Pictures From Grandma's Halloween Party

Kinsey Amanda Eborn

Kinsey Eborn

12th Grade, UT

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Government

I clamor to influence progress in world affairs. As presidency captain, I lead my schools debate team through encouragement, experience, and merit. I've qualified for and competed at nationals for student forensics, and am ranked top 10 in state. I'm state champion and national representative for advanced public speaking and impromptu through FBLA. I head Murray's Project Citizen, and work to raise cultural awareness. I assist novice debaters each Thursday after school through researching domestic/foreign affairs, fun activities, and mock trial debates. I took AP US History to assimilate the political history of America, receiving a 5 on the 2011 AP test. I intern for US History teachers at Murray High. Im studying AP Government and AP Human Geography and intend to pass those tests in May.

Community Service

I mentor a young woman with mental and physical disabilities each Thursday evening, teaching self-preservation and confidence skills, serving over 100 hrs yearly. I created the Young Picasso Art clinic for children in my community to teach art basics. I organized a 5k run to raise awareness for the dangers of cyber-bullying and had several hundred participants/runners attend. I organized/hosted a benefit to collect canned food items for the Philippines and donated over 700 pounds of canned food. I represented Murray City and raised over $100 for the Children's Miracle Network. I dressed as a princess for the Make a Wish princess tea party and played with terminally ill children. I'm a member of my schools Interact club. I was blessed to go to Niteroi, Brazil for 3 weeks and rebuild homes.

Faith

"I believe," isn't just a phrase to me, but a guideline. I'm blessed to be a part of a strong Christian church organization, and attend church meetings 2-3 times a week. I lead my church young women's group through presidency and have been doing so for the past five years. I've been YCL (Youth Camp Leader) for the past 2 years, where I educate young women at camp. I have been in seminary leadership for 4 years. I attend annual youth camps, daily scripture study courses, and served a church service mission to Niteroi, Brazil. I also worship and serve twice a month at our temple. Having the light of God is more than going to prayer meeting. It is showing compassion, love, and understanding for those of all denominations. I strive to be an uplifting example of faith in my Savior in all ways.

Ancestors

John Thomas Passey and Annie Maria Neat Family

John Thomas Passey and Annie Maria Neat

Married 29 September 1881



John Thomas Passey

Annie Maria Neat

John Thomas Passey (b. 24 Jan 1860, d. 20 Jun 1934)

John Thomas Passey (son of Thomas Passey and Drucilla Theobald)was born 24 Jan 1860 in Farmington, Davis, Utah, USA and died 20 Jun 1934 in Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA He married (1) Mary Jane Hymas on 07 Dec 1927. He married (2) Annie Maria Neat on 29 Sep 1881 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA

More About John Thomas Passey:
Date born 2: 24 Jan 1860, Farmington, Davis, Utah, USA.

More About John Thomas Passey and Mary Jane Hymas:
Marriage: 07 Dec 1927

More About John Thomas Passey and Annie Maria Neat:
Marriage: 29 Sep 1881, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA.

Children of John Thomas Passey and Annie Maria Neat are:

1. John Thomas Passey, b. 26 Jun 1882, Liberty, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 01 Jul 1883, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
2. Wilford Passey, b. 23 Apr 1884, Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 02 Oct 1897, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
3. Nina Louise Passey, b. 22 Jan 1887, Montpelier, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 09 Oct 1974, Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
4. Carence W Passey, b. 12 Dec 1889, Dingle, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 18 Jan 1946, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
5. Melvin Jay Passey, b. 04 Oct 1892, Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 31 Dec 1964, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
6. Mary Druscilla Passey, b. 23 Aug 1894, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 31 Oct 1959, Soda Springs, Caribou, Idaho, USA
7. Leo Fowler Passey, b. 22 Aug 1896, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 03 Sep 1960, Montpelier, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
8. Woodruff Lorenzo Passey, b. 20 Aug 1898, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 14 Apr 1901, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA
9. Edith Idell Passey, b. 08 Jan 1901, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 10 Feb 1992, Logan, Cache, Utah, USA
10. Annie Lucile Passey, b. 26 Mar 1903, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 15 Apr 1988, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA¹⁴⁸².
11. George Lowell Passey, b. 29 Jan 1905, Lanark, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA d. 27 Apr 1976, Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho, USA
12. Ruth Passey, b. 09 Feb 1907, Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho, USA

Elder Daugs Mission Call and Farewell

Several weeks ago Addison put in his mission papers. His call came from the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and he will be serving in the New York Rochester Mission. This will be a wonderful experience for him and we have every reason to believe he will be a successful missionary and help many people come to an understanding of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness for his children. This area of New York is rich in Church History. Such sites as the Sacred Grove, the Hill Cummorh , Palmyra, and many others important in the history of the Restored Church are in the area. He will no doubt get to see many of them and walk where Joseph Smith walked and where the Angel Moroni came to him in vision. Addison's testimony of the restored gospel will become even stronger and  many of the people he meets will have been prepared to listen to the message he bears and receive of the gospel blessings. Addison has been preparing for this day almost since he was born. He has worked hard and saved his money for this very purpose. He has been a very good student, not only at school, but of the gospel. He has read the Book of Mormon and studied the scriptures. He has been obedient to his Father in Heaven and also his parents,who love him so very much. They will, no doubt, miss him, but he will probably be so busy that he wont have much time to miss anything. That is what happens when missionaries are anxiously engaged in the work. They know they are where they should be at this time of their lives and are doing what Heavenly Father wants them to do. Addison will find great joy in the service of the Lord as he presses forward with faith, being strictly obedient to his Mission President and other mission leaders.

We attended his "Farewell" in the Spring Creek Ward yesterday. We were very proud of Addison and his whole family. Addison spoke confidently and humbly as he bore his testimony and taught of the Restoration of the gospel in this dispensation. His testimony is already firm and powerful, but he will find it growing rapidly as he serves faithfully in his mission. Most of our immediate family came to support Addison, express their love for him, and spend some quality time with him before  he leaves on July 30th.Below are just a few pictures of Elder Daugs and his family and some of the extended family who also love him and will be praying for him as the days of his mission go by. We love you Addison and are so very pleased with your decision to serve. We are happy to be a part of your life and you a part of ours. We will always include you in our prayers and you can expect that your family will keep you posted about what is going on at home. I hope letters from your Grandpa Eborn will not be a distraction, but rather, a token of our love for you, and a word of encouragement when it is needed from time to time.

Ammon, Elder Daugs, and his sweet mama, soon to be 40.

Elder Daugs on the temple grounds after his own endowment session together with both of  his grandpas and his dad.

I think Alison is going to miss her eldest for a couple of years.  He will do well and so will she.  It will be a blessing for so many people at home as well as in the New York Rochester Mission.

                                                    

             

Eborn Family Get-together July 11, 2014 at Bear Lake

A Day with Family at Bear Lake

When it was learned that a reservation at the Bear Lake State Park East Beach was about to go unused  on July 11 our reaction was: Not gonna happen. Calls were made to all of the immediate and extended family and all were invited to come and spend some quality time together. Of course, Friday is a work day and that is fully understood. Nonetheless, many were able to juggle their schedules and make time to get together. I hope, I speak for all of you when I say, it was wonderful to be together again, to see your smiles, to hear your voices, to visit, to play, to reminisce, and to feel the caring attitude we have for one another. It was a great reminder, that families, can and should be together forever. Below are just a few of the pictures we took. We hope they will serve as a reminder that we are a family and that we will love one another forever. I know, I missed a lot of faces with the camera, but never forget, we love you all and each of you have a special place in our hearts.

Megan and Maddie arrive.  Let the fun begin!

It never ceases to amaze me how much fun a little white ball and a yellow plastic bat can generate in the Eborn family.  Wiffleball.


My little bother,Mark.  Sixty years old today.  Hard to believe.  Time flies by so fast.  We couldn't help remember the day he was born in Montpelier sixty years ago today 11 July 1954..  Dad went to be with mom at the hospital and dropped all of us kids off at the Rich Theater/now Centre Theater in Montpelier while he went down to see mom and the the baby who arrived about the same time as he got there.  I can still remember the movie, "River of No Return" with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum.  Mark has been a great little brother and he and Gail have raised a wonderful family.  No greater reward can be had.

Halle and Neveah.  I think their smiles represent the joy we all felt being together as a family.  Neveah is the youngest of our immediate family.

Alyssa's husband, Ben, showing Mason how to fly a big three meter kite.  So fun!!  I appreciated Stephen and Mason making the special trip from the Hinckley Scout Ranch in the Uintas so that they could be with us, even if it was for just a couple of hours.  That is pretty typical of Stephen, always going the extra mile, as do so many of you in your own ways.  We appreciate and love the effort and thought put into this little get-together, even if you were unable to be there.  We know you were with us in your mind and heart.

I got a lot more pictures, of course, but due to space restrictions, we'll have o leave most of them to your personal recollection.  We do love our family and it brings us the greatest t joy to know that we all love one another

My Bother, Reed

Reed, my brother, sent me these pictures taken from his deck overlooking Bear Lake. Sometimes I wish I had been smart enough to buy a lot at Bear Lake West myself. How is it possible that a man can wake up to these kinds of views everyday, and he hasn't even been resurrected yet? He lives the good life indeed.

A beautiful sunrise from the deck at the front of Reed and Lorraine's home on the hill at Bear Lake West.

Joy Cometh in the Morning!"

Sunrises over Bear Lake are often spectacular, but new beauty appears once "the sparrows stop their singing and the moon has gone to bed."

Living up on the hill at Bear Lake West seems to have brought out the philosopher in Reed.  We often enjoy long, in depth conversations on the things of eternity.  This has been a great blessing to me and I hope our discussions have, at least, caused him to ponder, and pray, and seek answers from on high as they have me.  We always look forward to a few days in the huckleberry patch and just picking, talking, and being grateful.  Simple, but priceless treasures.

Reed used to enjoy and be a very good hunter.  Now his gentile heart seems to attract all kinds of wildlife all the way from deer, to hummingbirds, to wild turkeys,to bobcats, to giant bull moose, all of which feel  welcome and unafraid in Reed and Lorraine's Yard.  Dad always used to say: "You can't fool kids and dogs."  The same holds true for the wildlife that comes to visit at their place,

In Reed's words:  "Borno is back"  Yes, he even knows them by name.

By Bart

Memorial Day Remembrances

On Monday (Memorial Day 2013), Iris and I made a brief journey over to the Bear Lake Valley to pay our respects to some of our kindred dead.  Of course, we went to the Lanark Cemetery and contemplated the blessings that are ours  in large part due to the love, work, and sacrifice of Darrell and Edna Eborn, our parents and grandparents.  I miss them greatly and come to realize each day just how big a role they played in our lives and how blessed we all are because for them in so many, many ways.  I always reflect on Mom telling me how beautiful she thought  Lanark was in the springtime looking northward over the rolling green hills toward Liberty, where she was raised.  These two small towns were not far apart and opportunities to travel very far beyond their boundaries were more limited than we can imagine in our day and age.  I praise the day they found each other and all they did to show their love and care for us as we grew up.

Lately I have been thinking a great deal about another of our ancestors, my Great Grandmother, Mary Ann Pitman.  We found her grave stone in the Liberty Cemetery and left a small potted flower as a token of our appreciation.  As you can see from the picture below, Mary Ann Pitman Hymas did not lead a long life and we can rest assured that her life was not easy by our standards.  Her love and sacrifice were demonstrated by the children she bore and cared for in the pioneer community of Liberty, where she passed away at the age of 32.

She came to America when she was ten years old after conversion to the LDS Church and first went to Iowa where they prepared for the journey to the Salt Lake valley to be with the Saints in the Rocky Mountains.  Her father, James Pitman, died in Nebraska before their party was ready for the overland wagon journey.  It is interesting to note that they came across the plains to Utah with the Homer Duncan Company in 1861, just as the U.S. Civil War was beginning.  Her mother, Ann Moulton King Pitman, who, interestingly enough, was later married to a Joseph Lewis and eventually settled in Paris, Idaho, where she died in 1905.  She is the great-great grandmother of one of our daughters-in-law, Candice Pope, our Stephen's wife and the mother of four of the best looking grand kids anyone could every hope to have.  One of her children, while before passing in 1878, was our grandfather, Benjamin Pitman Hymas.  Father of Edna Hymas, our mother.

They had the following children:
2 i. John William (1865-1959)
3 ii. Mary Ann Adelia (1866-1944)
4 iii. Joseph Manassah (1867-1932)
5 iv. Benjamin Pitman (1869-1940)
6 v. Clara Drucilla (1872-1901)
  

John A. Hymas of Essex and Idaho

 John Arnold Hymas. Born on 1 September 1839 in Rayleigh, Essex, England. Christened on 1 October 1839 in Rayleigh, Essex, England. John Arnold died in Liberty, Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States on 8 November 1917, he was 78. Buried on 11 November 1917 in Liberty, Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States.

Information from Ancestry.com Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah.  

"John A. Hymas Son of William Hymas and Mary Ann Atkins. Born Sept. 1, 1839, Rayleigh, Essex, Eng. Came to Utah October, 1861. HYMAS, JOHN A. (son of William Hymas and Mary Ann Atkins). Born Sept. 1, 1839, at Rayleigh, Essex, Eng. Came to Utah Oct. 1861, Creighton telegraph train. William Hymas was born July 26, 1806, at Rayleigh, Essex, England, the son of Edward and Sarah Howler Hymas. He was married to Mary Ann Atkins January 6, 1834. She was born December 20, 1815, at Hockley, Essex, England, and was the daughter of Willam and Lucy Hart Atkins. They were the parents of 8 children: George, born in 1834; William Alfred, 1837; John I., 1839; Sarah, 1841; Susan, 1844; Benjamin, 1846; James, 1849; and Mary Ann, 1851. In 1853 William and his family first heard the gospel message and by 1856, when John sailed for America on the ship Caravan all the family except the oldest son had joined the Church. The following year William Alfred sailed on the George Washington and joined brother John in Iowa. William and Mary Ann saved their money and made plans to take the remaining members of their family to America. Their plans were at least partially realized when all except George sailed on the ship Underwriter on April 23, 1861."

On 10 November 1861 when John Arnold was 22, he first married Mary Ann Pitman, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. Born on 4 October 1846 in Parish Of Hound, Southampton, Hampshire, England. Mary Ann died in Liberty, Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States on 22 January 1878, she was 31. Buried on 27 January 1878 in Liberty, Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States.

Treasures of Pioneer History Treasures of Pioneer History: Vol 4 the Price of Pioneering They Gave Their Lives

"James Pitman and his wife, Anne M. King Pitman, with their daughter Mary Ann, then ten years of age, came to America in the year 1857 from South Hampton, England. James was listed as forty-four years of age and his wife forty-two. When they reached the New World the family went to Iowa where they were to make preparations for the journey West to join with the Saints in Utah. James Pitman died the following year. While Ann and Mary Ann were living in Omaha, they became acquainted with Joseph Lewis whom Ann later married. When Mary Ann grew to young womanhood, she married John Hymas in Salt Lake City in 1861, and her mother and Joseph Lewis joined them the following year. The Lewis family made their home at Paris, Idaho and the Hymas family settled at Liberty, Idaho. ”Edith Haddock and Mary O. Lewis"  

Her husband, John A. Hymas married again later and had several more children.  This is chronicled more completely elsewhere in this blog.

Below are the two Liberty Ward churches with which I am familiar.  The picture immediately below was completed in 1958.  I actually had the opportunity to do work on the construction of this building when I was a teenager.  This, I consider to be my home ward to this date.  It was from this ward that I was called to serve my mission in 1960.  I lived with our young family in the old Lyme Hymas home about a mile to the south.  We had three little boys while we lived there for three years and I well remember pulling Jason and Jared to the Church on sunny summer mornings in their little red wagon.

This is the Liberty Ward LDS Chapel.  It was dedicated in 1958. 

Below is the old Liberty Ward Church where mother attended meetings etc. as a child and was still in use for a few years after the Lanark Ward was joined with the Liberty-Sharon Ward to become the Liberty Ward I knew as a teen ager.

 

When the Lanark Ward was merged into the Liberty Ward I was a young high school aged boy.

I remember how terrified I was when asked to give a two and a half minute talk in Sunday School

before so many strangers.  I did know most of the young people because we all attended school together in Paris and rode the same school bus to and from school much of the time.  I learned to love the Liberty Ward and to this day I consider it my home ward..  It was there that Bishop Marvin Hymas interviewed me for my mission back in the summer of 1960.  I still have many fond memories

of the people and activities of the Liberty Ward and shall ever be grateful for the guidance and support I got as a member of that ward.  The building above was the Liberty Church when we joined the ward.  Mother told us of the many good times she had while she lived in the small community of Liberty and these experiences helped shape her life.

This Daughters of Utah Pioneers marker is situated on the southwest corner of the Liberty, Idaho LDS Chapel located along the north side of Highway 36. It is visible from the highway, with the plaque facing east. The marker is attached to a large base made of carved stones. It reads:

Liberty is a small ranching community in the northwest corner of Bear Lake Valley, built on the south-facing slope of a hill between Mill Creek and Ovid Creek. Narrow fingers of the valley extend towards the Bear River Mountains in this area, separated by hilly areas. Irrigated fields fill the valley, where hay is the main crop, and hills are covered with grass and sagebrush. The forested peaks of the mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to the scenery. The only public structure in Liberty is the Mormon church at the main intersection.

Mormon settlers arrived in 1863, descending into the valley through Emigration Canyon, which lies northwest of Liberty, and settled at Paris, several miles to the south. Liberty was settled soon after, as recorded on a historic marker in Liberty.

State Highway 36 passes through Liberty, leading to Emigration Canyon on the northwest, and Ovid to the southeast. Lanark Road begins at Liberty and heads south along the west edge of the valley. The elevation is 5,980 feet at the low end of town, and houses extend up the hill to about 6,080 feet. The population may be about 100 people.

Posted by Bart

A Visit with Aunt Helen Rae

For the last several  months Reed and I have talked about going down to Soda Springs to visit our Aunt Helen Rae.  She is one of two surviving children of our grandparents, Aurthur Phipp and Nina Passey Eborn.  She is currently 88 years old and we hadn't seen her for quite a long time. The other surviving child is Uncle Weldon, who is currently in the nursing home in Montpelier.  We need to make a point to go and see him too. 

Aunt Helen Rae  has always been special to many in the family.  She has gone out of her way to visit us, send us Christmas cards, give us phone calls and just generally shown an interest in so many members of the extended family.  Reed reminded her that nearly everyone who speaks of her includes the word "angel" in their description.  I remember when we lived in Montpelier many of the people we knew always spoke kindly of her after finding that she was our aunt.  I know Mom and Dad appreciated her frequent visits to their home in Lanark, and especially when they were at the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital in Montpelier.  She would often bring a treat and always an encouraging word and a listening ear.  When we lived in Montpelier she and Harry would sometimes stop by to check on Iris and me and our family.  Whenever their was a wedding reception in our family or the extended family she always made an effort to be there.  I can only imagine how many wedding receptions she has attended over the years.

In Aunt Helen Rae's advancing years her body is showing the signs of wear, but her mind is alert and her memory keen.  She takes great pride in her loving family and their accomplishments.  She is fortunate to have her daughter, Janet, and her family living close by in Soda Springs.  While we were there Janet just happened to show up to check on her, which she does often.  This is a great comfort to Aunt Helen Rae.

As I look back over the many years at my own relationship with Aunt Helen Rae, I remember that she always lifted our spirits with her happy smile and words of encouragement.  She never went away without having lifted us and making us feel better than when she came.  What a marvelous ability, one we all should cultivate.

Aunt Helen Rae has always been an example of what a true Christian should be.  She quietly went about doing good wherever she could.  In the process she touched the lives of many people.  Aunt Helen Rae served as a temple officiator for several years in the Logan Temple and it has been a joy to see her there since we started our service.  Lately she has not been able to come because it is becoming to difficult to get around.  In her absence it has been good to see, Janet, at the Temple from time to time.

Aunt Helen Rae was not really thrilled about posing for a picture, but she relented.  Here we see Aunt Helen Rae and her daughter Janet at home in Soda Springs, Idaho.

Here we (Reed and Bart) are with our dear Aunt Helen Rae.  It certainly was worth making the trip to see her.  We hope to do it again.  Today was Valentine's Day and we took her a few roses.  She was happy to be remembered.

So God Made a Farmer

Like many others, I'm glad we had the chance to grow up on a farm.  Life wasn't always easy, but it greatly helped to make us what we are and I think that it was for our good.  I like this Youtube video which very much typifies our parents and our grandparents who were also farmers, as were nearly all of our friends and neighbors and their families back in the "good old days".

http://youtu.be/AMpZ0TGjbWE

So God Made a Farmer
And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer.
God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the township board.” So God made a farmer.
“I need somebody with arms strong enough to wrestle a calf and yet gentle enough to cradle his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait for lunch until his wife’s done feeding visiting ladies, then tell the ladies to be sure to come back real soon and mean it.” So God made a farmer.
God said, “I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say, ‘Maybe next year,’ I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse, who can fix a harness with hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, up in another 72 hours.” So God made a farmer.
God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor’s place. So God made a farmer.
God said, “I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to help a newborn calf begin to suckle and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower in an instant to avoid the nest of meadowlarks.”
It had to be somebody who’d plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, brake, disk, plow, plant, strain the milk, replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week’s work with an eight mile drive to church. Somebody who’d bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his family says that they are proud of what Dad does. “So God made a farmer.”

by Bart

Eborn and Park

Friday, December 7, 2012

Mark and Gail Eborn are pleased to announce the marriage of their son Dillon Jex Eborn to Katherine Park, daughter of David and Sharla Park of Lehi, Utah. Their marriage will be solemnized in the Logan LDS Temple on Dec. 19, 2012. A reception will be held in their honor Dec. 17 in Lehi.
Dillon and Katie met at Utah State University in Logan and plan to continue their studies in management information systems and theatre arts.

We attended the sealing ceremony at the Logan Temple Wednesday morning.    It was good to see Mark and Gail and some of their kids.  Allysa and her husband Ben, were there as well as Ben and Lance.  They report that their families are doing well.  The rest of the family is a bit scattered out these days and were not able to make the trip with their families at this time of the year. 

We hope Dillon and his new bride will be very happy and enjoy the rest of eternity together.

by Bart

The Greatest Gift by Far

During this Christmas season, I hope each us takes the time to ponder the Greatest Gift.  This one is not just for the top two percent, but is given unconditionally to all who will accept Him and follow Him. Just click on the link below and begin to count your blessings.

http://youtu.be/05nA0cNEEqk

Duck Hunting Memories

There have been other posts on this blog about hunting, mostly about deer hunting.  This past weekend Jason went bird hunting here in Cache Valley out near Paradise with some of his friends.

He put a little post on his blog about the experience and as I read it I started to reminisce.  I never considered myself to be a great hunter, much less a great bird hunter, but as I reflect back over my life I couldn't help but think of some of my experiences hunting various kinds of birds.  Actually, no one in our family owned a shotgun until I was in high school.  I had always wanted a gun of my own, but money was tight and so I ended up borrowing a rifle for the deer hunt from one of our Lanark neighbors.  Ellis had purchased a gun (a Marlin 30-30 lever action) earlier with a part of his summer wages working in the hay fields in the Bear Lake Bottoms.  I was envious, but not very demanding and so I was often left out of the hunt, or at best had to use a borrowed gun. When Ellis went away to college I saved what little money I earned  until I had enough to buy a gun of my own.  I chose to own a shotgun as my first gun.  It couldn't be one of the fancy models, because my savings were meager.  I saw a JC Higgins 12 gauge shotgun in  the Sears Catalog.  It was on sale and when I checked my small reserve of cash I found I had enough to buy he gun.  Ellis was home for the weekend and so I asked him to go down to the Sears store in Logan when he went back to Utah State the next week and buy the gun for me.  He would bring it home to me when he came next time.  I could hardly wait.  Below is a picture of a new JC Higgins  like the one of which I was the proud owner.  It was a pump action 12 gauge, nothing fancy, but it worked I was one happy hunter.  I remember coming home from school on the bus that fall and before chores or anything else I'd take my gun and a few shells to one of the ponds in the area and see if I could find a duck to shoot at.  More often than not I did.  My shooting improved and I learned not only to shoot  but to clean the ducks and dress them out after I had shot them.  There were usually not many and I remember Mom using a few of them for soup and even  fried some for me  and any other takers on occasion.  I don't think duck ever became anyones favorite food.  It's probably a good thing, because my success hunting ducks was rather spotty at best.

I still have my trusty JC Higgins, but haven't been hunting with it for years; how sad is that?

I remember, when we were young and growing up on the farm, that in the fall of the year after the barley had been harvested huge flocks of southward migrating ducks would settle in the evenings on the stubble fields where they would glean the residue from the harvested crop.  There must have been quite bit left behind because it  seemed to attract the migrating ducks by the thousands.  I remember trying to sneak up on them while they were feeding and get in some real shooting.  Unfortunately, most often the ducks sensed me coming and the whole field seemed to thunder into the sky as they escaped this poor inept hunter, who usually fired futiley into the air.  It was fun, nonetheless.

Another vivid memory about duck hunting came years later after I was married and had children.  We had moved back to the Bear Lake Valley and were living in Liberty in the old Lyme Hymas house.  I remember coming home from school one autumn afternoon and noticed large numbers of ducks flying in the air above the canal which was located on the hillside above our home.  This happened for several days so I decided to check it out.  It so happened that Lane Hymas, a neighbor farmer, had been driving a truckload of grain across the wooden bridge crossing the canal just upstream from where we lived.  The heavy load  broke the timpers in the bridge and the truck tipped sideways into the small canal spilling most of the grain it was carrying.  Nobody was hurt and they were soon able to get the truck out of the canal, but not so with the spilled wheat.  Needless to say, the ducks found the spilled grain in short order and seemed to spread the word.  Hundreds of ducks could be seen alighting in the canal each evening.  I determined to take advantage of this unusual situation and after putting on my hipboots went up stream where I entered the canal and waded carefully and as quietly as possible toward where I knew the ducks were congregating.  The canal was only about five or six feet wide and the water had been mostly turned out of the ditch for the winter.  There was still about six inches of water in most places and it was not running very fast at all.  I finally could hear the ducks quaking loudly in the canal as they fed on the spilled grain.  Quietly, I approached.  The ducks were busy feeding and didn't detect me as I approached  with my trusty JC Higgins 12 gauge .   Suddenly, I rounded a protruding willow bush and there were ducks by the hundreds almost lined up waiting for me to shoot them.  Talk about "getting your ducks in a row."  Well, that is once I did.  I stopped and quietly aimed at the mass of duck feathers congregated in the canal.  I pulled the trigger,  The entire canal seamed to explode before me as the frightened ducks tried to elude the next two shots.  I pumped once and then twice, each time pulling the trigger to get of another shot.  I was not aiming at any particular bird and I didn't need to.  This was once when flock shooting turned out to be the best way to go.  By law shotguns in Idaho had to be limited to just three shots.  I didn't like that idea, but after counting the birds left in the ditch or nearby after my assault, I think it was probably for the best, if I had had six shells in the gun, I might have killed fifty birds.  As it was, I got about twenty with just three shots.  I had to go back to the house and get the car a little closer to my kill before hauling them home.  I broke the law, dang, but what was I to do.  I only pulled the trigger three times.  Oh, well, it was just that once.  Since that time I probably have not shot more ducks in the rest of my life than I did that early autumn evening with just three shots.

The ducks were busily feeding and didn't detect me as I appoached with my trusty JC Higgins.

100 YEARS AGO/ THE MORE THINGS CHANGE THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME

Today, I have been reflecting on some important events of a hundred years ago.  The ones that have most affected my life in the eternal scheme of things were the birth of my mother, Edna Hymas, exactly 100 years ago today in Liberty, Idaho to Benjamin Pitman Hymas and Elizabeth Price Hymas and the birth of my Father, Darrell Eborn, to Arthur Phipp Eborn and Nina Louise Passey Eborn about three miles south of Liberty, Idaho in Lanark on October 6, 1912.  I cannot help but believe that in the preexistant realms they had discussed and chose to undertake these very events.  I am grateful for them and all they have done, whether in the preexistence, mortality, or is their present state to provide opportunities for each of us to come to this earth, to learn and have experience, to develop faith and attributes of character.  I, for one will be forever grateful for their love, nurture, and  example.  I shudder to think of where I might have been without them.

Lately, it seems I may have been a little preoccupied with the events taking place in our country and around the world.  We live in perilous times, but we are hardly the first to do so, and we will not be the last.  I thought someone might be interested in the events of 100 years ago, the year Dad and Mom were born into this world.  The times have changed alright, but in many ways they remain the same.  Each of us will have our appropriate share of challenges, just as those of past ages did. Such is the plan. They are not always easy, nor were they ever intended to be, but ultimately I am confident, that they will be worth the effort.  I pray tha each of us will face each day with hope and courage, just as our parents did through the years.

1912 (MCMXII) a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) in the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Sunday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar.

 Events

 January

Main article: January 1912

• January 1 – The Republic of China is proclaimed.
• January 4 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.
• January 5 (Old Style December 23, 1911)
  • Prague Party Conference: Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik Party break away from the rest of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party.
  • Moscow Art Theatre production of Hamlet opens.
• January 8 – The African National Congress is founded.
• January 17 – British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott and a team of four become the second expeditionary group to reach the South Pole.
• January 23 – The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague.

 February

Main article: February 1912

• February 12 – The Qing Dynasty of China, also called the Manchu Dynasty, comes to an end after 268 years.
• February 24 – Italy makes a surprise attack on the Ottoman port of Beirut, when the cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi and the gunboat Volturno bombard the harbour. The attack kills 97 sailors and civilians.
• February 29 – Serbia and Bulgaria secretly sign a treaty of alliance for a term of eight years, with each pledging to come to the defense of the other during war.

 March

Main article: March 1912

March 27: Cherry trees for Washington, D.C.

• March 1 – Albert Berry is reported to have made the first parachute jump from a flying airplane.
• March 5 – Italian forces are the first to use airships for a military purpose, using them for reconnaissance west of Tripoli, Libya, behind Turkish lines.
• March 7
  • Roald Amundsen in Hobart, Tasmania, announces his success in reaching the South Pole the previous December.
  • French aviator Henri Seimet makes the first nonstop flight from Paris to London, in three hours.
• March 12 – The Girl Scouts is founded by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia.
• March 16 – Lawrence Oates, dying member of Scott's South Pole expedition, leaves the tent saying, "I am just going outside and may be some time."
• March 27 – Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo gives 3,000 cherry trees to be planted in Washington, D.C., to symbolize the friendship between the two countries.
• March 29 – The remaining members of Robert Falcon Scott's South Pole expedition die.
• March 30 – France establishes a protectorate over Morocco.

 April

Main article: April 1912

April 15: The RMS Titanic sinks.

• April 10 - RMS Titanic departs from Southhampton.
• April 14 – RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the northern Atlantic Ocean. She sinks the following day with the loss of 1517 lives.
• April 16 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
• April 20 - Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts opens.

 May

Main article: May 1912

• May 1 - 'Abdu'l-Baha lays the cornerstone for the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois
• May 5 - The Olympic Games open in Stockholm, Sweden.
• May 13 – In the United Kingdom, the Royal Flying Corps (forerunner of the Royal Air Force) is established.
• May 23 – The Hamburg America Line's SS Imperator is launched in Hamburg and is the world's largest ship.
• May 31 - U.S. Marines arrive in Cuba to "protect U.S. interests".

 June

Main article: June 1912

• June 4 – A fire in Istanbul destroys 1,120 buildings.
• June 5 – U.S. Marines land in Cuba.
• June 6 - The Novarupta volcano (290 miles (470 km) southwest of Anchorage) experiences a VEI 6 eruption; the largest eruption in the 20th century.
• June 8 – Carl Laemmle incorporates Universal Pictures.

 July

Main article: July 1912

• July 1 - Harriet Quimby, who set the record as the first women to fly the English Channel only 2 months before, dies in Squantum, Massachusetts after her brand-new two-seat Bleriot monoplane crashes, killing both Quimby and her passenger.
• July 12 – United States release of Sarah Bernhardt's film Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth is influential on the development of the movie feature. Adolf Zukor, who incorporates Paramount Pictures on May 8, 1914, launches his company as the distributor. Paramount celebrates its centennial in 2012.
• July 30 – Emperor Meiji of Japan dies. He is succeeded by his son Yoshihito who becomes Emperor Taishō. In Japanese History, the event marks the end of the Meiji era and the beginning of the Taishō era.

 August

Main article: August 1912

• August 4 – United States occupation of Nicaragua: U.S. Marines land from the USS Annapolis in Nicaragua to support the conservative government at its request.
• August 12 – Sultan Abd Al-Hafid of Morocco abdicates.
• August 25 – The Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party, is founded.

March 7: Amundsen and the South Pole

 September

Main article: September 1912

 October

Main article: October 1912

• October 8 – The First Balkan War begins: Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire.
• October 16 – Bulgarian pilots Radul Minkov and Prodan Toprakchiev perform the first bombing with an airplane in history, at the railway station of Karaagac near Edirne against Turkey.
• October 17 – Krupp engineers Benno Strauss and Eduard Maurer patent austenitic stainless steel.
• October 18 – Italy and the Ottoman Empire sign a treaty in Ouchy near Lausanne ending the Italo-Turkish War.
• October 24 – First Balkan War: Battle of Kumanovo: Serbian forces defeat the Ottoman army in Vardar Macedonia.
• October – Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan first appears in Tarzan of the Apes in American pulp magazine The All-Story.

 November

Main article: November 1912

• November 28 – Albania declares independence from the Ottoman Empire.

 December

Main article: December 1912

• December 18 – Piltdown Man, thought to be the fossilized skull of a hitherto unknown form of early human, presented to the Geological Society of London. It is revealed to be a hoax in 1953.
• December 24 – Merck files patent applications in Germany for synthesis of the entactogenic drug MDMA (Ecstasy), developed by Anton Köllisch.
• December 30 – The First Balkan War ends temporarily: Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League countries) sign an armistice with Turkey, ending the two-month-long war.