By her granddaughter, Elizabeth Kerns Daly, 1989

One summer when I was eight or nine years old Grandma and Grandfather Kerns were out for a visit from Oregon.  I don't think Grandfather was too well, but he did want to go to the mountains.  My brother Herb and I went horseback with Grandma and Grandpa up to the Kerns cow camp on Dryfork.  I doubt we stayed more than a couple of nights.  I know Grandmother made some of her hard butterscotch candy that we children thought was wonderful.  She would only let Herb and me have a piece for every so many bundles of fanweed that we would pull from around the cabin yard.  I think we pulled lots of that smelly old weed to get several pieces of that delicious candy….

Grandmother Kerns was a really wonderful person.  I loved to be with her and go visit her.  After she moved back to our area to live with uncle Bill Cooley and take care of Grandma and Grandpa Cooley we got to be with her quite often.  I wonder how she accomplished so much.  She raised chickens, had huge gardens, did lots of needlework such as braiding rugs, making quilts, etc.  One of my treasures is a hand quilted bedspread she made for me.  In one little section is a message done in short and long stitches of Morse Code.  I don't know why I never had her decipher it for me when she was living.  I have had many people look at it, but no one has ever been able to solve that mystery.

     Uncle Tom—I really don't remember Uncle Tom until he moved back to Wyoming after he and Janet were married.  How I enjoyed them.  Jean was a baby and Janet used to ride horseback over to our place putting Jean on the front of the saddle with her.  One time when I was at their house on the "George" place Janet had made two butterscotch pies.  I thought they were delicious.  So did Uncle Tom for he ate what was left of the one after Janet and I each had a piece and then ate all of the other one.  They lived in Parkman briefly.  I think he was working on the railroad.  I can remember Uncle Tom teaching me to play the card game, Concentration when I visited them there.  I'm sure he wished he hadn't ever taught me because I wanted to play it all the time.  He was very patient with me.  When Mac was born I was attending the 7th grade in Sheridan and staying with my Grandmother "Pat" during the week.  I remember going by myself to visit Janet and the new baby at the nursing home where he was born.  I felt so big and important.  I really missed Tom and Janet when they moved back to Oregon.