Happy Birthdays!

Happy 60th to Georgia on the 6th, and my 62nd on the 7th! Always celebrated together as kids. Mom used to tease us saying we were born on "Labor" day. Well, pretty darn close to the holiday - and like this year, some birthdays fall on the holiday.

This picture taken by the neighbors in their cute chairs. I remember as a kid that I always liked those kid chairs!

Open Class Grand Champions!!!!!

While I'm home trying to hold down the fort, husband is at the MN State Fair showing his Durocs in Open Classes. He won Grand Champion Duroc Boar, and ----- Grand Champion Duroc Gilt (Amanda's gilt)! I'm so happy for him. I think that Grandpa Carl is in Heaven with a big smile today!


Husband Steve in plaid shirt - son-in-law Steven in t-shirt and his brother Bill during the 4-H show on Friday.

I think Steve is having a better time there than I am here. Plugged up toilet, pigs farrowing, me doing chores and aching from Odda taking me out at the knees last night when I was carrying stuff from one barn to another! I laid on the ground and both dogs came over and kissed me to make sure I was still alive. I hurt like heck! Had to check my wrist to make sure I could still move it, and my left hip burned. But I'm alright - just achey now!

Had to go to town this morning and get a new plunger. That did the trick! Yesterday I had to clean up water on the floor twice, as I'd try flushing every time I went past the bathroom! Our old plunger (must be old fashioned) didn't work at all. Funny thing was, I don't know why it was plugged and wouldn't flush right. I hadn't even used it. Maybe I should blame it on Steve. Let's see, he left on Sunday night and yesterday was Monday. Ya - could have been his fault!!!!!!!!

Can't wait til Steve is back home. Thursday some time. Tomorrow, Wed. is the hog sale, and I'm praying that he will get good money for this boar and gilt. He also has a pen of barrows there. I forgot to ask how they did, as I was so excited for him that he did well with the breeding stock. The last time we had both Grand Champ Duroc Boar and Gilt was in 1987. His brothers, sisters and kids have been calling him to congratulate him. That's good. Thanks y'all.

Great MN Get Together!

Yes that is the MN State Fair! We got up at 2 AM and left the house at 2:50 AM! Got to St Paul to the fair grounds about 7 AM, and beat the rain. It rain about 8 AM and then it got muggy!!!!! But then it usually gets hot in the barns because there are so many bodies!!! It quit raining after a short shower and turned into a very nice day.

Amanda got first place in her class and a purple ribbon. But when she went back for the championship drive, she didn't win. But that was ok. The judge is one opinion, and Amanda's gilt will be staying at the fair through the 4-H show, and then for the open class showing when Steve will show her next week. We'll see how the gilt does then. There are a lot of breeders looking at her, saying how good she is! Of course next week more breeders are there and there is a sale for breeding stock.

"Miss Piggy" content to lay quietly in her pen on clean shavings!


Showmanship Contest

Carl and Edie, and Bill were there to watch the show, as well as Karleen and Karlie. It is always nice to have extra family there. Later in the day Karen and Tom (Dan B's sister) stopped and also Debbie, Cody and Kyle. Cody and Kyle are really growing, and typical boys, Kyle wanted to get on to something else. Visiting with grown ups was pretty boring for a soon to be 7 year old and a 4 year old when there are so many things to see at the fair! But I got my hugs!!!!


Karleen, Karlie, me, Leah and Amanda

After Amanda was done showing and we watched other county kids show, Amanda and I went to the booth that sells Farm Girl / Boy clothing. I get her something new there every year, and this year she picked out a cute hooded Farm Girl sweat shirt. Then Leah, Steven; and Steve and I went for lunch and sat for awhile listening to country music. After lunch Steve went back to the barn and I went exploring. Leah and Steven also went back to watch more county kids show. I was on a mission to get Odda and Hooch new dog tags - I get new ones every year. At the commercial building, there is a booth that you can pick out whatever color, size and type of tag you want and wait while it is engraved. So much easier than ordering and paying postage! We crammed alot in today, and it was a long day. Today we discussed that Steve has only missed about 2 state fairs since they started showing in 1957, and when we got married in 1970, I haven't missed either. We figured we could count on one hand the times we have missed a state fair - that's pretty incredible! Of course, most of the time, we don't go all over the fair grounds. You can bet that you will find us in the HOG BARN! A pretty good place to stay and not fight the crowds. You can do a lot of people watching there in the hog barn!!!


"Too Many People You Say!!!"

Hop Hop!

What does the bunny say? You got it- - - Hop, Hop! That was what Stephani would tell us when she was very little and we would ask her how the different animals would talk!



This picture is Leah, 13 1/2 years old; Stephani, 8 1/2 years old; and Jessica almost 2. I think I'm close in the ages!!!!!!
Always loved this picture. The girls always liked to play in the hay mow after hay and straw were put up, so one fall, we took pictures there. This must be fall of 1980.

Leah loved her rabbits. The girls used to have little dog collars on them and lead them around the front yard and even have them inside for treats; on the kitchen floor in front of the refrigerator! The girls would even have them on the couch and watch tv with them. The bunnies were very good pets for the kids.

Always the entrepreneur, Leah would make a little money with her rabbits. She would sell the babies to a couple of the area resorts, and they would have them for their petting zoo area for the guests staying at the resort.

Vikings Fans!!!

Vikings Fans Or ---- Is it Halloween!

Oldest daughter Leah, husband Steve, and kids love their football - Vikings! I wonder if they dress up like this when they are watching the game? I do know that they do get out the purple and yellow, and really get into the spirit; but the face paint is usually saved for Halloween!
These pictures were taken in 2000 - Wonder if Blake and Amanda would wear those Viking helmets now? Aren't they cute?

Evening Sunset Last Night

I was finishing washing my car yesterday evening and when I turned around to the SW, I saw this pretty sight. The slice of moon hanging in the blue sky, and the sun light painting a pink hue on the clouds below the moon.

Cooper Chapters - A Generation Gone

My mother Helga Bertina Larson, was born Dec. 1, 1909 in Blaisdell, North Dakota to John Christian and Ida Louise (Anderson) Larson, and grew up near Cooperstown. She was #7 in the lineup of 14 children. The first sibling had died at 9 days, the last sibling died at birth, and Helga's mother Ida died a month later of pneumonia. There also was a 1/2 brother (#15) that has shown up in the family, years later.

The family had moved from Lake Lillian, Minnesota in 1908, and then took up a homestead in Blaisdell, North Dakota, where they lived in a sod house and farmed with oxen and horses. Blaisdell was in western North Dakota, and is no longer there. I would like to go see if there is a ghost town or if it is completely gone. The family moved to Cooperstown, ND in 1910 and farmed. Ida died in 1917, and the father John left with the housekeeper in the early 1920's and went to Washington state . The younger children then lived with the older ones (Bernice and Emma) until they were old enough to get jobs away from home.

Helga's sister Emma had a visitor one day years later, saying he was a half brother. I don't know if there is any truth to story or not. No one talks about a 1/2 brother now. The father, John, came back to Cooperstown alone many years later. He died November 1, 1951 in a nursing home in Aneta, North Dakota of diabetes and a stroke.

John and Ida are buried in the Cooperstown Cemetery. John Christian Larson: Born Oct. 16, 1870, Vardo, Norway; Died Nov. 1, 1951, Andeta, ND; Married Oct. 10, 1899, Willmar, MN to Ida Louise Anderson: Born Nov. 9, 1876, Lake Lillian, MN, Died April 1, 1917 Cooperstown, ND.

I don't remember meeting Grandpa John, as I may have seen him only once. I was born in 1947, and he died in 1951. We lived over 170 miles away from the farm in Cooperstown. As I recall hearing talk as a small child, the children of John did not care to see him often.



All of Helga's brothers and sisters have now passed away. Some had settled out west during WWII and have families still there. Ness Church is East of Cooperstown, and was the family church for many years. Most of my relatives are buried there. This picture was taken in 1982, when I had Leah, Stephani and Jessica there visiting with Uncle Herb and Aunt Della from Oregon. We stayed at the Loge farm in the valley. The picture below is where the Larson homestead had been. The house had burned down, and we visited the site and listened to stories that Uncle Herb told us. He remembered the old burned tree that had been very close to the house. They used to climb it and get into the second story windows.



Life was not easy for many folks those depression years--and to think we sometimes complain how things are now!!!!!!