Hard-Working Man

The following is an excerpt from the writings of Asher's son Bryce, entitled, "Memories of Asher"- dated July 1995, and found in Bryce's genealogy books:


"As I think of my father the first thoughts that come into my mind is a man of work.  And I do mean WORK!  From early in the morning until late at night Dad worked.  His life was one of mixed roles trying to earn a living and support his family.  Because his lifestyle was one of a livestock man, farmer and dairyman there was always more than enough jobs to be done and the pressures of the seasonal demands that had to be met in connection with each of these jobs.  As an example, for fifteen or twenty years he was a dairyman milking twelve to twenty head of cows morning and night, rain or shine, snow or heat.  Many of those years they were milked in the corner of the pasture or out in the open.  The last ten years he milked them in a barn and had a milking machine, but he was along during that time and had no one to turn to for any time off or relief.  If he was sick or tired or injured the cows still had to be milked twice a day.

"Asher & wheelbarrow"

 The milk was strained and placed in 10 gallon cans which probably weighted about 80 pounds each.  These were placed in the ditch on the North side of the barn.  This would chill the milk until it was picked up by a truck each morning.  Lifting these cans for many years caused Dad to have a hernia that he had most of his life.  He wore a truss to hold the hernia in place.  He only had it surgically repaired after he was sixty years old.

"Asher and Jay Merkley (cousin)
Slaughtering a pork by old smoke house
Vernal, about 1923"

Now with the backdrop of a dairyman, he was also a farmer of his 80 acre farm.  After the morning chores and milking, he would have to plow, harrow, plant, cultivate corn, cut hay, harvest & stack hay, take water turns day and night to irrigate his crops, and harvest them when they were ready.  Many of the crops were harvested by trading work with other farmers."

"Asher at work"

*All photos from the personal albums of David Ahrnsbrak.