Sometimes dreams are amazingly real.
Earlier this week, perhaps because of the frigid weather, Junior Gerken, embodied in a Dickensesque apparition, came to counsel.
Though Junior died six years ago, his wisdom will long be with me, and it was fortified in the dream.
Junior was born three miles east of Humboldt in 1920, the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Gerken, who homesteaded there in 1861.
The farmstead, sitting just above Slackers Branch tributary of Coal Creek, was Juniors home from day one until infirmities late in life led him to an assisted care home. He never married, and while alone, I doubt he was lonely because of his many interests and friends.
Junior dropped by the Register every once in a while, always in his old pickup, a perky conveyance.
During warm weather he often came this way to buy a favorite treat, ice cream at Dairy Queen.
His favorite times for a visit were when weather hot or cold, dry or wet was extreme enough to be the talk of the day.
In 1936, winter weather turned about as frigid as it had been since the last glacial period, only to be following by a summer when highs hit or topped 100 46 times.
Junior dwelt upon the 1936 cold spell during a memorable visit, recalling below-zero readings in January and February. Later, I pulled out weather records and checked: He was absolutely right, to specific dates.
Cold weather then was much more of an ordeal than today. Homes, such as the Gerken two-story clapboard house, werent insulated. The source of heat was a wood-burning stove, in most cases centrally situated on the ground floor. I recall when young we had a wood-gobbler that radiated heat without fans for circulation; stand next to it and one side was warm as toast, while the other side shivered with cold.
The 1936 cold spell was so intense small tree limbs would freeze and snap, sounding like a rifle shot, Junior recalled.
The 1930s were known for the Great Depression and FDRs federal works programs that provided jobs and greatly enhanced communities infrastructures. The decade also was notable for its intense dust storms, created by prolonged arid weather that graphically demonstrating the importance of soil and water conservation, which wasnt lost on Junior.
Junior cut quite a figure in suit and tie each Sunday for 50 years as head usher of St. Peters Lutheran Church and helping out at the local mortuary.
I never saw Junior when his white beard and hair werent carefully groomed, his distinctive features now frozen in time.
