Wes and Kate’s farm eventually became known as “the dairy” as it was where their four sons milked Holsteins until 2003.
Even after Wes and Kate’s children married and had families of their own, the dairy remained the hub for
Sunday evening meals. Without fail, Kate had a big batch of salted or caramel popcorn sitting atop the stove that family members munched out of metal bowls. Wes would often buy fried chicken for these dinners. Kate’s meringue puffs, or “kisses,” often rounded out the family potluck.
Afterward, there were often baseball games or volleyball games in the side yard, or board games inside the house. “Hide the Thimble” was a favorite of some of the grandkids. When these evenings drew to a close, Kate always stood outside the kitchen door, waving to family members as their cars departed.
On Christmas morning, Kate always served breakfast at the dairy. Like many farmwives of her day, she was not familiar with the term “portion control”. Platters were heaped with bacon, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, and about every bread product you could imagine. She also served grape juice she had made from the farm orchard’s arbor. Kate’s family could always count on her to yell “Christmas gift!” as they tried to quietly enter the house … the trick was to try to shout it out before she could. This family tradition endures to this day.
