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BY DOROTHEA SCHLAPPI
Community columnist

Our thoughts are with the Rowe and Carrier family at this time, in the passing of Floyd Rowe’s sister, Dessie. She was the wife of Gene Carrier of Highland.

Leola Caudill, wife of the late Foster Caudill of Halls Gap, passed away last week. They lived just outside of Ottenheim in the 1950s, built a house on Halls Gap, and resided there the past years. We are thinking of the family at this time.

More of the Ottenheim history has been sold and now have new owners. The farm known as Margaret and John Clausen has been sold. When they passed away, the farm was divided between the two children, John Richard and June. Margaret was a well-known teacher for years in the Ottenheim and Broughton areas.

John Richard passed away last year, thus his land was sold at auction and was bought by James and Mary May, whose land joined the Clausen land.

June had decided to sell her part of the land, and it was sold privately last week to a couple from Lexington. We welcome them here.

Some of the land will stay in the family, to June’s son.

It is also odd that at this time that Margaret Clausen’s late brother Johnny Carparter’s farm has gone up for sale. It’s at the end of Kocher Ridge Road. It had lately belongs to Johnny and Violia’s late son, Al. Johnny was well-known around with his pony and cart. He would appear at gatherings around the area with his ponies and cart to give the children rides.

Many children remember riding on the ponies’ backs while he’d lead them around, or in the art. Seems some things in memory live on.

Jerry Zwahlen posted pictures and post cards on Facebook of old Halls Gap. It brought back so many memories of when it was a beautiful place to visit and look out over. The souvenirs building, old water trough in front of the brick restaurant half way down the hill, the restaurant and motel at the top are long gone. Instead there is now a very ugly rock wall all painted up with so many names, it’s awful, looking as one goes around the first curve. Thank you Jerry for sharing something that was once so beautiful.

The weather here has been very changeable, but nature is trying to tell us better is coming. The beautiful yellow bushes and daffodils are a sight to see, as things are coming out of the broken mess every where from the winter’s bad ice storm. There is so much cleaning up to do everywhere around us.

Sounds of tractors are being heard and soon the lawn mowers will be out as the grass is growing fast even though spring has not come yet. Gardens will soon be the talk around, wheat to plant and when the weather does open up.

We ought to be thankful we live in a country where folks can say what they think with out thinking first. Have a good week.