Scheidle

Clarence P. Scheidle and Phyllis Scheidle, who are husband and wife, brought this declaratory relief action against Mrs. Scheidle’s brother, Donald P. Joergensen, his wife Dawn S. Joergensen *141 and others to determine who was entitled to $4,115.85 in fire insurance proceeds. From a judgment determining the Scheidles were entitled to half of the money and the Joergensens were entitled to the other half, the Joergensens have appealed.

At the time of trial the Joergensens represented themselves, although they had had various counsel at other stages in the proceedings and are now represented by counsel on appeal. The Scheidles were represented by an attorney at the trial, but have not filed a responding brief on appeal.

The Joergensens’ counsel concedes the record is in a “state of near chaos.” Actually, it is worse than that.

This case presents a highly complex situation of a parcel of real property which has been subjected to numerous ownership and security transactions, some of which were recorded and at least one of which was not. To detail all the transactions would only tend to obfuscate the issues. We will deal only with those facts which tend to shed light on the…