HUMBOLDT At age 2, Sandy Hurst was diagnosed with polio.
Dr. Herbert Webb visited each day she was in the hospital and again at home, back when doctors made house calls. His grim appraisal: Youll never walk again.
The good doctor didnt realize how strong-willed Sandy was.
Sandy recalled how her dad, Lloyd Booe, would put her up on his shoulders and take her outside for walks.
One day she struggled to her feet and walked. Before long she was riding a tricycle.
Doc Webb came by and found me outside on the tryke. Shes going to have to stop that, he told my parents. Dad replied: You try to get her to stop, I cant.
SIX DAYS a week, Sandy, now 73, straps on an apron at 4:30 a.m. to prepare for the early crowd at the H&H Grill, Osage and Eighth streets.
The cafe opens at 7, but some regulars arrive at 6:30. She doesnt mind: Im here and ready, Breakfasts brim with hash browns and bacon, eggs from hens she raises and toast.
Eight or more seniors, including Neil Hartwig, 94, return at 9 a.m. each day for coffee, and several are back a third time at noon for lunch.
Like a mother hen, Sandy takes care of her brood. I worry about some of those guys, especially Neil, who was in Virginia this week with son Neil Jr. to visit an orthopedic surgeon for his cranky knees. I hope he makes it there and back OK, Sandy said.
Younger patrons also draw her concern, but from the standpoint of them making good decisions.
Theyre all my people, she said.
Sandy does all the cooking at the cafe, a chore she assumed when husband Richard called it a day. He still grills outdoors at home. I do the inside cooking.
The Hursts purchased the cafes building in 2002, which was built in 1924 for a service station, Eighth Street then being the highway. With remodeling and the addition of a dining area, it opened a year later.
We wanted it to be a place where working men and others could get a good meal at a good price. We dont do anything fancy, just offer food that everyone likes.
Having worked all their lives, the Hursts know young families and older folks living on fixed incomes often run short before payday. So, We let them run a tab and pay when they can.
In the 16 years only one fellow skipped town.
And, Sandy added, weve only had three bad checks, with just one requiring court action for collection.
