As far as family histories go this one is very disorganized but I hope that it still is enjoyable to all. So here are a few more random stories.

Childhood activities:

Hide and seek -- played at night with a bonfire for home base. (it had to be jumped to make it safely 'home').

Run Sheep Run -- Both Maurice and Mary Maud remember playing, but don't remember the rules - Mary M. says it was some sort of tag.

Maurice and his siblings played a form of baseball using a tennis ball. Instead of running bases there was a line about 1/2 block away that had to be crossed. Then you had to wait there to be batted in or attempt to steal home.

In his teens Maurice and his brothers collected eggs laid by wild birds on their farm property. They piled them together and covered them with moss. They were left for a few weeks. Then they took the ripe eggs and gathered on both sides of the canal that ran behind their house. Stripping down (totally) they had an egg fight - jumping into the canal to wash off if hit by one.

Maurice read a lot growing up. At the age of six his family was living on their farm and he rode alone on his large black horse Coalie into town carrying a flour sack full of books from the week before to the town library. Then he would bring back another load for the whole family.
He remembers the Uncle Remus stories as some of his favorites - picking up 2-3 several times on his trips to town.

The town librarian (in Lovell, WY) Daisy Booth acted as censor for patrons. If she didn't think a book was right for you she wouldn't let you check it out.

Maurice's dad - Amos Earl always kept horses. On one occasion he left a big gray team standing outside the house. When they started walking away 5 year old Maurice climbed onto the wagon and took the reins to steer them around the block. Amos ran through the block to catch up with him when a neighbor told him what had happened. Out of breath he stopped the team and asked what he thought he was doing. He explained that he was just bringing them around the block, back to the house.

Maurice says that their family never bought any of their food stuff from the local store. Even their flour was acquired by Grandpa Allred taking a load of wheat to the mill in Billings once a year. Part of the load served as payment to get enough ground to flour to last until the next year.

When Mary was 4 her family traveled to Logan, Utah to be sealed. They made the trip in a farm truck with the girls bundled up in the open box of the back of the truck.

Mary's dad was a big tease and as a little girl she didn't understand that it was meant in fun and thought that he was mean. One time she was ill and her mother had gone to town and her dad was trying to take care of her. She wouldn't let him do anything for her - sitting, instead, watching out the window looking for her mother.

Although her mother and older sister Myrtle were accomplished at crochet Mary had to teach herself how. When she had asked Myrtle to teach her she was told "Get a book & follow the directions".

A more recent event

On a trip to Utah to visit Gail and her family they saw a bright light flash across the sky in front of their car. A UFO sighting?