What Kind of House Did You Grow Up In (Chapter 6)

After 18 months of drama and trauma in Denver, Dad got orders to Korea.  This was the first of two times we were moved to not only further Dad's career but to get me out of a sticky situation.  If we had stayed in Denver much longer, I would have walked away from the Church and who knows what else because of all the stuff going on in my life.  Ephraim, Utah and going to Manti High School was the perfect solution for me right then.

We rented an old polygamy house that was barely habitable at the time.  Mom and Dad put a lot of work in it but it was the only place in Ephraim that was one floor and Mom just could not do stairs with her medical conditions (she had also hurt her back and been in traction in Denver).  I had bought an old wrought iron bed that weighed a ton - at an auction house in Denver.  I was going to have it sandblasted and keep it forever.  It became my mother's bed in Ephraim and then she gave it away just after Clyde and I got married.  I never did get to sleep in it or use it.  Anyway - I remember icing Mom's back with ice we kept frozen in the freezer in orange juice cans, so she wouldn't be in much pain on that bed.  She spent a lot of time in that bed.  She did her time in the hospital while Dad as gone too and Grandma and Grandpa Brugger came over from Price, Utah to stay with us.  I stayed with Omi and Grandpa Tuttle in Manti during those times.  Grandpa Brugger did teach me how to drive his car though and that was fun.  He was very patient with me.

The house we lived in is now known as the Polyg house and is still being used as student housing at Snow College.  It is also a landmark.  It is divided right in half with living quarters on either sides of the long kitchen.  We had it so there was the Living/Dining room and TV room on the left of the kitchen and then three bedrooms lined up on the right of the kitchen.  No one came in the living room door - everyone came in the kitchen door.  I think there were doors to every room but we blocked them all but the Living Room and kitchen to make room for things like beds and couches.  We actually loved living in the house and several years later, Aunt Norma and Uncle Frank Allen lived in that house for a couple of years.

Ephraim was a blessing on so many levels.  We had a wonderful ward and I loved school and seminary.  It was nice to be able to do anything you wanted and go anywhere you wanted by just walking.  Mr. Lee's store was the best place in the world and every day that I went to get the mail for mom at the post office (it was where the city building used to be on Main Street) I would swing into Mr. Lee's for some embrodiery or something else to do.  Plus Nancy and Mr. Lee were just such good friends. (Mr. Lee's is where the large eating area of Roys is now).  It is interesting that the friends I made then were the friends that I picked up again when we moved back 30 years later.  And we did practically pick up where we left off.  Living in Ephraim - both times - was the best time of my life.

It was hard having Dad be gone that year but I had Mr. Lee that watched over me and Brother LaMar Hanson.  It is interesting that when I came back to Snow College, they would once again pick up the roles of fathering me.  When we lived in Ephraim in the 90's they didn't need to father me but their friendship was still strong and much appreciated. 

We kind of knew that after Ephraim we would probaby be heading back to Germany, because Dad had been doing some high powered diplomacy work while Korea.  He was promised pretty much anything he wanted and we all agreed we wanted to go back to Germany.  So in April of 1969 we headed back to Frankfurt am/Main for 3 more years.