Jones-Hoffman How my Parents met.

Jones-Hoffman, How My Parents Met, Near Wheatland, Wyoming

My parents lived in the country, not in town.  There were irrigation ditches and fields to work and
animals and working people in the community.

Mothers's family had a huge garden and it was tomato picking and processing time. Her father was out in the fields, many acres of fields and was irrigating the fields. This was all done manually in the 30's and before. His helper was a young man who worked on the Cattle ranch next door, (over the hill). Everyone took turns working the ditches.

According to Dad, he had come by the home place of Mom's (Dorothy)  many times and was most impressed with this young brunette each time he saw her out working with her Mom or Dad.

Finally, Grandad invited Dad to come meet the family after the had completed their shift for changing the water channels in the ditches.

Grandma Hoffman,  & her daughters Mae, Marie, Ruth and Dorothy were picking and preparing tomatoes to can.  There were large tubs of tomatoes to be washed and a large tub already washed.

Apparently, Aunt Marie wanted to make an impression on my future Father, for he said this is what happened.  Aunt Marie stood up and made an unpleasant comment to my future Mom.  Mom ignored her and then Aunt Marie said," I am going to wash your face in tomato Dorothy."  In the end, Mom thoroughly washed Aunt Marie's face and told her to leave her alone.  Dad said, he wished he would have had a camera, both girls were sent to the house to clean up and Grandma was furious with her girls. Worse they had wasted tomatoes that family could have eaten.

After that incident, Dad came by after work to visit with her parents and visit with the family.
She was only 16 at the time so he waited almost a  year before he asked to take her out.

She said she always felt homely and not pretty and was amazed that Dad would want to take her on a date. Another year went by and then they were  married. Many more stories  I can tell of their courtship. It shaped how their marriage went and how the family was raised. Many great stories such as, of his bringing his girl home 15 minutes late, meeting her Mom at the door, picking her up and dancing her around the room to tell her how much he liked her and loved her daughter.  Mom did not get in trouble for being 15 minutes late. Grandma was 4' 8" and Dad was 5'10+. Grandma weighed about 85 lbs. and Dad about 170. lbs.

The twinkle in my parents eyes when they told all these great stories was absolutely shining.