It's a good day to dive into memories of Dwight since his birtdate was yesterday. He was born on Feb. 8, 1918 to Herman Henry and Annie {Seil} Meyer. He was second born child.
The photograph has been behind glass, so it has suffered a little from that.
Would you know the little one pictured there is Dwight. Or would you think he was a little girl. Sylvia always said that his mother had him looking like a little girl. But then too that was the style back then.
Dwight was Annies last baby and she gave him all the attention she could. In her later years she suffered from some kind of diabetes problems. So much so that she lost some of her leg. I am sure he felt his early loss of her most of his life. Though she was there for his formative years. Later after she was gone, he and his family had housekeepers.
I am not sure where they had the little pictures taken. Aren't they called penny pictures?
Here we see Dwight as a young man. Sylvia said he was spoiled so much that during early marriage years he still wanted to have a lot of fun. I think she spent a lot of time trying to keep him home. I am not sure exactly what that meant. But he must have had good fun with neighbors and friends from School in his youth.
Annie and his father were involved in the local school. In fact Dwight himself had to take over duties of the Fieldon Hall meetings. I remember he was secretary for a few years.
Minnesota Census indicated the lodger they had for a time was a teacher.
As a farmer he was a member of a creamery and other farm organizations. On weekends he would haul the cream to the creamery in Lewisville. He would take his children along and sometimes he stopped to see his brother, who ran a service station. When that happened he would leave behind his daughter to play with her cousin. Later he would pick up JoAnn or she would stay over night. Or he went to the pool hall. He played cards or observed others, who did. I am sure he was aware of little ears which had big eyes and big mouths, who would tell all about the visits to the pool hall.
Dwight and his wife, Sylvia played cards together and did this as they visted back and forth with neighbors and nearby relatives.
When Little Herman went before the draft board in the late 1960's he returned back by bus with his new friends. They stayed with Dwight and Sylvia nearly a year.
In the 1960's Sylvia and Dwight liked to Help the newly married couples out, whenever they could.
Pictured here was Glen husband to Judy who was probably taking the picture. Originally friends of young Herman. In fact Sylvia and Dwight considered the possibility of taking care of their daughter Glenda. That is a long story.
Nearly about the same time maybe for a year or two before their nephew Jerry and his freind, who went to Vietnam came by to stay too.
Their home was always welcoming to everyone.
People knew when work time occured and visited accordingly. Here we see Dwight in his work attire. He liked them for all his heavy duty farm work. I don't think he liked a tight belt and and pants. I am not sure if I ever saw him in Blue Jeans.
He is pictured here in very later years going along the sidewalk which seems to be cracked there. In 1970's Sylvia convinced Dwight to remove the deep raspberry red Rose and Bridal wreaths there which faced the driveway. The rose went to a spot across the driveway near the chicken house. I think the Bridal Wreath bush disappeared. Sylvia developed her big flower bed. For many years in the 50's and sixty's that space was shaded by a huge maple which was east of this new patch of garden along the driveway. It was cut down sometime in the late sixties. You can see it was a long driveway. Lined on the north side with evergreen and big maples on the south side of the driveway. On the other side of the maples was the lawn and fishpond which were original plans of landscape by his ancestors still intact. I am sure Dwight would never have considered altering it in anyway. He did add apples at the east most end by the gravel county road which ran by the farm place. He had supported his sons' efforts to sell for FFA by buying the trees and other merchandise that his son sold over the years.
They still had their strawberry patch and big garden futher southeast of the house.
Dwight would help pick strawberries and vegetables. He didn't help pull weeds out of her flowers all that much because he had the big vegetable garden to weed. He helped by hauling her piles of weeds away. Or bringing in a little topdressing for her beds.
He had milking chores and often after his father had passed he did help Sylvia the pick up the eggs under the chickens. Egg cleaning with automatic egg cleaner washer. Feed the chickens, and prep for the cleaning of the chickens. Though their children helped with that, unless they were old enough to take care of their own animals and feed his for FFA or able to drive the tractors in the fields. Since Sylvia did not drive he helped deliver the chickens, once they were cleaned.
When time was crucial in the fields especially during haying, the children brought lunch to their dad in the fields. I have often wondered if it was her way to get the kids out of her hair for a few minutes. Because once there they usually stayed to do something or found something to do on the way back.
Dwight also supported his wifes efforts with her quilting. During the long winter months as they were retired empty nesters he would help her cut her quilt blocks. And when the time came he would help her set up her quilt racks for the tieing of the quilts.
This last picture could have been taken when Dwight had developed alzheimers.
