A Summer on the Farm

When I was growing up, I lived with my parents, two brothers and two sisters in Red Wing, Minnesota. Red Wing was a charming city of 10,000 population and located on the Mississippi River. My father, who had a drug store in Red Wing, purchased a farm near Hager City, Wisconsin for his parents to enjoy their retirement years. The farm, about five miles from Red Wing, was 80 acres with about half the acreage in timber and no acreage for farm crops. 

I was ten years old and my brother, Art, eight years old, when our grandparents invited us to spend a summer with them on the farm. We were excited as we thought about the great fun we might have. 

My grandfather had two large plots of land for planting garden crops. One plot was for corn, squash, cucumbers and melon. The other plot had a wide variety of berry plants – raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries, currants and strawberries. It was also used to plant small vegetables. Since our school term ended early, Art and I arrived on the farm in time to help Grandpa with much of the planting. Grandpa showed us how to plant cucumber, squash and melon. We first made a shallow hole, added manure for fertilizer, and then made a mound. We planted six to eight seeds in a mound. Looking us both in the eye, Grandpa asked, “would you like to plant corn now?” “yes, yes”, we both replied. We were curious how the corn was planted. Grandpa had a hand planter and showed us how to use it. Art and I took turns planting the corn with the corn planter. I thought what a fast and clever method. The next few days, Grandpa kept us busy with other plantings, including small garden vegetables, and we loved every minute of it. 

The following week, Grandpa asked, “would you like to go fishing”? My brother and I jumped up and down with joy and cried out in unison, “yeah! When can we go?” Grandpa explained about the back channel of the Mississippi River where we would go fishing. The farmhouse was situated on a small hill overlooking the channel. We helped Grandpa gather the fishing gear and all walked down to his boat. Grandpa had three fishing poles set up with dare devil tackle. He rowed the boat into position and then only had to guide it as the current moved the boat along. In a short time, I had a strike and could feel a big fish on my line. I had a difficult time holding the pole as the fish fought to break loose, first leaping out of the water, then diving under the boat. Grandpa helped me to bring the fish in by netting it. That was the biggest fish I had ever caught. All three of us had good luck in catching fish. Grandpa guessed our fish ranged from three to eight pounds.  

We did not need a fishing license and there was no limit in number for fish caught. The fish were Northern Pike. 

My grandparents had a lot of chickens and roosters. There were all Rhode Island Red. Art and I enjoyed gathering eggs in the chicken coup. There were individual compartments with nests where the chickens laid their eggs. If a hen was on a nest, we cautiously reached under the hen to retrieve and egg so as not to have our hand being pecked. 

Sometimes when we were outside, the aroma from Grandma’s kitchen drifted past our nose. We knew then Grandma was baking fresh berry pies – berries from those large berry patches in the other garden plot. It included raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries and strawberries. It was fun picking berries because we always ate some while picking. We especially enjoyed eating the raspberries and the strawberries. Sometimes we got pricked from the berry bushes. 

Grandpa had one horse, one cow and a few pigs. My brother and I did not do well when we tried to milk the cow so Grandpa had to do it. Then the milk was taken into the house and passed into a separator. I was fascinated how milk and cream came out of the separator.  

My grandma was a very good cook and had a wood-burning stove. 

That was a summer I will always remember.