Mailed in a plain wrapper

I was glancing through my magazine the other day and read a full page ad for a hearing aid.

It promised to be better than those expensive ones...

No hearing test required...And the price was "affordable."

The ad bragged that no one would see

your hearing device when you wear it....

And they would ship it to your home in a

plain, unmarked package!

Well, how tempting!

The mailman won't know I have ordered a hearing aid,

but he will probably think I have ordered some

x-rated materials!

Actually, I do have a hearing aid already,

but should really have one in each ear.  

Someday.

But what is it with the stigma on hearing loss?

Although I don't want a hearing aid that it huge and has

a long wire with a battery on it, why must it be 

a "secret" that one has a hearing aid?

When I got mine, people told me,

"I can't even see it."

{They didn't say that when I got glasses;

For some reason, glasses get compliments.}

Since I have had a hearing loss most of my life, I have

experienced the social stigma it carries.

Time to remove the stigma and the plain brown wrapper.

Thinking of Grandma

The other day as I was driving home, I was listening to

some Mozart, and I was reminded of my Grandma.

I don't know why Mozart reminded me of Grandma.

I don't even know if she liked Mozart's music.

I don't think we ever listened to Mozart at her place.

I think it was the tune that sounded more Scandinavian

that German (or was it Austrian) to me.

[And a beautiful sunset surely contributed.]

Funny how music triggers one's memory.

I don't remember grandma being active;

she was nearly blind and her hearing was impaired.

But in the car that day, I was imagining her bustling

about in her kitchen with her family.

I began thinking of my Mom and her siblings.

And Grandpa (who died before I was born).

Imagining what is was like in the "olden days" on the farm.

I had visions of her in Norway, 

tending cattle on the mountain.

The beautiful music reminded me of the beauty

of Geirangerfjord, which was near Grandma's birthplace.  

By the time I got home, the music had stopped

and my rambling mind returned to the present.

But it was a pretty good ride home.

MONS GJERDE

This is my great-uncle, Mons Gjerde. He was my

Grandma, Elsie Dahlager's brother.  

Grandma & Mons both immigrated from Norway.

Mons was married to Christine Dahlager

Grandma was married to Christine's brother, John Dahlager.

Mons was a Lutheran pastor, serving in Minnesota,

Wisconsin, Washington and South Dakota.

My grandpa John died unexpectedly in October, 1936

Three days after John's death, Mons died very suddenly.

How strange that these men, who had married each other's sibling

had died so close together.

I

Family Get-Togethers

This photo is of my Dahlager relatives on the occasion of

my great-grandmother's birthday -circa 1930

she is shown with her grandchildren and I suspect

some of these are her great-grandchildren.   What fun to

have these old pictures!  And I am so glad that the

Dahlager family were VERY good at taking pictures!

his photo was taken this past summer at a Melby Family reunion

when our relatives from Norway came to visit.  It was great fun!

Seems like we should have get-together more often, though.........

instead of waiting for funerals, or 80th birthday parties.

Seems like relatives and friends got together more oftenwhen I was young than they do now - 

and I think it's too bad that so many of us are too busy to take time for this.

When I was young, relatives visited on Sunday afternoon unannounced

....and Mom was always prepared!   

Sad to say, if someone pops to see me  tomorrow, 

I probably wouldn't have anything more than coffee

 and my house would not be "company ready"

Oh, how things have changed! 

The farm my great grandparents lived on

 Great-grandparents Christopher & Sigrid Dahlager

lived on a farm by Clear Lake, just south of Dalton.

Here are a couple of photos.

This photo was taken during threshing -

I don't know the date of the picture, but maybe

in the 1920's.

My great grandpa died in 1918 and great grandma died in 1942,

so I never knew them.  

My mother used to tell me what a nice place

they had - with beautiful lilacs, and other flowers.

There was even a stone path to the outhouse and

great-grandma plated flowers along the path.

The buildings are all gone now.

Weddings

Thinking about weddings lately - since my daughter

is engaged!   Here are a few photos of

family weddings from long ago.

My grandparents, John & Elsie

Married in 1898

My aunt Palma & uncle Carl

Married in the 1920's

\

My great Uncle Mons & Great Aunt Christine

Married in 1897

My parents - married in 1930

At Grandma's House

Dodie, Me, Jim

Alice, Orion, Christopher, Mabel

Grandma, Palma, Esther

Came across these old pictures this evening. 

They were taken at Grandma's house at Christmas a long time ago,

maybe around 1955.

The photos bring memories of going to Grandma's

each Christmas Eve.

But I was also reminded of the decor in Grandma's

living room.    The wallpaper had ferns on them, and the

matching curtain?  They were  plastic.

A fern normally sat in the corner where the

Christmas tree is.

I always thought Grandma's house was so cozy!

So glad for the memories!