Two years later we moved to Colorado, but in all the trips we have made, we never went south to Pueblo and east through Rocky Ford and Las Animas again. Back to Kansas and two more years of hard work and poor crops, so early in summer of '24, Earl came out to Boulder and rented the Selby place - eight miles east of Boulder. In Oct., Earl rented a railway car, we had a farm sale, packed our household goods, team of horses, some cows, feed for the animals, and came out to Boulder.
[Editors' note: According to Otis, the entrance to the Selby house was lower then the first floor, with a ½ flight up to the first floor. In the entrance was a gas engine with a pulley which ran a cream separator, a 2-tub clothes washer, and a pump to pump water up to the 100 gallon tank on the 2nd floor. The house had indoor plumbing and the lights could be coal oil or gas or acetylene.]
Earl's brother Paul helped him get stock and household goods out to farm and took care of the animals while Earl came back for car, children and I. For some reason I have no memory of that trip. The house on the Selby place was largest and nicest house I ever lived in. It had setup for carbide lights but they didn't work. We had gasoline lamps and lantern. Earl could pump them up and so we had good lights.
The house needed some repairs. The water tank in the attic leaked, so Earl finally set it in a metal pan he had fixed from discarded grasshopper machine. With the leaking finally stopped, the plaster in the downstairs bedroom could be repaired and the walls and ceiling given a coat of Kalsomine, a powder when mixed with water, made a cheap paint for plastered walls. It looked so nice and clean. A few steps down from the kitchen was a long room with a pump and engine. It pumped water up to the tank in the attic, then it ran by gravity to the bathroom and kitchen faucets. A front inside of firebox of the kitchen range heated water in hot water tank. [Editors' note: A "front" was a part of the range that was hooked up to the water supply and heated water for bathroom and kitchen.] That old Home Comfort range, the meals it cooked, the loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls, butterscotch rolls, cookies, angel food cakes, checkerboard cakes and biscuits it baked. The meat and vegetables we canned - boilers full of jars.
The engine that pumped water also ran the washing machine. A two tub Dexter with two rinse tubs on the platform beside it and a wringer that swung between the tubs. A door led outside so that room also kept mud boots out of kitchen.
Almost a year after we moved our little girl started to school in the single room White Rock school house, some distance west and then north to beet dump on railway, a little way north of beet dump. That winter the new White Rock School was built up on the main Valmont road.
Two nice rooms upstairs and manual training in the basement. I remember one teacher, Miss Julia Bonelli. I also remember how happy we were when Neural excelled in penmanship. She was going to be like my sister, who wrote such a beautiful hand. Then a change of teachers and methods, and our hopes ended. Neural did not become the good penmanship writer we had hoped.
Eleanor Ferris and Sylvia King started school same year Neural did. Two years latter, Otis started school the same year as Charles Ferris and one of the Hansen boys. Also some of the Sullivan children started. Earl's parents belonged to Nazarene church and wanted us to go to their church. Old Friends, Hixsons and Andrus, wanted us to go to Valmont. Aunt Effie belonged to the Methodist church and introduced us to Harry and Grace Roosa and they in turn introduced us to the Sunday School class of young married people. We were welcomed and soon felt at home. Because of our children we set back under balcony and became acquainted with Caroline and Searl Jencks, their Grandma Clover, a Mr. and Mrs. Doyle and several others. The Gambill family set up in the balcony. Dr. Baird always came early and set in pew where his family would join him later.
One Sunday a few months later, when we took our seats we asked some friends, "Why the trunk?" We were told that Gladys Doyle was going out to India as a missionary. Fredrick Bartlett was organist for many years.
Neural and Otis took music lessons from Hazel Estey and their lessons were paid for with eggs, chickens, cottage cheese and sometimes some garden produce.
Wonderful happy years of watching our children grow up and doing well in school. Glad times and dinners with Paul, Elsie and their children Pauline, Delbert and Shirley, Uncle Lewis and Aunt Effie and sometimes their son Harry, his wife Lizzie and their children. Their adopted son, Earl Hanks, his wife Mildred and her little boy Eddie Brown. Aunt Effie and later Mildred often went to church with us.
I remember one wintry muddy day, Uncle Lewis came to visit and not knowing that boots were to be taken off down in pump room, he came in snowy boots and all. Earlier I had scrubbed kitchen and warned the children to be careful about the floor. Otis watched as snow and mud dripped from Uncle's overshoes. Finally he could stand it no longer and said, "Uncle Lewis you sure are getting my Mamma's clean floor dirty."
Grandma White came to Boulder and rented a home on Spruce Street while Forest went to University of Colorado. I remember her favorite dish to bring to our family gatherings was stuffed peppers.