It’s been a trip back to Murdo this past week, my hometown, my memory bank, my small town and to see people who mean a great deal to me. It’s been a cosmic upheaval in the universe of my life to go back in time yet stay in July 14-21, 2026 Central Time Zone. Two hours later than where I live in California. It’s been a grand journey.
The greatest lesson of my life and being 70ish, is that the transportation doesn’t count, the reunion, the food, the places, the many cups of tea, the stories and conversations and all that does not matter as much as the people do. I was blown away by the people of Murdo, past, present and future. All of them even the ones who came back just to attend their class reunion were the epitome of kindness and respect and love.
People I need to mention from my Murdo McKenzie trip are too many to recount, so I will mention a few and hopefully do not send the impression that some are more important than others. I will go forward with more names later.
Paul Thomas is a person from a family my Sanderson Family held close. The Thomas Family were part of my grandma and Grampa Sanderson’s young family growing and going through a tough life as farmers on the prairie. They helped one another and their kids played together if farm life has time for play. He is the oldest of the seven Thomas’s.
Paul is a serious bridge player extraordinaire and knows a lot about farming, barbecuing ribs and other meats and just life. He is also a veteran. Mostly I was impressed by his outlook on life and his upbeat funny sense of humor. It’s not a silly sense of humor, but a clever smart-alec style. Sometimes he makes up a funny question or comment and you don’t even realize he’s kidding.
He was ready to help me in Murdo even though he barely knew me. He drove his car to help his brother pick me up from the Airport. We had a conversation from the outset that was light hearted and funny.
His brother,Ralph, was another one who when he heard I was flying out from California to the Murdo All School Reunion, said he and Paul could pick me up at Rapid Airport I had reserved a car there so I canceled that and they saved me a lot of money.
Ralph is above all kind, cheerful and will go out of his way to help others. He helped me with my heavy suitcase, invited me to tag along visiting people he knows. We went to 7th and 8th grades together in Murdo. We were friends at ages 12-14 and when my family moved far away we were still friends.
We went to Deadwood to see if my cousin Blake could give us a couple rooms at his boutique hotel. It was a lot to ask of my cousin because I’d only requested one room. He was closed but opened the door to let us in. He gave us rooms. They got the beautiful SANDERSON Room and I got the Lucy Ann room. Both are exquisitely decorated in historic style and the rooms make you feel as though you have stepped back in time to the 1800’s thinking Wild Bill or Calamity Jane might walk down the creaking hallway floors passing by you.
I got up early to go downstairs for breakfast and knew cousin Sueanne was meeting me there at Lee street Station. So I walked toward Ralph and Paul’s Sanderson Room but saw a man hunched over on his knees on the floor in front of the Sanderson Room. That looked strange and asked: “ What’re you doing down there, Ralph?”
“I’m stretching the carpet,” the man answered and he looked up. “And my name is Dale.”
I was embarrassed. I chatted with him a while and went on down the stairs.
When I visited the farm, Ralph knows I like pie and he set a piece of currant pie with vanilla ice cream down on the big table in front of me. He brought me other treats making plates with garden veggies, cheeses and crackers and offering me drinks of Paul’s special lemonade ice tea- a recipe for which was offered to me. It was all welcoming and pleasant. I felt at ease like I was a….Thomas family member.
Those 70ish Girls 