to check the blogs that I follow. I love doing it and it keeps me connected with my family whom I love so much. I had been thinking for several months that I would like to start a blog. Since the blogs of my daughter and grandchildren keep me posted with pictures and narratives of the people and events that are important to me in my "now" life, I have decided that my blog will be stories from my life as I was "Growing Up Ina". I am hoping that my children and grandchildren will enjoy reading them and that the stories will preserve for them a rich heritage of people and places. Perhaps, even making them laugh and cry (heaven forbid). I am not going to try and do this in chronological order which would take the fun of spontaneity from it, but rather I will write it as a particular memory creeps into my mind and into my heart.

Muggles

Rhonda and I decided that it would be fun to start my blog with Muggles. She is the funny, sweet, sassy, and bossy little Norfolk Terrier who shares our home. She keeps us busy and on our toes, but we couldn't ask for a more loving and hilarious little companion.

One of Muggles favorite things is to visit the dog parks, this is Quail Run in Mesa. We try to go two to three times a week. Just like children she has her favorite friends; Lola is a little black and white Havenese, Sheba is a white Poodle mix, Haywood is a huge hound and Grady is a Harlequin Great Dane. Usually when I am ready to come home, she isn't..... and I hear about it!