Stella and her 3 baby sisters – Milly, Lilly and Ruth – shared a flat over Hollands’ Dry Cleaning Store in Fargo, ND for a couple years – circa 1943-1945. (Tidbit of Fargo history: their cousin F. Ralph Hollands owned and operated the dry cleaning store and was also their landlord and diligent chaperone.)

During this time, Stella graduated as an R.N. from St. Luke’s Hospital (also in Fargo), and immediately went to work as a surgical nurse at the VA hospital in Fargo. She took the bus to the VA every day – about half an hour each way.

“But in the morning – on her way to work”, Aunt Milly tells me, “your mother would stand up in the bus and hold on to a strap – all the way to the VA – even if there were seats available! She didn’t want to to sit down because she didn’t want to wrinkle her uniform before she got to work!”

Ja! That’s Mom! (Click picture for larger view!)

Obviously, taken at the END of her shift! (Click picture for larger view!)

Gram loved her twist ties. In fact she loved anything small and clever and most especially if it could fasten things together. Twist ties fit the bill quite well.
She’d get particularly excited when I’d bring her an extra long twist tie, or a fancy one done up in gold or silver foil. She’d cackle at the joke, but you bet she would ferret it away for a rainy day.

I’ll probably run across a huge nest of them in the back of her closet.