I love my heritage. Last Christmas, my side of the family decided that we would research and prepare foods from the countries where our ancestors were born. The list of countries is quite long, especially when you add those of your spouse. We each brought a main dish and a dessert from one (or both) of the countries we were assigned to. The food was delicious, and we all ate way too much!
Part of the planning for our meal was researching the traditions, the foods, and the culture of the different countries. I was given the task of researching and making foods from Germany and the Netherlands. German and Dutch food is quite filling, and great for cold winter days. The cultures are very different, yet the Christmas traditions are very similar. When I was trying to find cookie recipes, I came upon the Stroopwafel, and wanted to try it. I haven’t attempted making them yet, but I have found them at a few stores nearby. They are delicious! I learned that they are eaten either warmed by placing them on a cup filled with a warm beverage like coffee, or eaten cold. They are good either way. 🙂
My mom and sisters shared about their countries: Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, England, and Poland. (I hope I didn’t forget any major ones!) One of the things I really appreciated, was realizing what parts of our traditions may be related to our heritage, and what parts are the result of wanting to blend in with other Americans my ancestors arrived in the United States. When we asked our Dutch relatives what traditions their mother had at Christmas time, there weren’t any distinctly Dutch traditions regarding food. They did, however, keep up with Dutch tradition on being frugal, and acting properly.
Call it nature or nurture, or whatever kind of influence you want…but I find myself loving cheese, coffee, and pickled herring…although not together. Thanks, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Dykstra!
Do you keep up with any of your ancestor’s traditions? Do you find yourself gravitating towards the foods associated with your heritage?
I grew up in Champlin, Minnesota, one of the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. I had a great childhood, in part because we lived in a neighborhood where kids would get together and play ditch-em, we’d ride our bikes, or just run around the yard playing whatever sport we felt like at the time. I have many fond memories of our house there.
In 1986, I graduated from Anoka Senior High School with a class of over 675 students. On any given day, there were close to 3000 students cruising through the halls of the high school. I had friends in many groups, but mostly preferred those who were in my youth group from church since they were the ones I saw most often. Our academic classes weren’t necessarily split into grades, so sometimes you weren’t sure if someone was in your graduating class or not. It was interesting sitting through graduation ceremonies and realizing you didn’t know someone in your class. That doesn’t happen where I live now!
Jonathan graduated in a class of 40, including 2 foreign exchange students. I’m sure if I asked some of those classmates where everyone resides today, they would be able to tell me. Most of them started kindergarten together, and a few have known each other pretty much since birth. There are good things, and bad things about being a close class. 🙂
Jonathan and I have been married for 26 years, and I still find it amazing that our town population is less than half of what the student body was at my high school. It was a bit of a culture shock when I first moved to the farm, but now I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Every day I am thankful that I met Jonathan, married him, and am now his right hand (wo)man.
I’m pretty proud of where I came from, but I’m even more proud of where I am today.
We’ve been touring Pikeville and Pike County, Kentucky for the past few days. Our daughter and her fiance will be moving here following their wedding, when he begins medical school. This area is full of history, but the most interesting to us this visit was the Hatfield & McCoy family feud. We drove part way through the driving tour, on winding mountain roads that are not suited for prairie dwellers like me! The area is absolutely beautiful, and it was easy to picture the places that were described on the CD narration. We made one stop at the Blackberry Post Office, where the feuds began.
The lesson that we came away with, was the importance of forgiveness. All of this might have been avoided with good communication, and a willingness to forgive. We can’t let past hurts and wrongs fester in our hearts. Nothing good ever comes from it.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 NIV
I love looking back on our year and reflecting the good, the bad, and the excellent. This year, I thought a photo journey of highlights from our year might help you to see what happens on our farm and in our family over a years time.
January started out with a pretty good cold snap. When Laura was home on break, we tested out the “throwing water into the air” theory to see what would happen. We were pretty excited that it worked! And yes, it was really cold, and she was out in a t-shirt. She takes after her mom in that regard!
Laura tossing water into the air
February was still pretty cold. Last winter, we had snow 8 months in a row. It gets to the point where you just want to curl up with a hot cup of Russian Tea and a good book…and stay there until spring!
Russian Tea mix
March brought Anna’s senior recital at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. She is a percussionist, so her recital covered many different percussion instruments, including clay pots. Many friends and relatives came to support her, and to share in the day.
Anna playing the toms
April brought a bit of warmer weather, and some thawing. We started to plan our field work schedule and get equipment ready for spring planting.
Spring thaw
By mid-May, we were finally able to see the growth of the barley. It is always exciting to see the plants emerge, and the landscape turn from brown to a gentle green.
Rows of barley
We had a very eventful June. We hosted the final stop of our county Farm Bureau’s I Met a Farmer tour. The tour participants traveled to a dairy farm, pig farm, beef farm, and then to our crop farm. They had supper in our newly built shop (finished that day!), and then were brought back to the starting point. Most of the participants have no agriculture experience, or are at least 15 years removed from the farm. They are business people and leaders in their communities across our county. This is an excellent way to teach them about agriculture in their area, and it puts a face on farming. I’m looking forward to our 3rd Tour in 2014!
Jonathan explaining our farm to tour participants
The other major event in June was our Century Farm Appreciation Party. Click on the link to read more about the day. It was so nice to be able to celebrate this milestone with those who have helped to make our farm what it is today – family, friends, neighbors, grain buyers, seed dealers, co-op employees, elevator employees…the list could go on, but so must this post!
The invitation
In July, I took a leap of faith, and signed up as a vendor at the brand new Cottonwood Central Park Market farmers market. I started CO Baked Goods, bringing homemade baked goods like scones, caramel and cinnamon rolls, and pound cakes to the Market. It was a fun adventure, and I hope to continue this year with an expanded selection of baking.
Maple Bacon Scones
I love attending the Minnesota State Fair. This year, we had the opportunity to work at the Farm Bureau building for a few hours one morning. We brought Flat Ryan along for some fun. He met many of our Farm Bureau friends, including Eric Kuehl from St Cloud. After our shift ended, we explored the fair grounds and found friends to visit, foods to try, and animals to admire.
Eric and Flat Ryan
Our crops were growing well, we had cover crops planted on the harvested small grain fields, and were anticipating the dry down of the soybeans when a major storm blew through on September 19th. The sunrise was beautiful that day, but soon, it was as black as midnight. We had rain, hail, and wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach the whole time. It was a farmer’s nightmare. After the storm passed, it was time to assess the damage. Most of our corn had been affected, as was our neighbors. It wasn’t laying flat, like that of friends a couple miles away, but it was messy. We could only hope that the stalks were simply leaning, and not broken. This would allow the corn to continue to mature without heavy yield losses.
Black skies at 8:17 am Sept 19
October means harvest in our part of the world. Despite the storm in September, our yields were good. Harvest was going well, with only a few bumps along the way. We ended up combining our corn mostly one direction due to the winds, so it took us a little longer than normal. We were thankful for no injuries or illness while putting long hours in. We also remembered to take the time to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. Our office during harvest has great views of beautiful sunsets and full moons.
Full Moon Rising
November is a time to give thanks for the blessings, the trials, and those things that make you who you are. We were fortunate to be able to host Thanksgiving this year. We had 17 people around the dining room table, and I am thankful for each and every one of them. We missed those who couldn’t be there, but they are loved just as much. It has been a few years since my family and Jonathan’s family have been together for a holiday. We thought it would be fun to introduce Anna’s boyfriend to as many family members as possible while he was here. The entire family welcomed him, and we all hope he stays around for awhile!
Thanksgiving Dinner
That brings us to December. What a busy time of the year! It is easy to get yourself stressed out, and to try to keep up with all the cool pins on Pinterest. This year, my decorating was minimal, as was my baking. I know that next year may be different, but for this year, simple was better. My family was okay with the simple approach this year. They realize that Christmas is more about the family time and the miracle of Jesus’ birth than the decorations or the cookies. I am blessed!
Happy New Year from our family to yours!
Here’s looking forward to 2014, and another great year of farming, faith building, family, friends, food, and fun!
Growing up in a large, close knit family was awesome. On my dad’s side, we would get together for Christmases, graduations, Confirmations, birthdays, anniversaries, 4th of July parades, and reunions. We lived 3 hours away from my grandparents and the majority of dad’s family, so our trips typically started early, and ended late. There were many times when we would get home after 10:00 pm on a Sunday night. We never wanted those weekends to end.
This past January, I lost two uncles. My dad’s oldest brother, and the husband of dad’s oldest sister. Many of the cousins were at one or both of the funerals. We realized how much we missed seeing each other, and plans were made to have a reunion in August. We all felt we needed to gather for a happy occasion.
Over the course of the weekend, 73 members of the Bredlow clan descended on Thornton, Iowa to share stories, play games, and reconnect with one another. There are 65 of us in the photo above, taken by my cousin, Judy (check out her photography blog here). Looking at this crowd, and knowing that many members of this bunch were missing, was kind of amazing. I started counting, and I believe we number somewhere around the 99 to 100 mark now. I can just imagine my Grandpa and Grandma being so pleased, and loving every single one. That’s the kind of people they were.
When we get together, we are a little loud at times. We all like to chatter, and we all have pretty much the same sense of humor. If you can’t handle puns and sarcasm, you may not enjoy our gatherings as much. Some of us went on a tour of the places Grandpa and Grandma had lived. I had never been to the site of the last farm they owned, so that was super interesting to me. We also went to the two houses they lived in after they retired. So many memories of holiday gatherings, 4th of July parades, and summers spent with cousins came flooding back. After the tour, some went golfing, while others visited. We closed out our reunion on Sunday morning with a very meaningful worship service. I believe that our family is so close, and so strong due to the faith foundation that we have.
I am so thankful to be a part of this crazy family. We may not always agree on things – I mean, some of them are Packers fans if you can believe it – but when we get together, there is so much love. I am also thankful that we had a reunion this year. I can’t wait until the next one!
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There is a photo from a family gathering years ago that both my mom and I just love. We have no idea what prompted the pose – if it was just a quick there they are lets take their photo moment, or if we were told to pose there. However the photo came about, it is one of my favorites.
Then:
Connie, Judy, Carolyn, Pam
I want you all to notice how my outfit, socks, and shoes match. I still like matching shoe colors to outfits.
At our family reunion this past weekend, we chartered a bus to take us around to the places where our Grandparents lived. Two lawn chairs made the trip with us.
Now:
Connie, Judy, Carolyn, Pam
We had an awesome time at our reunion weekend. I loved hanging out with my cousins, and look forward to the next get together.
Now, however, it is back to reality. Wheat harvest starts this afternoon. I am pretty sure I will be thinking over conversations and laughing to myself while I’m sitting in the combine. Oh, how I love my family!
