A Typical Terrific Tuesday on a Fantastic February Day! I am ready for spring to come when everything turns green again and the earth seems to re-birth itself with hope, as new life really does spring forth. The wheat will be growing from the tiny seeds of faith planted by the farmer last fall in the fields that will bring forth another record bounty of grain in July. After the long dark winter comes a life-giving spring as the earth slowly turns from cold and dark to warm and light. I will not let this blah, dreary, lingering winter weather take my joy away! Now where is my camera!
Yesterday morning I woke to a gray overcast day with snow falling and in record time, Monday went from Magnificent Monday to Moody Mundane Monday:( You know the kind of “woe is me and I am pulling the covers back over my head day”…so today no matter if it is gray or not…actually the winds are howling…no make that screaming at times…I made a solid decision…no ho hum moping around!
I began thinking of my Grandparents and treasured memories staring out my portal of time window feeling the golden days of old pulling on my imagination, wondering and thinking what it must have looked like here a hundred years ago…when my Grandpa first came to this area in the 1880’s. What was it like coming to America, traveling so far across oceans and continents? How he never looked back as he knew his future was looking forward towards the opportunity of building a new life and living in a new land.
I love hearing stories of American History and it is even better when it is my family history…so lets step away to a different time and place…just close your eyes and imagine that tonight on a family evening here in my house, my Grandpa is going to tell us about coming to America…being ship wrecked when he was 13 years old in The Azores…alone on his first attempt to come to America…how he somehow made it to Ellis Island a few months later and then worked his way across the United States in the 1880’s. The different things he would have seen and the life he lived…the adventures he lived! And then my Great Grandmother would interrupt and say “Vell now Terje let me tell of my adventure of crossing the Atlantic and coming through Ellis Island in 1920….yah I was 76 years old…that is old to leave everything behind…yah I did not know the language or understand vhat this people vanted from me…and you vere late to meet me…America is such a big country, oh my…it vas such a long trip to make for me but now I am home vith all my family.”
Can you imagine what she felt and saw? Once through customs she would have crossed the United States to her new home here in Juniper…in the middle of no where…she may have called it another name or two…as it would have been different from her home in Norway…but the incredible skies and views in a new place that was filled with her family and life…her children…her grandkids and a future here in America.
When we refinished the old original floors I realized that I walk in my ancestors footsteps not just on the land but also literally in the house. It was really interesting when we pulled up the carpet to see the foot traffic and the worn spots…if you look close you can tell the floor had a stenciled by hand design on it…I do not know what it was called but imagine doing that in 1920 on your knees stenciling about 1600′ of wood floor. If I could have restored the areas where the stencil was worn off I would have as it was unique. I was told that it was a Scandinavian custom…has anyone else heard of it?
Today when I hear a creaky board I think of my family who lived here before me…my Mom walking the floor with me as a baby and Anne Marie walking the floor looking at her new home and new life in America. I love how the old floors came out…so does Minnie:)
Anne Marie would have seen this view often in the summers…looking out my forever window. I would have loved all the horses…my Dad told me that when he was young Grandpa had over a 100 head of horses to farm with…the barn here holds a 100 ton of hay and it was set up to accommodate several horses.
During harvest their were always large meals served to the hungry crews…I am sure that Anne Marie helped cook lots of good food…harvest in the 1920’s lasted for several weeks…imagine the stories you would hear when you gathered around the table? When I drove wheat truck during harvest in high school, as we gathered for our noon meal there was always family talk…both serious and fun…with my uncles there was always lots of jokes and teasing going on:) No matter the difficulties and hardships…coming to America for Annie Marie meant that she would be with her family once again with hopes and dreams of a new life in a new country!
A view of our home in the early 1950’s…the house is in the middle of the trees…the white 100 plus year old barn is at the bottom with the corrals and roping arena. It has changed a bit as now we have a large shop between the house and the barn…and I have a round corral to train my horses in behind the barn.
My house was built before the Great Depression…World Was II…The Korean War…Kennedy’s Assassination…First Man On The Moon…Martin Luther King…Bobby Kennedy…Kent State…Vietnam…The Right To Vote…Abortions…Watergate. Our world has changed significantly the last 100 years!
But we remain the same. We are still about faith and hard work…heritage with honor while living the code that was passed down to us.
We are still of the old country…the old ways of love of family and life well lived.
Living daily in a 100 year old farm house reminds you to keep the old traditions alive.
As I look out my portal of time kitchen window capturing the same views of old…I whisper prayers of gratitude for the family that went before me leaving me with heritage and life…and prayers whispered for today and the future ahead.
I often think of Neal Diamond’s song “America” when I am thinking of my ancestors…it is such an inspiring song and speaks deeply of the American spirit!
To a new and a shiny place
Make our bed and we’ll say our grace
Freedom’s light burning warm
Freedom’s light burning warm
Everywhere around the world
They’re coming to America
Ev’ry time that flag’s unfurled
They’re coming to America
Got a dream to take them there
They’re coming to America
Got a dream they’ve come to share
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
Today, Today,
Today, Today, Today
My country ’tis of thee (today)
Sweet land of liberty (today)
Of thee I sing (today)
Of thee I sing
Today, Today, Today
Today, today, today……
Hot Rod Cowgirl 
Feb 25, 2012 @ 09:30:36
I appreciate your account and photo journaling of your home. My grandparents homesteaded in Alberta (1900) after the Government gave free land to any who would tame it. They built the largest farm after pulling trees out to make wheat land, etc., then lost it all during the Depression. I now live in Kamloops, B.C. which is big ranching country. Grass-fed beef is big here. Thank you for sharing your story.
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Feb 25, 2012 @ 09:48:39
Thank you:) Your family history sounds very similar with both our grandparents…hard work and determination. Do you have pictures of their farm? I am sorry for their loosing it in the Depression….that would have been very hard and sad for them. I would love to see both the farm country of Alberta and the ranching country of Kamloops…sounds like beautiful country:) My hubby and I want to come tour Canada one of these days…we have a client for our business that lives in Calgary. Again thank you:)
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Feb 25, 2012 @ 10:41:15
Thank you very much for your interest. The very best depictions of our area’s ranching heritage can be found through a painting colleague of mine: John Ralph Schnurrenberger http://www.jrswesternart.ca . This is Western Art at its best, and every painting of his is of the Kamloops, British Columbia Interior.
And if you’re REALLY interested in this area, watch the film “An Unfinished Life” with Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman–all filmed here.
thank you very much for taking the time to offer your generous comments! I love your site.
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Feb 25, 2012 @ 11:16:47
Thank you and I will go check out the link….and watch the movie too:)
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Feb 25, 2012 @ 09:06:04
Beautiful photos & wonderful post! I love the rainbow & the portrait of the horse 🙂
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Feb 25, 2012 @ 09:32:04
Thank you so much:)
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Feb 23, 2012 @ 21:42:03
I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s to be exactly what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content in your case? I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write about here. Again, awesome weblog!
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Feb 25, 2012 @ 09:40:28
Thank you:)
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Feb 23, 2012 @ 03:37:03
I loved reading about your family and the 100 year connection to them – your farm house. When I’m feeling challenged, I think of those pioneering women, without electricity or running water, multiple children, hard winters and think – yeah – I’ve got nothing to complain about!
Saw Neil Diamond sing that song … chills!
A new citizen,
MJ
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Feb 23, 2012 @ 09:16:08
Hi MJ:) When we lived in WY. we had cattle to care for on the high desert in the spring…it was close to South Pass on the Continental Divide on the Oregon Trail…the high desert went on forever and looked like it was flat but really it had lots of small hills…the wagon trains and settlers would come across South Pass which was not easy, I believe South Pass is at almost 7500′. Often when gathering cows I would look over towards the pass and think to myself how the women and men would have felt finally getting over South Pass and down to flat ground to go across the desert only to see the Wyoming Range of mountains a head of them…they had such obstacles and yet they pushed on. Like you I have nothing to complain about either…
I would have loved to see Neal Diamond in concert singing America!!!
MJ Over and Out or HRC:)
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 17:25:04
That rainbow… oh my word that RAINBOW!
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 18:35:17
I looked for that pot of gold too:) Thank you for stoping by:)
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 13:50:10
Loved every bit of this post right down to the fact you have a round corral and know how to use it! 😉
That last picture knocks my socks off!
Bravo!
~d.
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 16:33:06
Thank you so much:) The round corral is 60′ with nice sand:) I love it and use it all the time:) The last picture is right behind my house and we ride out into the land…you can go forever…I love it as there is nice rolling hills to get your horses in shape etc. It would be fun if all us horse gal bloggers could meet up and head out to ride back there into the forever view:)
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 16:51:37
Without a doubt, “Smoke”, “Indy” and I would enjoy it immensely! If we still lived in Bonners we’d have to “stop by” one afternoon!! 😉
~d.
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 16:56:38
🙂
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 10:02:59
Yes, thank you for the great post. It is so nice to read and think about the good things in life, and to be reminded of those that went before us that gave so much.
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 10:31:53
🙂 Thank you. We are all so very blessed by those rough and tough ancestors fought hard to homestead and settle the land….we are blessed by their effort everyday…we just have to stop and look around:)
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 08:10:50
What a wonderful, heartwarming story. I really enjoyed it. Isn’t it wonderful to learn about history living “in” it instead of reading about it in a book? Your photos are so special, that is fantastic that you live in the old family home–what a heritage! I have heard of stenciling the floors, in fact, I believe the Scandinavians stenciled walls, etc. I am going to take a look around your comfy, welcoming blog.
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 10:20:42
Thank you and yes living history is fun to learn about and hear…thank you for stopping in and it is nice to meet you:)
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 05:25:09
So lovely! I feel the same about our home and the ranch here. Great post!
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 10:17:40
I know you understand…it goes deep…thank you:)
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Feb 21, 2012 @ 21:47:10
Lovely photos and what a lovely spirit you share for future generations to enjoy. 😀
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Feb 22, 2012 @ 10:16:35
🙂 Thank you much:)
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Feb 21, 2012 @ 18:09:35
Wonderful post! It is amazing to think of all of those who have come before us: all the things they experienced and the hardships they faced.
I’m sure all those things are brought to mind for you by living in your family’s homeplace.
Thanks for sharing!
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