Please, No More Pictures, Daddy!

Oil on Barnwood
26″ x 16″
Sold

Petersen Ranch
Based upon an old picture taken around mid-1920’s, these snow-covered children were obviously not too happy to stand still freezing while Dad took the picture with his box camera. The Petersons had a large, beautiful home located in Pleasant Valley, west of Kalispell. The children, Betty, who was Terry Siderius’ mom; Willard, nicknamed “Woodie”; Rodney; and Donald were enjoying a sledding outing. The children, each a year apart, ranged in age from perhaps seven or eight to ten or eleven. Three of them, sleds at the ready, obviously had been having a grand time. Then, there was Rodney, standing steadfastly seemingly to play soldier … or was he playing? The single shot shotgun was not a toy, there was no snow covering his body. He obviously stood in a military position, but why? Terry Siderius had no idea why he, too, was not sledding. Was he hunting for rabbits? No, the family did not eat rabbits. Talking to an elderly Montanan, I found the explanation; the Kalispell area had a very large wolf population. Especially in winter, when food was scarce, they were known to attack children. Rodney had been ordered to stand guard over his younger siblings to ensure they did not become the wolves’ dinner.