Grandpa Argyle

Eddie remembers one time when Rachelle was a baby she was babysitting another little baby about Rachelle’s same age.  She and Grandpa Argyle were walking through the South Center mall in Seattle.  People were looking and wondering.  Some were asking Grandpa Argyle, “Are they yours?” and “Are they twins?”  He would say “Yes, they were born three days apart.” That left them wondering.

 

(1974 Rachelle Forschler)

 

 

(1995 Delbert Argyle and Edwinna Forschler)

 

 

 

Sneaking Down the Scaffolding

Edwin had a scaffolding to the upstairs of the house and when Denece needed a break, they’d put the kids upstairs for a nap.  Edwinna told them a story all about Never Neverland.  She would dress all the kids up in costumes.  Edwinna would wear her mother’s full net slip. 

One time she helped all the kids out the window and down the scaffolding and away they went.  They were in the ditch along the road waiting for a rainbow when the neighbor saw them. The neighbor called Denece and asked if she knew where her kids were.  She was sure they were upstairs.  The neighbor told Denece to check again and she would keep an eye on the kids until she got there to get them.  Boy did they get scolded.

(1962 Edwinna, Delbert, Darlene, and D.Ann Perkins)

 

Rocky and Bullwinkle

D.Ann liked the cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle.  She asked Santa one year for two flying squirrels for Christmas.  Her parents talked her out of asking for a moose.  Christmas morning came and she was a little disappointed when there was just an empty cage.  The squirrels came later and they were fun.  One time one got loose and they found it in Edwinna’s closet.  They were trying to catch it when it ran up Edwinna’s leg and up into her dress.  She did quite a dance as she squirmed and giggled as the squirrel moved around in her dress. 

(1965 Edwinna, Darlene, and D.Ann Perkins)

Drying Smitty

Edwinna had a Siamese cat named Smitty.  It loved to lay on top of the clothes dryer.  One time it climbed in the dryer when it was still warm.  They threw the next load in and turned it on without knowing she was in it.  After awhile, the family sat down for dinner and realized there were no tennis shoes in the dryer.  Dad pulled her out.  Her tongue was hanging out and he had to massage her back to life.

(1965 Edwinna, Darlene, Delbert, and D.Ann Perkins)

Slugs for Dinner

One time Edwinna (4) and Delbert (3) were outside in the yard playing and Edwinna made Delbert play house with her.  She served him up a plate with slugs and dandelion leaves on it.  She turned her back and before she could tell him not to, he had already eaten the slugs.  Later when Edwinna would tell her friends about this incident, they wouldn’t believe her so Delbert would have to eat more slugs to prove it.

(1957 Delbert and Edwinna Perkins)

 

 

 

(1957 Denece, Edwinna, and Delbert Perkins)

The Family Grows

From Dora Baty Argyle

 

I think Denece enjoyed the house in town more than any of us.  She could walk to school and to all the activities she wanted.  She had lots of friends and we enjoyed the days and evenings when she and her friends would come home for a party or a quick lunch.  We let her go to Pocatello, Idaho, to spend some time with her cousin, Veah Jean Van Orden.  Here she met a swell fellow named Edwin Lamar Perkins.  He brought her home on a Sunday in a green convertible.  She said to me, "How do you like my convertible boy?"  We all had a good laugh but she was embarrassed... Later she married this fellow in the Logan Temple on 16 May 1952.  She has two lovely children at the present time, a girl they call Edwinna Louise and a boy they call Delbert Lamar.  The only thing, they are living in Seattle, Washington, and we don't see them as often as we would like.

 

(1950 Veah Van Orden and Denece Argyle)

 

(1951 Edwin Perkins and Denece Argyle)

 

(1955 Edwin, Delbert, and Edwinna Perkins)

 

The City Meets the Farm

One time when Edwinna’s family were visiting Grandpa Argyle they went out on the combine.  They noticed all the grasshoppers in with the cut grain.  They decided they would not eat bread.  When they saw that the milk came from the cow, they did not want any of that milk either.  They wanted milk from bottles, not from cows.

Rachelle (Delbert's Eldest Great Granddaughter) remembers visiting Grandpa Argyle and she liked to go out on the combine with him.  They would stop and catch the grasshoppers.  Grandpa Argyle taught the kids how to pop off the heads of the grasshoppers.

(1995 Delbert Argyle and Edwinna Forschler)

 

(1995 The Forschler Family)

Baptizing Kittens

The Mormon missionaries lived with Edwin and Denece for awhile when they lived in Seattle.  One day, Edwinna and Del decided to baptize their kittens.  Denece heard Edwinna yowling because the kitten had bitten her hand.  They were dunking the kittens as fast as they could.  The kitten was almost dead by the time Denece arrived.  Denece had to pry the kitten off Edwinna's hand and then give it mouth to mouth resuscitation.

(1958 Edwinna and Delbert Perkins)

 

 

Monkeying Around

In 1969, Edwinna was asked by neighbors Al and Gaylene Thurston to watch their monkey.  They had a big dog that they would shave it's body except for around it's face so that it would look like a lion and the monkey would ride it's back sometimes.  The monkey was very smart.  He used the toilet and if they tried to put a diaper on him, he'd get it off in a heart beat. 

One day he got out of the house and climbed up the big cedar tree.  Edwinna and Del were sent to try to get him out but it didn't work.  They spent the day trying to talk him down, instead that monkey spent all day in the tree eating bugs.  He ate so many that his stomach was bulging by the time he finally came down.   

Another time, he was feeling very mischievous and got a hold of the peanut butter.  He knew  he was in trouble and played chase with the kids while holding a handful of it.  He got it all over the tops of the curtains.

He also got a hold of the butter one day, and he painted the top of Edwin's bald head with it.

That little monkey also enjoyed eating lipstick.

 

 

(1969 Delbert, D.Ann, Edwin, Edwinna, Billy Joe, Darlene, and Denece Perkins)

 

 

The Ferry Run Away

When Del and Dora came out for D.Ann’s blessing the family decided to go on a ferry boat ride.  They got out of the car, and went up top, the boat engine started and frightened Darlene.  Mom and Dad’s arms were full with the rest of the kids.  Darlene took off like a shot.  Luckily the Captain was at the back of the boat and caught her.   By the time Denece and Edwin caught up, she had scratched and bit him so much that he said, “She’s a little hell cat isn’t she?”

 

(1960 Darlene Perkins)

 

 

(1960 Delbert, Edwinna, D.Ann, and Darlene Perkins)

 

 

(1960 Seattle Ferry)

Kids with Kids

Louise and Lamar called Denece and Edwin, the kids with the kids, because they were so young when they first got married and started their family so young.

 

 

(1967 Elaine, Louise, Evelyn, Lamar, and Edwin Perkins)

 

 

(1969 Delbert, D.Ann, Edwin, Denece, Billy Joe, Edwinna, and Darlene Perkins)

 

 

A Trip Through the Caverns

Alene, Delbert, and Dora came to visit Edwin and Denece while they were living in El Paso, Texas.  Edwinna was about a year old.  They brought Grandma Baty with them.  They all went to Carlsbad Caverns.  Delbert was carrying Edwinna and she liked to lay over his arms.  People would comment, “look how that man is carrying that baby.”  So he’d try to hold her another way and she would howl.  While going down into the cavern, Lettie Baty started to lean backwards.  Her son told her she was leaning and to stand up straight.  She said, “I am, Delbert.  I am standing up straight as I can!” A tour guide said they should take her out of the cave before she fell over backwards.

 

 

(1953 Denece Perkins, Dora Argyle, Lettie Baty, Alene Argyle, Edwinna Perkins, and Delbert Argyle)

 

 

(1953 Carlsbad Caverns Brochure)

 

Namu the Whale

When Edwinna was young, Dora and Delbert were visiting Denece and Edwin and the kids in Seattle.  The family went down to the waterfront to see Namu the whale.  During the show, the trainer picked Edwinna out of the audience to come up and whispered in her ear the plan.  The whale put his head up and she kissed the whale.  Dora was scared stiff that she would be eaten alive. 

 

 

(1965 Edwinna Perkins)

 

 

(1965 Dora and Delbert Argyle)

 

 

(Namu the Orca Whale)

 

 

(1965 The Perkins Kids - Edwinna, Delbert, Darlene, Denece, and Billy Joe)

 

A Knife For Christmas

One year at Christmastime, Edwin brought home his pay, while they were living Texas.  Denece lost the cash, she couldn't find it anywhere.  Denece wrote letters to everyone that she mailed packages to for Christmas, to see if she mailed it to them by mistake.  Elaine wrote back wondering why she had included the butcher knife.  She was concerned that Edwin and Denece wanted to sever ties with the family.  Denece found the money five years later in the big dictionary.

 

 

(1953 Edwin and Edwinna Perkins)

 

 

 

(1953 Denece and Edwinna Perkins)

 

 

(1953 Edwinna Perkins)

A Long Night

Mom (Denece Argyle Perkins) had many adventures.  One time, in 1964, she was driving home to Bancroft.  She had just the kids with her.  Dad (Edwin Perkins) had just gotten new tires put on the car.  It was late when the tires started to wobble.  The lug nuts were loose and by the time she noticed, they were stripped.  She found a gas station in Pendleton, Oregon.  It was closed though, so they spent the night in the parking lot.  Bill was a baby and knew something was not quite right and started crying.  It was one long night.

 

 

(1964 Edwinna, Darlene, Denece, Billy Joe, D.Ann, and Delbert Perkins)  

Green, Green, Green

Evelyn remembers visiting Edwin and Denece in Denver after Edwinna was born.  “Everything was green, the sheets, towels, dish towels, everything.” Edwin had done the laundry and had washed Denece’s green blouse and dyed all the laundry green.

 

 

(1953 Edwinna and Edwin Perkins)

 

 

(1953 Edwinna Perkins)

 

A Helping Hand

1963 One time when traveling to Idaho when Billy Joe was a baby they were driving through the night but everyone was tried.  Edwin could not find a motel so they drove down a residential street and stopped to sleep awhile in the car.  A woman who was just getting off work from the railroad heard the baby crying and insisted the family come up to her apartment.  She made hot chocolate and beds for all the kids on the floor and gave Denece and Edwin the couch and bed. 

 

(1963 D.Ann, Denece, Billy Joe, Delbert, Darlene, and Edwinna Perkins)