Author: Carolyn Olson

I grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN. In 1988, I married my best friend and moved to the farm. Jonathan and I have three daughters, one son-in-law, and the most adorable granddaughter! I love life on the farm, and wouldn't trade it for anything!

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 27: Thanksgiving

CarolynCares Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day will be here before we know it. The next 24 hours will pass in a whirlwind of cooking, cleaning, and greeting guests. Even though the day can be a little stressful with food preparations and dealing with family dynamics, I think it is important to enjoy the chaos. There are so many people in our communities who will be spending Thanksgiving alone, and many who cannot afford to prepare a full meal.

This year, I was able to donate a bag of food to our school for a program that was started this year. There are about 9 homeless families in our school district. All of the food donated gets sent home to students in need on the last day of school for the week. The food is put in their lockers discretely, to save them from embarrassment or ridicule. This weekend, extra food was sent home to make sure these children would have something to eat over the holiday weekend. This program is helped out by our local Wal-Mart, but in December, our local school families will be encouraged to donate as well. I applaud the teacher who started this program, and I really hope the community will support it by donating money or food to the school. As the prayer says in the graphic above, “For food and raiment Thou dost give, That we in comfort here may live.” I really believe that God works through communities to be his cheerful givers. I am thankful that I was prompted to donate through #FoodThanks. I never would have found out about this program otherwise. I plan on donating at other times during the school year as well.

As for our Thanksgiving plans? We’ll be hosting Thanksgiving this year. All of the family (my side and Jonathan’s side) that live in Minnesota will be there. We’ll have one nervous person at the table this year. Anna is bringing home her boyfriend. He’ll be meeting most of the family on Thursday. He might appreciate a few prayers! We’ll be thinking and praying for family members who are living too far away to join us this year. I am so thankful for all of the members of our family!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 26: Cookbooks

CarolynCares Cookbooks

Some people read novels. I read cookbooks and cooking magazines. There is something so intriguing about new recipes. If a cookbook has good how-to photos, or beautiful photography, they rank higher in my to-read list.

My favorite cookbooks are the two that our church has published, and one that I put together for my sister-in-law shortly before she married my brother. Those cookbooks contain recipes that have been handed down for a few generations, along with a few “newer” recipes. Around the holidays, I have many cookie, Scandinavian, and German cookbooks that I use. There are always the good, specialty books as well. Scones, muffins, hand pies, bread, grilling, cakes, pressure cookers, crock-pot – oh the possibilities when I open my cupboards!

Jonathan and I belong to a dinner club, where the host sets the theme and assigns different courses to the other members. Talk about a challenge! After making a few recipes, I finally joined Pinterest so I could pin some of these recipes. So far, I think the favorite things that I’ve made have been a Rick Bayless Chocoflan cake, a Bobby Flay Coconut cake, and a tomato basil soup. Can I count Pinterest as a giant cookbook?

I am thankful for many types of cookbooks, and the ability to prepare a variety of foods for my family and friends. Since Thanksgiving is in a few days, I think I had better get a few off of the shelf, and figure out my grocery list!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 25: Farm Bureau

CarolynCares Farm Bureau

This past weekend I was in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. I look forward to this meeting every year, and seeing friends from all over the state.

One of the coolest things about attending the Annual Meeting, is to see farmers of every type and every age sharing meals, sharing laughter, and sharing stories. Farm Bureau is one place where Democrats, Republicans, Independents, young farmers, “seasoned” farmers, dairy, beef, pig, turkey, conventional, organic, large, small, hobby, fruit, and vegetable farmers all meet together for one common goal. We all care about our farms and ranches, and we want to be able to pass them on to another generation. We want to learn how best to care for the land, tend to our animals, and meet consumer’s wishes while being able to make enough money to support our families and better our farms.

The delegate session is always interesting. My county in Southwestern Minnesota is very different from my friend’s farm in Northwestern Minnesota. The resolutions passed at their county meetings may not have any bearing on my county, yet we get the chance to debate and vote on the resolutions brought to the voting floor. It is one of the strongest grassroots organizations I know of. Every member has a voice, and has the chance to be heard. I wish our government was like that!

I am thankful for Farm Bureau, the leadership, and staff. They organized an awesome Annual Meeting this year. I came away from the weekend tired, yet excited for the future of Farm Bureau, and the future of Agriculture. I know I have some work to do to help our county continue to grow. It is so reassuring to know that we have a great staff that we can call on for answers to our questions, no matter how big or small.

After this weekend, I am really looking forward to the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and Convention in San Antonio in January. I am excited to meet some of my social media friends in person, and to engage with Farm Bureau members from all over the United States and Puerto Rico. Who will I see in San Antonio?

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 24: Christina

CarolynCares Christina

Christina is our middle daughter. She has always had a great imagination, and a love for books. Right now, she is majoring in theater, with the hopes of becoming a costume designer. As I write this, she just finished playing 3 characters in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. I was able to see the production once, and Jonathan was fortunate enough to see it a second time. She was great…the characters she played are ones I think she was born to play. I seemed to have seen her facial expressions and attitudes directed at her sisters when she was growing up. 🙂 I’m looking forward to catching the show when they take it on the road in January, and again in March when they perform with the South Dakota Symphony.

I love when we get together with the girls. Christina is so good at making me laugh. I am amazed at her ability to remember lines from movies, and use them at just the right time to catch me off guard. There have been many times when I have laughed til I cried, or had to spit out my beverage. Trust me, Root Beer out the nose hurts!

When I was looking through photos of Christina to use in this post, I noticed that there were very few photos where she is not smiling, or being funny. This photo made me laugh. It is so typical of the Sunday picnics we used to take in the summer.

CarolynCares Christina L

I am so thankful for Christina and the sunshine and laughter she brings to the family. Life isn’t always easy, nor is it always fair. That is something not lost on a middle child. I love that she is becoming her own hero.

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 23: Beaches

CarolynCares Beaches

Ahh. There is nothing quite like the serenity of sitting on a beach, toes dug into the warm sand, and waves lapping the shore. Even when waves are crazy, as they were when we were in Hawaii in 2012, the beach still holds some magic. Maybe it’s the rhythms of the waves, maybe it’s the smell of the salty air, or maybe it is as simple as just being on vacation.

I am not a swimmer. I have a fear of water that is over my head, and I get nervous in lakes and oceans. Yet, I love to fish, and I love sitting on the beach by the ocean. As much as I love keeping up on social media, there is something to be said for unplugging and just relaxing.

I am thankful that we have had opportunities to relax on beaches from Hawaii to our local lake. A beach doesn’t have to be on the list of Top 10 Beaches in the World to enjoy it. I am also thankful that I live in a state with over 10,000 lakes to enjoy! Even just thinking about sitting on the beach is making me feel warmer. As I write this, there is a dusting of snow on the ground, and it is the coldest it has been since last winter. 🙂

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 22: Technology

CarolynCares Technology

Have you ever driven past a field and noticed that the person driving the tractor didn’t have their hands on the steering wheel? Look for a globe similar to the one on the left, and you will know that they are using AutoSteer technology.

Jonathan and I have been using the AutoSteer system for about 5 years. We like to use the same wheel tracks for planting, dragging, rotary hoeing, and cultivating to reduce soil compaction. This system allows us to do that. If you look at the right hand photo, you will see lines on the monitor. We are able to skip lines when we’re working so we don’t have to turn as tight. The dark blue areas are where we’ve been, and the gray is where we need to go yet. The system allows us to record every pass in the fields, so we can keep records of planting dates, and weed control dates.

The GreenStar system works on our combine, and uses the same globe and monitor. We are able to record our yields…when the yield monitor is working…as well as use the AutoSteer. This year, I was very thankful for the whole guidance system. We had a wind storm that blew many acres of corn down in our county, including ours. Being able to set the combine on a line and not worry about staying on the row made harvesting the downed corn a lot easier! Some of my friends and family will think I’m mostly thankful for the AutoSteer so that I can text, Tweet, and Facebook. Really, that is just the icing on the cake.

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 21: OATF

What? No photo? I totally failed on this one. I brought my camera along to our first Organic Advisory Task Force meeting, and I forgot to ask for a group photo.

So, what is the OATF, and why am I thankful for them?

The Organic Advisory Task Force is a group of 15 individuals from around the state of Minnesota who meet a couple of times a year to discuss the organic industry in our state. We then advise the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the University of Minnesota on policy and research issues. The group is made up of farmers, processors, distributors, certifying agencies, University faculty, a non-profit general farm organization representing farmers, and the public.

The coolest thing about this group, besides the people, is that farmers get to hear from consumers (processors, distributors and the public) as well as the certifying agencies and the faculty, and everyone else gets to hear from the farmers. I love how we all come together with the goal of finding a consensus on the issues facing the organic industry. I am thankful for the opportunities that we have to share with each other, and the friendships that are made.

On Tuesday, the new 3 year term began. We were able to hear from a Deputy Commissioner of Ag and Deans from the University of Minnesota. We also had a chance to share what the concerns are in the area we represent. We had some really good discussions! One thing that was made clear to the Deans, is that with funding sources shrinking all the time, that they hire faculty that is friendly towards organic agriculture. We realize the importance of shared research and resources, and know that there are many research areas that benefit both organic and conventional agriculture. We are not a group of extremists that are hell bent on taking down anyone. We focus on ways to support and educate what the organic farming and food system is about.

I am thankful for all of the members of this Task Force, and I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to serve as their chair.

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 20: Parents

CarolynCares Parents

Today would have been Mom and Dad’s 42nd Anniversary. My dad passed away just shy of his 70th birthday in 2004 after many health issues. I miss him – especially when I could use some advice on how to fix something. I would go bug Dad when he was working in his wood shop, and he taught me the names of all the tools for wood working and for fixing things. That really came in handy when I moved to the farm!

Mom is my second mom. My first mom passed away shortly after I turned 2. My second mom is the only mom I’ve know. I remember when she and dad were dating, how excited I was that I got to stay over at her apartment. I was happy when dad told us that they were going to get married. They married shortly after I turned 4. I remember being at the church, and wearing a pretty dress with little gloves, and really pretty shoes. I loved those shoes.

I am so thankful that my Dad found Mom, and that she was willing to raise us 4 kids. It isn’t easy to jump into a big family! When Jonathan and I were taking Foster Parenting classes this fall, I realized just how difficult that is. I have many fond memories of my childhood. Fighting over who got to hold our baby brother, skating on the ice rink dad made in the back yard, the Birthday cake platter (and getting to choose what kind of cake we wanted), and Christmas traditions that I brought into my own family.

I am thankful that Mom taught me how to cook and bake. She taught me how to make white sauces and gravy when I was in junior high, and caramel rolls and desserts in high school. I still love to cook and bake today, and I love the challenge of finding new ways to do things. I am still amazed by Mom’s ability to make a perfect pie crust without measuring any ingredient, and I have yet to make a lemon filling that is even close to her lemon meringue pie. I’m not sure if I should credit her, or blame her for my love of cookbooks. Love you, Mom! 🙂

I know we don’t express our appreciation for our families nearly enough, so I would like to take this opportunity to tell my mom and siblings how thankful I am for all of you!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 19: Baseball

CarolynCares Baseball

Baseball. America’s pastime. I enjoy watching and listening to sports, but I love when spring training starts, and Twins Baseball is on the air! Even better than listening to them while in the tractor or combine, is seeing them play at Target Field!

The first time I played softball was in 7th grade. I went out for our Jr High team. I had a fairly decent arm, and could run, so I was an outfielder. I loved learning the game, and practicing. Game days, I was always a bundle of nerves. Since I hadn’t played softball prior to 7th grade, I really didn’t know the “proper” way to throw a ball. I threw it sidearm, which got the ball to the target faster, and more accurately. It also caused a pretty nasty case of tendonitis in my elbow. I didn’t play in high school for our team, but I did play church league softball. Those were fun times! I was able to play outfield with my older sister, which is the only time we have been able to play on a team together. We look a lot alike, and often times we would accidentally dress alike for games. Same socks, same shorts, same hairstyle. Used to drive our coach crazy at times.

I attended a small Bible college in the Twin Cities for a year. I was a walk-on, and played college softball. Since my arm wasn’t totally healed (how can you expect me to totally rest my dominate arm?), I mostly was a DH or subbed in the outfield. That would have to be my best college experience. We won our division that year, and the girls got to play in the national tournament. They couldn’t take the whole team, so a couple of us volunteered to stay back since we were bench players. I didn’t mind too much. I lettered anyway.

I am so thankful for the lessons I learned from baseball and softball. I may have had a small part to play in the success of my college team, but as Babe Ruth said in the quote above, “the way a team plays as a whole determines it’s success.” You can be a bench player and have an impact on the success of the team. You can be a starter and have an impact on the success of the team. I think about those lessons when I’m in a meeting with people from varying backgrounds. Some may feel like they don’t have much to contribute, that they are only a bench player, so they keep quiet. Good teammates and coaches work to make everyone feel like they are valuable members of the team. I hope to always be a good teammate.

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 18: Social Media

CarolynCares Social Media

Facebook. Twitter. Blogging. Instagram. Pinterest. Snap Chat. Skype. These are all platforms I use to keep in contact with family and friends all over the world. I am thankful that I can share Facebook messages with family members who live in Mongolia, Italy, and Malaysia. They don’t seem quite so far away when you can communicate almost instantaneously.

Through Twitter, I have met many farmers from the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some I have met in person, some I will meet eventually, and others will only be an online friendship. I have also learned about opportunities to give back, like #foodthanks, where we are encouraged to give Food Thanks this Thanksgiving season. Follow the link to see how you can get involved. I plan on donating a bag of food to our school. They distribute food to needy children every Friday so the kids will have something to eat over the weekend.

You all know how I feel about blogging… 🙂 As much as I love to talk, and to write, this challenge has been…challenging. It really makes me think about why I am thankful for everything I am focusing on. Truth be told, there have been a few things that I had on my list that moved way down on the importance list. After contemplating them, I realized those things were just little things. I may still be thankful for them, but I didn’t want to focus on them this month.

I’m not a super regular Pinner on Pinterest, and I mainly have recipes or food related things there. It is a handy place to keep my online recipes when I’m making larger dinners. I hope to add a few more non-food boards this winter, some photography related, and some farm related.

Snap Chat is reserved for communicating with my daughters. Sometimes it is a series of goofy faces, or it may be a “does this look okay together” question. Yes, I ask my youngest daughter clothes questions all the time. She has a great eye, and she knows my style better than I do.

I really haven’t used Skype much in the last year. When Jonathan and Laura were in Tanzania, we would communicate through Skype, but it was voice only. Skype is nice to see family members in real time at Christmas. I’m hoping we’ll be able to see my brother’s family in Italy, and our German exchange daughter over the holidays.

I am a horrible letter writer, and I’m really bad at sending birthday cards, so I am thankful for the ability to keep in contact with family and friends so easily through social media!

 

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