Blog | Holiday Adventures for Kids

02 May

A Country Home is Born.

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

The wind break was planted and weed control was in full force. The well drillers had struck an abundant source of water. Farmer Carl had seeded the tillable acreage into alfalfa. It was time to get serious about building our country home. Actually, the house design was a spiritual experience for me. Inspiration hit me on a Sunday morning when I was preparing to be the lector at Mass. The choir was singing and I was sitting in a chair…..

03 Apr

Country Neighbors

Michael J. Larson Blog, skunk, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, 0 0

We became official ‘country dwellers’ in the summer of 1980. From that time on we have had opportunities to interact with our ‘neighbors’. The first thing I learned about our ‘neighbors’ was that they were in charge! That means they do whatever they want to do. I first discovered their tenacity to do whatever they wanted to do when I attempted to grow pumpkins in our garden. I planted the seed and waited and waited for the pumpkin cotyledons to…..

18 Mar

A Plethora of Outdoor Activities

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

In earlier blogs I described the excitement we experienced when we were able to purchase land two miles from the town of Wheaton. At that time, we had no idea of the varieties of activities that the little piece of land would provide our family. Farmer Carl came to the rescue again when I mentioned to him, I was thinking about building a play area for our children. Carl knew where we could get used telephone poles and he helped…..

05 Mar

The Farm Kid Returns to the Farm

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

In my previous blog I described my frustrations as I searched for a piece of land in the country where our family could build a house and establish a country home. The search took several years to finally locate a plot of land that a farmer was willing to sell. In this case it was two farmers, bachelors that lived together in an old farmhouse. Most of their farmland was located on one side of the highway with 7.9 acres…..

17 Feb

The Beginning

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

My growing up years were spent on the farm. Our farm consisted of two quarters of land that was dotted with numerous ponds and swamp land. It contained soil that froze and thawed each fall and spring to ensure that rocks of all sizes would rise and present themselves during the planting season. That movement of rocks insured that my brothers and I would have the back-breaking job of gathering the rocks and removing them from the fields, definitely not…..

01 Feb

Song Sung Blue

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

I guess it became quite evident to my classmates that I loved to sing. In third grade when our teacher asked our class to choose a favorite song to start the music class, I would always be the first to volunteer. Waving my hand and shouting out, “Blow the Man Down” ! Looking back on those times I’m sure every classmate and the teacher rolled their eyes and shook their heads, muttering, “If we hear that song one more time,…..

18 Jan

The Art of Washing Clothes

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

My washing clothes skills have evolved considerably since my growing up years on the farm. Since our farmhouse did not have running water, preparing for the washing process was quite involved. The wringer washing machine was stored in the porch and had to be moved into the kitchen along with a double tub containing water that the soap filled clothes could be rinsed in. Once the clothes had been agitated in the washing machine, they were fed into the wringer…..

06 Jan

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

I celebrated my 81st Christmas several weeks ago. The first couple of those celebrations have faded from my memory but I’m sure I had a good time as my aunts talked gibberish to me and lovingly pinched my fat cheeks. While also commenting on which side of the family I most resembled. Of course, I responded by spitting out my pacifier and giving them a big, sloppy grin. Come to think about it I’m not sure pacifiers had been invented…..

18 Dec

Meatballs, Mild Temps and Cacti

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

Last summer my son, Steve, contacted me and announced that his family was flying to Pheonix, Arizona for Thanksgiving. They were in the process of purchasing airline tickets and he wanted to know if I would be interested in making the trip with them. Arizona in November was a tantalizing offer. So, what could I do but accept. Now, this would be my fifth airplane trip in my life, so I am not considered a toughened, experienced airline traveler. When…..

14 Nov

Fall Memories

Michael J. Larson Blog 0 0

I was a kid many years ago but there are still memories that are locked in my brain from those days gone by. Fall arrived slowly as the tree leaves lost their magnificent greens and changed to yellows, golds and reds. The declining temperatures and dwindling sunlight hurried this process along. Flocks of the feathered species filled the skies as songbirds, ducks, geese and swans began their journeys to their winter homes. The cold winds rushed through the barren branches…..

← Older posts

A Country Home is Born.

Country Neighbors

A Plethora of Outdoor Activities

The Farm Kid Returns to the Farm

The Beginning

Song Sung Blue

The Art of Washing Clothes

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Meatballs, Mild Temps and Cacti

Fall Memories

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