A Stern Man

Regardless of the investment -- cattle, ranching, or real estate -- Adolph, no doubt, never got a bad deal. Historically speaking, what role did money play in Joe and Meta's lives? What did Adolph Jauer do to impact Joe and Meta's livelihood?

Grandma said that Adolph was a very rich man. He had a refrigerator, a washing machine, and he had his house wired with carbine lights that could be switched on.

In my efforts to relate the stories that Grandma and Grandpa vividly talked about in my interviews with them, I created my own imaginative scenarios in which I use Grandma's or Grandpa's voices to describe certain events. The details of these scenarios are true, but these events did not necessarily occur in this order or capacity. An open mind is required when reading these sections titled, "Grandma's Story" or "Grandpa's Story".

. . . I learned a lot about doing without things as a child, but I was never unhappy. I always cherished the time we spent together. When we would come in for the evening, often after a hard day's work in the fields either picking cotton or chopping sugarcane to make molasses in the summer, Momma and Daddy gathered us all on the porch before we went in. Momma had the tub ready with warm water she heated over the fire and Daddy orchestrated us around him. On the front porch we would sing, every night, and watch the stars fall out of the sky. Many times Aunt Edna also came over and enjoyed the stargazing and Daddy's beautiful voice. Sometimes Daddy even sang his old Czech songs.

Daddy was in a brass band before Momma and him were married, so they have always loved entertainment. Daddy was also a good dancer. Many times we would pile up into the wagon, pick up the neighbors and go off to dances, which were often held in people's homes before they were furnished and moved into (details by Dorothy Hons; confirmation by Edna Hons) . . .

This sketch, drawn by Keith Kolodziej, portrays the image of Joe and Meta Malik's house as family remembers it. Click here to view more sketches and to discover more about Keith Kolodziej's image interpretation.

I wondered, other than music and dance, what other artistic talents Joe and Meta had? They both loved to manicure their beautiful yard. Grandma said that one time Joe planted flowers in the shape of a star. She said they always planted things with order and organization. Their country yard looked more like a park with sidewalks, pathways, and porches. She also said that Meta drew house plans for people, such as her brother Alvin Jauer. Work and Play . . .