This first bedroom also contained one window near the top of the stairs. I used to love to quietly climb out of bed after my little sister had fallen asleep, stand at the top of the stairs and lean over into that window. I’d gaze out at the stars and the city lights of St. Peter and dream of future adventures to come in my someday adult life!

The only thing I didn’t like about being at gra’ma’s house was that when we first moved there, she thought we were too skinny (and we were.) Gra’ma would make homemade oatmeal with brown sugar and when I’d start to complain that my tummy was too full, she’d say, “My goodness! You don’t eat enough to stick in your eye!” Being an extremely visual person even as a child, I always imagined that to be far less than I’d just eaten!

Then there was the time that gra’ma was cleaning chickens. My grandfather would cut-off their heads with an axe, gra’ma would boil them, then pull the feathers off, then she’d cut open the other end of the chicken, stick her hand way inside and pull out the insides of the chicken! One would think that would have scared or grossed-out a child of six, but not this Minnesotan! After finally persuading gra’ma to let me try sticking my small hand inside the chicken and pulling out the insides, gra’ma exclaimed, “Oh, my stars in garters!” She often used that expression when filled with surprise. It was a very funny image, indeed, that my little girl imagination would conjure-up of each star clothed in a pair of garters just like gra’ma wore!

(I’ve always loved this four generation photo of gra’ma, mom, myself and my first child, my son – my gra’ma’s first grandchild. To this day, I treasure the fact that I was the first to give her that very special gift!)

When gra’ma didn’t like something someone did, the absolute worst word you could ever be called by my grandmother, was a “skunk.” She’d exclaim in an annoyed-sounding voicetone, “Oh! That skunk!” I never heard my granmother use the Lord’s name in vain. It would have so not suited her at all.

Our aunt Evelyn lived a couple of blocks from gra’ma’s house, my uncle Ray and my then four cousins, David, Irene, Sylvia and Judy. Mama didn’t have very much money and so many times when Evelyn bought new clothing or shoes for my cousins, she’d also buy some for my little sister and I. They eventually moved out onto a farm in the country where we’d later spend many of our summer vacations embarking upon countless adventures in the cliffs, woods and along the river outside their house. On the rare occassions when my aunt Evelyn grew impatient with us, just like gra’ma, she’d exclaim, “Hell’s bells!” Up the staircase we’d all scurry just as fast as our little feet would carry us. We never were afraid of her though, but we didn’t let her know that!

I can recall making many, many exciting discoveries in the woods outside our yard growing up and even IN our yard. But the discovery that made a more lasting impression (picture) in my mind, was one night while playing outdoors after dark in some fairly deep, new fallen snow. I was standing underneath a street light gazing down at the perfect, soft snow surrounding me, when I realized that it was as if there were trillions of tiny diamond chips sprinkled throughoutthat snow and it’s beauty was the first to ever take my breath away. I have loved watching the first snowfall of each winter ever since.

I suppose that by now I do sound a bit like a native mid-westerner. It’s been in this midwestern state however, (that grows icy cold in the winter and muggy hot in the summer) that I am repeatedly reminded by each and every one of those ever so slight inconveniences of just how very much I’ve been loved . . . of just how very much I treasure the memories of family here. It would be safe to say that with all of the love and affection I’ve known in this midwestern state of Minnesota, inspite of what people may say about the silly movie, “Fargo” I would not have chosen to grow-up anywhere else!