Lilacs

Close-up of Old-Fashioned Lilac

If you grew up lovin' lilacs like I did, you never quite get over it. My folks moved onto the farm I grew up on in 1940, but they were lucky because sometime around 1910, lilacs had been planted near the house and the hearty plants flourished.

To get the right image though, you have to envision a yard that had never seen the blade of a lawn mower. The grass was knee high on an adult and tall enough for kids to play hide and seek in the twilight hours of the evening. In certain areas where the dandelions were thick, our flock of geese kept the grass down, but they left too many pods behind, making those areas undesirable places to play.

The one civilized area in the yard was the area around the lilac bushes. Mom was proud of this area and proclaimed it as a model for civilization. She expressed her desire to expand the lilacs. So after a a hard day's work and evening chores, Dad and I, led by Mom, found ourselves transplanting the succors from the large bush to make a hedge on three sides of the yard, which measured over 200 feet. Although this took many late evening's of work, that was the easy part. Pumping water by hand and carrying water in pails to keep the plants alive for the next two years was a greater challenge. When I asked Mom why she wanted a lilac hedge, she replied, " Some day when we get a lawn mower, we will know where to quit mowing–at the lilac hedge."
How can anyone argue with that?

It was worth every effort. In a few years we were rewarded with tall bushes that blossomed every spring and provided a border for our lawn. Later, after we sold the geese, we had many grand times on Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend, and the Fourth of July celebrating with our relatives and friends on our lilac-bordered lawn.

Before the construction machinery dozed the farmstead, Nancy and I dug out several of Mom's lilacs and planted them at our place, which is a five-acre piece of the farm I grew up on. Needless to say, the hearty plants flourished, and they treat us to beautiful blossoms every spring, rich foliage that provides shelter for birds during the summer, and a thick bush of branches that provides food and shelter to birds in the winter.

A couple of the many chunks of old-fashioned lilacs we transplanted from Mom's hedge.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

To see pictures of five other kinds of lilacs click below on Read More.

Stewartville Intermediate School

The city of Stewartville is a bit less than a two-hour drive from our home, but the weather was nice Friday morning and we didn't have to be there until about 11:45 AM to set up for two shows of A Farm Country Christmas Eve. 

Secretary Maribeth Cooper greeted us warmly, and even though she was really busy, she took the time to show us where to set up, and she explained which doors to use for the easiest entry with our equipment. Her extra effort made Nancy and I feel really welcome, which is an important first step to the success of any visit.

 Billed as "Home of the Fourth and Fifth Grades,"the intermediate school has about 150 fourth graders and 175 fifth graders, and I looked forward to the energy the larger audiences would generate.

Fourth grade students settled in quickly on their floor seats (above) 

and raised their hands to answer quiz questions after the show (below).

The fifth grade made a larger audience (above), and (below) they were one of the few groups I've ever had who answered the hardest quiz question correctly: "Name the six places the cats come from when Joey calls them."

Several fifth grade students stop to chat after the program.

Thanks to District Media Specialist Renita McCabe-Irvin for inviting me to visit Stewartville and Maribeth Cooper for showing Nancy and me around. Also, thanks to all the staff members who made an effort to make us feel welcome.

A special thanks to Mark Peterson from the Stewartville Star for covering the event.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

The Rivers Assisted Living

Nancy and I visited The Rivers Assisted Living in Burnsville to do a program on Tuesday, May 24th, an afternoon without rain. It was a nice change to pull my equipment wagon into a show without getting wet.

Residents were playing bingo in  the activity room as we set up for our show.  In the 15-minute break between Bingo and the beginning of my program, I walked around to visit with some of the residents, many of whom grew up in cities and towns but had relatives with farms that they visited as kids.

Alva purchased a book before the show. She and her husband moved here from Brooklyn as a young married couple and raised their family in Minnesota while he worked for 3M.

In the picture below several in the group comment about my use of a clothes pin to clip on the mic.

They agree when I explain that it is typical of 1950 when you didn't buy something(in this case a new clip) if you could make due with what you had.

I conversed with a resident (not pictured) who was legally blind and got around really well, especially for being 95 years old. He pointed out two others in the audience who were blind as well. He told me he would sit close, but when I checked with him after the show, he said all he could see was a blur. He insisted he enjoyed listening to the show and the other two vision-impaired residents seemed to enjoy it too. I could see them smile and hear them laugh.

The audience below sat at tables scattered throughout the activity room. Some of the gents liked to sit way in the back and others liked to sit up close.

They were a great audience and many of them took the time after the show to thank me and chat about their experiences on the farm.

Nancy and I enjoyed our visit to The Rivers and wish to thank Assistant Activities Director Jean Troje for greeting us and showing us where to set up and Activities Director Joe Johnson for inviting us to do the program. We'd also like to thank Heather and Tom Kerber from Beavers Pond Press, Inc. for suggesting us to Mr. Johnson.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Johnny Jump-up (Viola cornuta)

Last winter, I was worried about my little rose garden as I drove the tractor over the bushes to blow snow away from the house. From the chute of the blower flew huge chunks of pine needles and leaves, which I had used to carefully cover the roses last fall. Not a good sign.

This spring, however, the roses seem to be doing all right, but as anyone who grows flowers will tell you, roses often provide worries.

Johnny Jump-ups, on the other hand, provide no worries.

No sooner had spring sprung and the tireless little wildflowers peeked out from between the tiles on my waterway to greet me with their cheerful presence.

They appeared in groups and they appeared as singles.

They appeared in wide spaces and pushed their way through narrow spaces.

They even seem to cling to walls of stone as in the photo below:

How can you not love faces like those in the picture above?

By early summer the waterway near my garage (pictured above) will be solid Johnny Jump- ups. I'm glad, too, because I don't have to coddle them or even care for them. All I have to do is enjoy them.

Internet information on the hearty wildflower says that they are indigenous to the mountains of Spain and France, but they seem right at home wherever they decide to blossom.

As perennials, Johnny Jump-ups return each spring from the same roots, and the clump just keeps getting bigger and more hearty. Although Johnny Jump-ups often appear where they weren't originally wanted, they seem to escape the hatred many people have for other wildflowers that spread rapidly. 

Why not get some seeds soon and try growing them this spring?

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

South Education Center (SEC)

Located in Richfield, MN, South Education Center services the needs of many students who need special care that cannot be provided in mainstream schools. Nancy and I felt privileged to be invited to perform my stories at the school, and the staff and the students made us feel most welcome.

The audience of staff members and students assemble before the beginning 

of my 45 minute presentation of A Farm Country Christmas Eve.

I begin the show with a picture of the farm I grew up on, and then I recite the Prologue as I project pictures from the past onto the large screen. It is my hope that it captures the interests of students and teachers.

In the photo above, Special Education Teacher Katie Bastiansen snaps a photo while another staff member aligns the video camera during beginning of the program.

I was grateful that everyone seemed to enjoy the show. After the show, students and staff asked lots of questions and many volunteered stories from their experiences with animals. Also, many students and teachers took time to chat with me as I signed books before and after the show. You guessed it–this is
my favorite part!

Above, Chris Zweber poses with a student who is the proud owner of a new book.

Chris, a Work Experience Coordinator and Special Education teacher at SEC, is responsible for arranging my visit to the school.

Student and staff member take time to chat with me after the show.

Chris Zweber (left) and Katie Bastiansen (right), hold up their recent purchases. 

I'd like to thank both these dedicated teachers for making my visit to SEC possible.

Nancy and I visit lots of schools and other facilities as we do our show in an attempt entertain and educate people of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. If people smile and laugh or ask questions and tell stories in response to my show, Nancy and I feel the warmth of success. Responses of students and staff at SEC were generously warm, and we are grateful.

However, as I remind all teachers, it's simple for me to entertain for an hour or so, take a few bows, and then move on to another challenge and another audience, but teachers must put themselves into the show every day, day after day, through the ups and the downs, usually without getting applause or taking bows. They must be tough and loving, creative and routine, and finally, they must ensure that their students earn the right to take the bows. This they do at SEC.

Photographs by Nancy A.  Fredrickson

Edgerton Public Library

Elberta De Jager, Library Director at Edgerton Public Library, invited us to a Saturday morning show. Since Edgerton is about 230 miles from our home, we needed to get an early start to arrive by 9:30 AM and prepare for a 10:30 AM performance on Saturday, May 14, 2011.

Some of the children sat in risers to my right (above) while others sat with their parents in the chairs  to my left and center (below).

People responded favorably to what I referred to as a special "Edgerton Connection." My publisher's founder, Milt Adams, pictured with me below, spent a summer when he was 15 yeas old working at the farm of his cousin and her husband in about 1942. As you can imagine, during that summer, young Milt learned the hard, invigorating life of a farm kid, and the memories and lessons stayed with him. 

Nicknamed "Beaver" because he is constantly working, Milt started Beaver's Pond Press when he was 70 years old as a way for authors to pursue their publishing dreams.When I contacted Beaver's Pond Press to publish my stories in 2007, Milt not only saw the passion and nostalgia in my stories, but he also remembered the farm experiences of his own youth, which enabled him to believe in my efforts to preserve our farm heritage with entertaining, accurate stories of farm life.  I boldly proclaim that his Edgerton experience helped him see the value in my stories.

Nancy and I wish to thank Elberta De Jager, for inviting us to Edgerton, her kind husband John for helping arrange the library set up, and all the great people who attended and made us feel welcome and at home. The people came early to greet me and Nancy and stayed late to ask questions and tell their stories. We had a fun morning.

I also got to sign lots of books, which is one of my favorite things to do.

I enjoyed listening to stories from several people that morning. In the picture above, the couple emphasized how they agree with the sentiment, "a story not told is lost forever."

Photographs by Nancy. A. Fredrickson

St. Charles Borromeo School

Located on a street corner in the beautiful city of St. Anthony, Minnesota, St. Charles Borromeo Church and the adjacent school add significantly to the sense of peaceful grandeur of the area. The school is K-8, and when Mrs. Mac Donald, the media specialist at the school, invited me to do shows for K-4, I was delighted. I expected to entertain eager, energetic, curious students, and I was not disappointed.

Several fourth grade students remain to talk after my performance of A Farm Country Christmas Eve.

After my presentation of A Farm Country Thanksgiving for the first group of fourth grade students, they listened as I answered some of their questions. A special guest at the show was a former student of mine from when I taught high school, Maureen Lynch (standing at far right), whose sons are Joseph in the fourth grade and Ethan in the second grade.

Kindergarten and first grade students listen to my story If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure.

In the picture above, a group of second, third, and fourth grade students listen to my story, A Farm Country Christmas Eve, and below, they raise their hands to answer a quiz question.

I'd like to thank all the teachers for sharing their time and their students with me, and I'd especially like to thank Joannie Moses for bringing my school visits to the attention of Mrs. Mac Donald, and I thank Mrs. Mac Donald for following through on the suggestion and inviting me. Also, Nancy and I want to thank Mrs. Mac Donald, all the teachers, and all the students for making us both feel so welcome at St. Charles. We had fun and we hope everyone else did too.

For more photographs of the event, click on Read more below

St. Charles Borromeo Elementary School

Located on a street corner in the beautiful city of St. Anthony, Minnesota, St. Charles Borromeo Church and the adjoining elementary school add significantly to the sense of peaceful accomplishment that the area displays. The school is K-8, and when Mrs. Mac Donald, the Media Specialists at the school, invited  me to do shows for K-4, I was delighted to comply. I expected to entertain eager, energetic, curious students, and I was not disappointed.

Several fourth grade students remain to talk after  my show of A Farm Country Christmas Eve

After my presentation of A Farm Country Thanksgiving for the first group of fourth grade students, they listened as I answered some of their questions. Special guest at the show was a former student of mine from when I taught high school, Maureen Lynch (standing at far right), who has sons Joseph in the fourth grade and Ethan in the second.

Kindergarten and first grade students listen to my story If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure.

In the picture above, a group of second, third, and fourth grade students listen to my story A Farm Country Christmas Eve,  and below, they raise their hands to answer a quiz question.

I'd like to thank all the teachers for sharing their time and their students with me, and I'd especially like to thank Mrs. Mac Donald for inviting me to the school and to Joannie Moses, who brought my school visits to the attention of Mrs. Mac Donald.
Also, Nancy and I want to thank Mrs. Mac Donald, the teachers, and all the students for making us both feel so welcome at their fine school. We had fun and we hope you did too.

For more pictures, click on Read More  below: