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 our favorite farm job. 🙁

Although a farm kid had to work hard there were times to explore, hunt, trap and enjoy the great outdoors. Which we did often.

Fast forward to my adult years.

I did not become a farmer, however, my experiences with nature led me to become a biology teacher and in 1967 I began my teaching career in Wheaton, Minnesota.

My wife, Kathie and I purchased a small, older home and resided in it for several years.

During this time our family increased to five with the addition of our three children Steve, Jill and Bonnie.

That made it necessary to purchase a larger, older home in the middle of Wheaton.

It was hard to take the farm kid out of me and before long I began the dream of finding a plot of ground out in the country to give our family a chance to experience what I had experienced as a child.

Kathie was a town girl and as I shared my country home idea with her, I feared country living would not appeal to her. But to my surprise she was open to my dream.

So, the search for the right piece of land began.

I soon discovered farmers were not interested in parting with any of their farmland. They needed it to make a living.

I got used to hearing “No” as I broached the land acquisition possibility with landowners. I should have been discouraged but I kept scouring the countryside for a possible future home site.

Then I remembered something very important.

My first-year teaching at Wheaton I was single and had a lot of free time, so I decided to continue my favorite hobby as a farm kid. I began looking for a possible trapping area for mink and raccoon.

I found an area a couple miles out of town and got permission from the land- owners to trap there.

How could I have forgotten them? They were two older bachelor brothers, the nicest guys.

Maybe they would have an interest in selling me a portion of their farm field.

I jumped into my vehicle and drove out to their farm.

I remember our discussion like it was yesterday. We stood in front of their house visiting. The bachelors had their hands buried in their bib overall pockets.

After asking that same question that I had asked so many times before, the two bachelors looked at each other and one of them asked the other, “What do you think about selling that piece of land? It’s the only land we have on that side of the highway.”

I tried to stay composed but internally I was cheering. I had waited so long to receive a positive reaction.

The bachelors agreed such a sale would be a possibility, in fact, they agreed to call me later in the week

after they had determined a purchase price for the 7.9 acres of farmland.

To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. 🙂

There are times in our lives when happenings occur that seem to be a coincidence. I like to refer to them as a ‘God thing’.

Our home in Wheaton was on a double lot.

At that time very few lots were available in Wheaton.

The nursing home administrator was in need of a lot to build a house on, and he contacted me about our double lot.

We agreed on a price, and he purchased one of the lots.

The next week when the two bachelors called the price they were asking was the same amount that I had received from the sale of our lot.

So, I traded my city lot in Wheaton for 7.9 acres of farmland!

Now, that was a God thing! 🙂

In 1980 we moved into our country home, a dream come true.!

Many things have transpired over these forty-six years and my next couple of blogs will share memories that took place during those years in our little house on the prairie. 🙂

Until next time.

l