By Barb Hauge
All of our daughters-in-law are devoted wives and loving mothers, but our youngest sons wife, Linda, is our special angel. They live on the home place, so we see them most often.
Linda grew up in the Krass family, who are noted for being marvelous cooks and have won many prizes for cooking and baking. Linda is also head cook at Turner School and last year she was hostess for our golden anniversary/birthday party. She had the entire gymnasium floor covered with decorated tables and served a delicious meal at noon to over two hundred guests. Then our sons and grandsons cleared half the floor for dancing.
Linda is also an excellent seamstress and wins lots of awards at fairs and Harlem Seed Show. She is happiest when sewing and we receive gifts between special occasions. She will say, I saw this material and thought it would make a pretty blouse to match your gray pants, or This shirt will go with that suit of Dads. We square dance a whole lot and Linda has made us lovely square dance outfits.
One summer we almost lost our special angel. She went to the hospital for minor surgery. They nicked an artery and she nearly bled to death until they realized what had happened and went back in and repaired the damage. It was hard to see her so pale and weak and we all took turns preparing meals and helping out until she regained her strength.
Recently we celebrated Lindas 40th birthday, but to me she will always be 25. One of the teachers said, I cant believe Linda is 40. She is so gorgeous. Her beauty goes beyond skin-deep because she is as nice as she is beautiful and also has the will and determination one needs to survive.
As a family we have shared so many memories. While newlyweds they got snowed-in at the Krass farm. We took a four-wheel-drive with a load of groceries and exchanged them for Darel and Linda, who met us halfway on a snowmobile. They then stayed with us until the storm abated.
While we were summer caretakers at Montana Farmers Union Camp in the Highwood Mountains, they would bring baby Adam and get a vacation from the farm for a few days. Wed take the RV to Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs and theyd meet us there along with Dwights family, to celebrate Mothers Day or the Fourth of July. And Christmas Eve we have lutefisk and leftsa dinner and exchange gifts at our house after church. Linda makes the leftsa. She has surprised us with birthday parties and with lots of food; cakes, pies and bread.
Linda does fancy script writing and I treasure a Mothers Day card on which she wrote:
To My Mother
You are the Mother I received the day I wed your son and I just want to thank you, Mom, for the things you have done. You have given me a gracious man with whom I share my life. You are his wonderful Mother and I, his lucky wife. You used to pat his little head and now I hold his hand. You raised in love a little boy and gave to me a man.
Happy Mothers Day, Barb!
Love, Linda
