Move over Marttha

What can be imagined can be done......

This seemed to be Catherine's slogan, my mother was industrious, ambitious, and focused.

This is what a week growing up on the farm may have looked like.

• Monday's- wash clothes-using the wringer washer beginning with the whites, hanging them all up to dry, in the winter they freeze dried on the line outside. Sprinkled with water for Tuesday's ironing.
• Tuesday's-ironing cotton shirts, pillow cases, sheets, pants, skirts.
• Wednesday's- scrub the floors, clean the bathrooms
• Thursday's- bake buns and maybe a couple pans of bars.
• Friday's- dust, vacuum, shake rugs, clean both upstairs and down.
• Saturday's-get groceries in town, 
• Sundays- fellowship meeting, afternoon drive, visit to relatives in the afternoon.

Any space was fair game for a storage shelf or hook. She had her own hammer, nails, and the know how to turn raw material into useful space.

A neighbors auction could provide the wood furniture that could be painted or repurposed to a place of honor in her home.

Trading flowers, fruit trees, or shrubs helped populate this prairie land into a beautiful farmstead.

Garden produce, apples,  raspberries, strawberries and cherries changed the everyday meal into something special.

Holidays with good China, cloth napkins, candles turned our farm home into a castle

Look, Life, Good Housekeeping, and Better Homes and Gardens were delivered monthly, we could keep up with clothing styles, home decor, and garden tips.

Whatever was in style could be reproduced with a sewing machine, fabric, thread, and this talented seamstress.

Games of parcheesi, ping pong, and scrabble helped pass the winter evenings as a quick break from knitting or crocheting.

A treehouse or fort is necessary for kid play, it can be built from any materials that would be found on the farm.

I could go on, but because of my Moms abilities our home was always a clean, interesting, and well managed place. Martha Stewart doesn't have anything new to show Catherine, or any of the other ladies of this the 'greatest generation'.

Besides this, all the work was done without a gardener, housekeeper, groundskeeper, or chef. Motivation wasn't because of ratings, stocks, or notoriety.

These accomplishments happened for the best reasons; love and the desire for a well kept home.

Missing Mom

Sure do miss her!

I'm missing the little lady- that for 65 years answered to Mom- when I called.
Some would say we were just very fortunate to have her in our life on earth for this long.
Yes, I would agree, but even with all of these years - it's just extremely hard to say good bye!
After all, we've had many years of memories.

We miss that smile, positive attitude, sense of humor, and accepting demeanor.

• A smile and little wave ALWAYS welcomed us into the house when we walked by her west window, from here she watched Will grill steaks and hamburgers, cars come and go, and our neighbors drive the golf cart- giving their dog an evening ride.
• When company came she was pleased to play with the little kids, sit and listen to conversation, and greet everyone as if they were her very best friend.
• A quick wit served as a come back when Will tease her, the doctor asked her a question, or someone made an off the wall comment-she was listening and ready to respond.
• If we were busy, she could find a word search book, newspaper, or pictures to occupy her time. If we were occupied and didn't have time to prepare a really good meal, she was satisfied with scrambled eggs, a lean cuisine or the forbidden ramen  noodles. (Which only happened when I was at work).

She loved cards and letters, wow-The cards sent over the years by Kristin, Elizabeth, and Laura, Shirley, Eunice and Velva, and the annual Christmas greetings were valued, being read and re-read throughout the year.

Catherine stayed busy being useful most of her life, sewing, gardening, baking bars, entertaining kids, working in the field. There came a time when being useful turned into being fruitful. During the time she lived with us, we were the reciepients of this fruitful time in her life. Patients, kindness, long suffering, gentleness, love, joy, goodness, and faith. 

Because of her fruitfulness our faith is strengthened. Old age can greatly hamper the ability to be useful but maybe it can provide a window for fruitfulness to abound.

Why I am voting and why I am voting Republican

We are experiencing a cantankerous political season.....with only a few weeks away from a major election-you might say-'why bother'- 'Neither candidate is appealing'- or- 'Does it matter anyway'

I grew up in a family that had fairly high engagement in local, state, and national happenings, so this included policy and politics. Listening to discussions and an occasional argument helped to form the opinions I have about this years election.

• The role of government is to protect its citizens from foreign and domestic attacks. This is one thing I can't do!  
• Some regulations are necessary, regulations should be limited, allowing farmers to farm and provide food, oil companies to produce energy products, teachers to teach, doctors to practice medicine without undue interference from the governement agencies.
• Safety in our homes and towns is a way of life we've enjoyed in the mid- west. Certainly, one of the roles of government is to vet incoming visitors and new citicizens for infectious deseases, intent to harm, and ability to abide in our country-live by its rules, and speak its language.

So yes, I'll be going to the polls November 8th. The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has come out in favor of;

• A strong military
• Less regulation and growth of energy independence
• Support for police and law enforcement

It does matter- little kids should have the opportunity to grow up in a secure environment, feel safe in their homes, town, and community, and have the opportunity to own and run a business, attend college, and work at a job that provides a good living. 

The distractions we hear and read are a product of today's culture. If the person elected only focuses on these three things we maybe could actually enjoy greater freedom and safety.

October 1

October 1

Today is a beautiful fall day, the type of day we want to spend as much time outside as possible, so what do you suppose we were doing 10 years ago?
Laura- a student at Lisbon High
Elizabeth-  at UND working hard in nursing classes
Chelsey-at U of Mary
Kristin-teaching at White Pines Charter school in Idaho
Linda-graduate school-Concordia- so for sure I was sitting by the computer creating a masterpiece about something important in  the fall of 2006

How about 20 years ago?
Laura-perhaps playing school or Little House on the Prairie
Elizabeth-playing with Stacy, or working with geese, kittens, or creating something with whatever could be found around the farm.
Kristin-cross country
Yes, most likely we all would have been at a cross country meet in Valley, Cooperstown, or DetroitLakes

30 years ago is a stretch, but on a nice day like today;
Most likely we would have been combining a whopper of a bean crop, I would have been making lunches, Kristin would have been playing with neighbor kids, riding bike, or going for a walk and stroller ride with little Elizabeth. We might have driven to the farm and visited Grandma and Grandpa, had brownies for lunch, and walked around the farm, watching the trucks come and go with loads of beans. We lived in town so the ride to the country was a treat.

Whatever we would have been doing, I only remember we were happy and content, can't recall what the worries were at the time, but I am fairly sure there were some things that were a cause for concern.
HAPPY FALL, enjoy your day!

Changes don't come very easy for some of us!

April of 2011, Grandma Evanson moved in with us at the lake house. We said it would be a trial run, just to see how everything went. Well, it actually went very well. It's the fall of 2016 and we are noticing changes we wish weren't happening. 

The first year was actually a lot of fun, Gma washed and I Dryed dishes after every meal. When I baked, she'd help, we'd talk about all of the baking she did, gardening, and handiwork. Little by little her stamina gave way to mostly sitting and watching. She still tried her hand at knitting, and spent hours making a scarves. This, too dropped off, giving way to word search puzzles, the Gazette, and Forum. She treasured letters and cards and read them over and over. The golf cart ride was a highlight in the summer. Now it's unsafe to venture down the stairs.

She'd often ask is she got any mail, when I'd bring in the paper, I'd tell her, she'd have to write letters if she expected to receive any, she laughed at this. This summer there's been a change, she doesn't notice as much, or often ask about anything.  The bright sparkling eyes are less observant, and it's difficult for her to get around. Today Will lifted her from the kitchen chair as she wasn't able to get up on her own. 

She has an appointment tomorrow, it might be a UTI, or something else causing this change, or it might just be advancement of the vascular dementia.

We put a call into the cottages, asking them to Keep us in mind if any rooms opened up as we may have to have help, we don't know how this winter will go, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to have Mom with us these past few years.