Portrait of Andreas and Hannah

Help me date this picture of Andreas and Hannah Opseth. It is hard to do, isn't it? The clothes are not specific to period nor are the hair styles. I can only tell you this is the only known picture of the two of them together in later years.

Look closely at Andreas' hands. The hand directly on his lap is gloved. It is said that during the fall harvest, Andreas got a wire in his finger. Rather than take the time to clean it out, he put a glove over it and, in a short time, it was infected. This picture was taken while his hand was infected; shortly after, it was amputated at the wrist in Warren.

I kept asking Grandma Julia why didn't he do something about it? She had no answers. "He was harvesting" was all she would say.

I didn't give much thought about his beard until I laid three pictures of him side by side and looked specifically for facial hair. He had a beard on all three. My I surmise he wore a beard all is adult life?

Mother always said men who have facial hair are hiding something. There was a man with a mustache who worked for Ranum Construction, he had been in the war, did he have an injury hiding? Consider I was five when I decided he was injured above his lip.

Neither Grandpa or Daddy had beards. I am smiling because maybe Mother would not let Daddy hide anything! Brother Greg had facial hair off and on. He looked good in it.

I have seen Ryen in a full beard and mustache and Bud in a goatee, which is on a recent photo. What do you call that little patch of hair under the lower lip? Both Ryen and Bud have had that.

What is your take on beards?

And do you take your glasses off for pictures? Why do you think Hannah did?

Shave and a hair cut, six bits!

e