My Eyes May Have Leaked a Little

Jonathan, Anna, and I headed out west for a short vacation last week. Our real reason for heading to the Black Hills of South Dakota was to see Christina, who is spending her summer at the Black Hills Playhouse as a tech intern. We hadn’t been able to hug her since May, and we were missing her sweet face.

We stopped at a lot of the typical touristy places, and had fun. Seeing those sights with your 20-something offspring is much different than with your 2-something offspring. We stayed in Wall, SD the first night, so we were just over an hour away from our hotel in Keystone, SD. We arrived early enough that we went straight to Mount Rushmore.

The monument was beautiful. We had been here when the girls were in elementary school, so we knew a little about the area, and had anticipated the view. We were not disappointed!

Mt Rushmore - July 22, 2013
Mt Rushmore – July 22, 2013

We went through the museum under the observation area, and decided to sit in on the 14 minute film about the making of the memorial. This is where the “yeah, yeah, we’ve seen this before” turned into “wow, did you know that?” and “I wish I could get a copy of all the quotes!”

Maybe it is the times we are living in. Maybe it’s the climate of me, me, me. Maybe it is the feeling of disconnect between neighbors. Whatever the reason, I was struck by the patriotism of Gutzlon Borglum, and the reasons he gave for selecting those particular four presidents.

He selected Washington because he was the father of our country. He was not worried about his political ambitions. He was worried about building a foundation for a young country that would stand the test of time.

Jefferson was selected to represent the growth of our country. President Jefferson orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase, and sent Lewis and Clark on their expedition.

Lincoln represents the preservation of our country, after he was able to reunite the United States after the Civil War. Borglum greatly admired Lincoln, and made many pieces of artwork about him.

President Theodore Roosevelt helped to make the Panama Canal a reality. He also orchestrated peace between countries, establishing the United States as a world power. 200 million acres of National Parks were set aside during his presidency.  His presence on Mount Rushmore represents development of our nation.

The story behind the sculpting, the selection, and the accomplishment of the monument is very educational. As we were leaving Mount Rushmore, Jonathan overheard someone talking about the evening lighting ceremony. We thought that sounded neat, so we decided we would come back the next night (parking is $11 per car, good for the rest of the year, so we could go as many times as our hearts desired).

We had no idea what to expect. We did know that we should get there early, and I’m glad we did. The amphitheater was full by the time the ceremony started.

The ceremony began with a 10 minute talk by a park ranger. She talked about the memorial, sharing quotes from each of the presidents that were represented on the memorial. After her talk, we watched a short film about the presidents and the carving of the mountain. It was very patriotic. The film ended with the singing of America the Beautiful. It was very dark at this point, but as we looked at the flag, during the song, we noticed the lights were starting to shine on the faces. By the time the song had ended, the faces were fully lit. That was my first set of goosebumps. Then, all the veterans were invited forward to assist with the lowering of the flag ceremony. This may have been the first time my eyes leaked. The 75 or so men and women on the stage were given a standing ovation. Most people sang the National Anthem…I was a little too choked up to get the words out.

Flag lowering ceremony
Flag lowering ceremony – not easy to take photos with tears in your eyes

After the flag was lowered and properly folded, each of the veterans introduced themselves and their branch of service. My eyes may have leaked a little at the presenting of the flag to the park ranger.

When the ceremony was done for the night, I couldn’t help but think about what this monument means, and how important it is to remember the ideals and sacrifices these men had made in order for me to be able to live in a country where I am free to worship how I want, free to make the choices I do, and free to help others has I see fit.

These men weren’t looking out just for themselves or their political aspirations. They were more concerned about their fellow Americans, and the country they led. They were led by the people, for the people. President Washington refused to be crowned king, because then America wouldn’t have the freedoms they longed for.

I left the ceremony thinking that every single American should be given the opportunity to attend the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore. Every Senator, Representative, and Presidential candidate should be reminded about the principles that our country was founded on in the Declaration of Independence – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

Mount Rushmore at night
Mount Rushmore at night

Days later, as I sit at the computer in the comfort of my home, trying to put into words the emotions we felt, my eyes may have leaked a little.

Century Farm Appreciation Party – What a Day!

There is so much to say. We are completely overwhelmed by the response to our gathering. I’ve taken a few days to try and form some sort of summary in my head, but there are so many wonderful memories, I’m having some difficulty. Let me start with the week of our gathering.

I am the current president of our county Farm Bureau. We had our 2nd Annual I Met a Farmer Tour on Thursday – 2 days before our Appreciation Party. The board meets a couple of days before the tour to have a “pre-tour tour” of the farms that we will be visiting. Our pre-tour tour ends with a post pre-tour meal at a local restaurant. On this particular day, I also went on a supply run to Sioux Falls (2 hours away…the closest “large city”), returning home just in time to leave for the tour.

On the day of the actual tour, I met the group at the starting point around 12:30 pm, and trusted that the shop would be presentable when we showed up on our farm for the crop farm part of the tour. Being the last stop, we were going to have supper in the brand new shop…the shop that was still being worked on that morning. The guys from the construction company were awesome. They met all of my pre-tour requirements (door on the bathroom, running water), and even helped Jonathan hang photos. When the bus arrived, the shop looked awesome!

Jonathan speaking to the I Met a Farmer Tour group
Jonathan speaking to the I Met a Farmer Tour group

The day after the tour, we started hitting the Century Farm party preparations hard. Unfortunately, the weather decided to hit us hard as well. The skies turned a nasty neon green color…never good. We ended up sitting in the basement for awhile during severe thunderstorm warnings, and tornado warnings. Fortunately, the hail that fell did little damage to the crops, and the only tornado that touched down in our county only touched in a field.

A neon green sky is never good
A neon green sky is never good

The storm left a lot of standing water, but we were able to continue our preparations following the storm. Laura and I needed to run to Marshall to pick up the rest of the supplies that were on our list, so we made a run for town after making sure there was nothing else on the radar. What we should have done is check the radar throughout our supply run. When we finished our grocery shopping, I heard a rumble of thunder. By the time we had the groceries in the van, it was starting to rain. Before we had gone 3 miles, the skies opened. I drove home white knuckling it in heavy rain, hail, wind, and constant lightening. I never want to drive home in a storm like that again! When we finally pulled into the garage, and I shut the van off, I started shaking like a leaf. We only carried in the cold foods, and left the rest until morning…then I went right to bed.

Saturday morning brought our Dinner Club, Jonathan’s sister Sally, and our friend Susanne out to help with food prep. We wanted to serve organic salads along with the grilled pork chops and root beer floats, but we couldn’t find anyone in our area who is able to cater organic foods. So, we worked with our local Hy-Vee, and ordered all of our produce through them. Our preppers helped to prepare the lettuce based salad and the fruit salad in the morning, and helped to serve all of the food in the afternoon. We are so thankful for our friends and family!

Some of our food preppers
Some of our food preppers

Getting close to “official” party time, we threw on our matching polo shirts and greeted the volunteers and relatives who arrived early as planned. Soon, the Marshall FFA showed up to set up their petting zoo, and the Lakeview FFA arrived to set up their Ag Olympics games. Everything was ready when the first guests arrived.

To be honest, the rest of the day was a blur. I visited with many people, but missed some. Jonathan visited with many people, but missed some. Between the two of us, I think we had a chance to greet everyone. I had my camera in my hand the whole day, but only took 24 photos. Thankfully, Sally had her camera and was able to get a few more. I’m going to use the “a picture is worth a thousand words” thing here. Enjoy the photos that Sally and I were able to get.

Jonathan & I in our polos
Jonathan & I in our polos
Jonathan's dad, Kenny, and Aunt Fern. Kenny & Fern grew up on our farm
Jonathan’s dad, Kenny, and Aunt Fern. Kenny & Fern grew up on our farm
Cousin Linda & Marty from Michigan. Linda is Aunt Fern's daughter
Cousin Linda & Marty from Michigan. Linda is Aunt Fern’s daughter
Aunt Shi was married to Kenny's brother Bob. He died in 1966
Aunt Shi was married to Kenny’s brother Bob. He died in 1966
The flowers & plants delivered by people we support with our business
The flowers & plants delivered by people we support with our business
The food line - served by our Dinner Club
The food line – served by our Dinner Club
Looking towards the south
Looking towards the South
Looking towards the North
Looking towards the North
Pam and Heidi serving up root beer floats
Pam and Heidi serving up root beer floats
People gathered around the petting zoo entrance
People standing around the petting zoo entrance
Watching the PowerPoint slide show
Watching the PowerPoint slide show
Calf at the petting zoo
Calf at the petting zoo
Miniature horse & foal at the petting zoo
Miniature horse & foal at the petting zoo
Our wheat pool in the petting zoo area
Our wheat pool in the petting zoo area
On the lawnmower course (tractor driving simulation)
On the lawnmower course (tractor driving simulation)
Playing Man-Size Jenga in the Ag Olympics area
Playing Man-Size Jenga in the Ag Olympics area
Cousin Charlie (in blue) farms just down the road. He is talking with Alton & Uncle Jim
Cousin Charlie (in blue) farms just down the road. He is talking with Alton & Uncle Jim Aanerud
Cousin Craig & Denise Aamodt. We are so thankful for their help with the food!
Cousin Craig & Denise Aamodt. We are so thankful for their help with the food!

As you can see, the day was fun, even though it was very hot and humid (by Minnesota standards, anyway). We are thankful that the storms held off until after everyone was either back home, or tucked in their hotel for the night. Jonathan and I keep talking about different aspects of the day, and how much fun it was. We both feel so blessed to be a part of the heritage of this farm. We are so thankful that we have a great extended family. One thing we really try to work on is relationships – whether it is with family, neighbors, grain buyers, the guy who changes oil in the van – it doesn’t matter who they are. Relationships matter.

With that, it is time to look forward to the next 100 years.

Our Menu for the Celebration:

  • Organic Marshall Salad (recipe will appear in another post)
  • Organic Fruit Salad (strawberries, 2 varieties grapes, watermelon, candy cantelope, honeydew melon)
  • Grilled Pork Chops (expertly grilled by the Lyon County Farm Bureau board-they grill about 5000 chops/year at the Farm Fest farm show)
  • Simply Balanced Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
  • Lemonade
  • Water
  • 1919 Rootbeer (my all time favorite)
  • Schwan’s Vanilla Ice Cream

Fun Fact Friday – John Deere Runs in our Blood

This was supposed to have been written yesterday afternoon (Friday), but we had a few waves of severe weather that put us in the basement for awhile. We’re all okay, and our crops look decent despite a bit of hail. Today is our Century Farm Appreciation Party! We are so thankful for the support from family and friends, and all those we do business with. Planning this event has been an exercise in counting our blessings.

Our daughter, Anna, has been putting together a PowerPoint slide show for part of our display. We noticed a trend when it comes to equipment…99% of it is John Deere!  Here are a few photos that show the history of our harvesting equipment.

machinery 13

machinery 6

machinery 8

 

machinery 1
45

 

machinery 5
4400

 

machinery 18
7720

 

DSC_0283b
9600

 

9650
9650

I’m not certain on what the correct order is for the first three photos, but I will be asking some of our local experts. That is the other fun part of this journey. Asking questions of our more seasoned generation, and watching their eyes light up as they talk about using the different pieces of machinery when they were young. Most of the gentlemen I have talked with are either retired, or are getting close to retirement. They all have passed the usual retirement age, but they still love to farm, so they have not yet fully retired. That says something, I think. What other job has you wanting to stay there even after you’ve reached your mid-70’s?

Next week, I’ll give a recap of our Appreciation Party. In the meantime, I have some salads to make.

 

Wordless Wednesday – Road Trip Through the Buffalo Ridge

Windmills - old and new - on the Buffalo Ridge
Windmills – old and new – on the Buffalo Ridge

Click on the photo to enlarge it. Can you find the remnants of the old windmill?

WW – Finally! A Sunny Day!

With the sunshine, came an opportunity to take a walk around the yard and enjoy the beauty.

Getting the stink eye. I was a little too close to her nest
Getting the stink eye. I was a little too close to her nest
The Robins were more cooperative than the other birds
The Robins were more cooperative than the other birds

Fun Fact Friday – Century Farm Edition part 1

Our family is having fun researching the history of our farm as we prepare for our appreciation party planned for the end of June. For the next few Fridays, I’ll share a fun fact related to what we have found.

Today’s Fun Fact:

In 1914, for 50 cents, our farm was registered as Fairview Farm by Daniel Olson.

A copy of the farm name registration from the county courthouse
A copy of the farm name registration from the county courthouse

Wordless Wednesday – Seems Like Yesterday…

Anna in the park
We spent Sunday afternoons in the park – Anna & Jonathan 1991

 

College graduation 2013
And now, college graduation! Augustana College Class of 2013

 

We're pretty darn proud!
We’re pretty darn proud!

 

 

 

Throwback Thursday – Made for Each Other?

Jonathan and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in August. We met when we were in college, so it was always fun when my mother-in-law would bring out baby photos and show me how cute Jonathan was as a tow-headed tyke. There were a couple of photos that our parents found that were taken when we were about the same age…both with toy guns. We must have been made for each other, don’t you think?

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Carolyn
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Jonathan