Apr 14, 2013

JENNY COMES CLEAN


 JENNY COMES CLEAN



Far out in the country, miles from town
Where few passers-by see her ranch
 Jenny hangs laundry on wires stretched taut
   And held up in the air with a branch.

There she hangs coveralls, blue denim shirts,
Scrubbed clean with ashes and lye
  Neatly she clothes-pins them, all in a row
    And waits for the hot winds to dry.

Primly she hangs things, precisely arranges
 Dresses and aprons, so colors won't fade
   Gracing the line next, a young child's clothing
     Rompers, and blouses and items handmade.

Then she hies to the attic, with girdles and slips
   (And items she couldn't discuss)
      She hangs them with care lest a male dare stare   
        Snatch a peek, sneak a look, raise a fuss.    
           Causing Jennie to blush.



Louise Hullinger Copyright


More poetry and stories by Louise Liffengren Hullinger at:





THE MODEL T "GRAVITY FEED" FORD





THE MODEL T "GRAVITY FEED" FORD

I still have a recurring dream (nightmare?) about a car that couldn't quite make it back up a steep, winding hill which led down into the valley where my grandparents lived.

They had emigrated to central South Dakota from Norway and chose to locate in a spot that reminded them of their homeland. We children were always eager to go "down to Grandmothers" (for wondrous it was with chokecherry bushes, wild cherries and cutbanks to climb).  

When it was time to go home Mom piled us back into the Model T, and amid waves and shouts of goodbye, we settled down and headed out for the long trek home.  We were out of the valley and part way up the long precipitous hill before the car began to sputter and then, finally, came to a complete stop, and it could not be coerced into climbing any further.

Designed with the gas tank under the front seat the Model T boasted a gravity feed which allowed the gas to flow into the carburetor. When the rear end of the car was lower than the front end for any length of time the car would not budge.

Finally, in desperation, Mom, who had no towing service available (!) directed us 3 children to sit alongside the grassy edge of the rutted road while she maneuvered the car around and managed to back it all the way up the hill!

The car was a model T Ford with a gravity feed. The year was 1929 and I was 5 years old.



Louise Hullinger Copyright


More poetry and stories by Louise Liffengren Hullinger at:


Apr 13, 2013

We are Saddened by the Loss of Glen Fuoss


BIOGRAPHY


Glen Fuoss, 57, of Sioux Falls (formerly of Draper, SD and Williston, ND) died in Sioux Falls, on April 6. A memorial Service will be held a t Peace Lutheran Church, 5509 West 41st Street, Sioux Falls on Friday, April 19 at 2:00 pm. The family requests live green plants in lieu of flowers.

Glen Eric Fuoss, husband of Teresa, and son of Floyd H. and Sylvia Hullinger Fuoss, was born at Pierre, SD on August 13, 1955. He grew up on the family ranch north of Draper and attended Spears and Draper Elementary Schools. He graduated from TF Riggs High School in Pierre. A gifted musician, he sang and played drums, trumpet, baritone horn, and violin during his schooling and was a virtuoso pianist until his illness.

While in high school, he joined the Civil Air Patrol and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel. He participated in the International Air Cadet Exchange, traveling to Great Britain. He was a certified flight instructor and commercial pilot in South Dakota and Nebraska for a number of years.

For much of his life, he worked on the family land. His winning 4-H exhibits at the State Fair led him to certified seed production. With his dad, he designed and built a seed cleaning and grading system at the family headquarters. He wrote his own computer programs for performance-testing range cattle. He pioneered both no-till farming and organic beef production. He learned finish carpentry from his dad and his uncle Ben Erikson and practiced it in homes he and his family built wherever they lived. After he left agriculture, he drove truck in Wyoming and on the Bakken oil fields, settling in Williston, ND.

Glen met Teresa Raney in North Dakota and they were married March 28, 2012. In January 2013, they moved to Sioux Falls, SD. He and Teresa loved to travel and their three years’ time together was filled with adventures. Following a trip to Ecuador he suddenly fell ill and on February 21, was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, which did not respond to treatment. He passed away peacefully in Sanford Hospice, supported by family, including his niece Darnell Dixon and friends, Tim and Marilee Anton. Glen was an organ donor and his remains were cremated and will be privately interred at a later date.

Glen is survived by his wife, Teresa, his parents, his children Sarah Anne and Corbin Brian, and one beloved grandson, Jaxton Bentley Fuoss. He is also survived by his siblings: Kathleen (Jim) Larson of Fort Mohave, AZ, Paul (Ann) of Oak park, IL, althea Dixon (Jeff Longtin) of Minneapolis, MN and Anita L. Fuoss of Murdo, SD; and five stepchildren: Jacob and Roxanne Raney, and Ganna, Isatou and Amber Mboob.

The family wishes to express appreciation to Pastor Obed Nelson of Peace Lutheran and the physicians and staff of Sanford Health Care for their skillful and compassionate care.


FACTS