Our time with my aunt (87) and uncle (my father’s brother, 89) was delightful. We enjoyed staying in their beautiful home on 150 acres in northern Minnesota. The farm, with lake shore, was very picturesque with the clean, fresh fallen snow covering the fields, and lake.
We did some snowshoeing on their property, took a walk down their lane to pick up the mail, helped fill a wooden trough with corn because my uncle feeds six deer each day, and filled two large bird feeders outside their kitchen window, but mostly we visited. After catching up with family talk we spent hours reminiscing of days gone by, focusing on their lives but including tales of my father, who passed away when I was twenty, and my grandparents who came over from Norway. These history lessons come alive when told from a personal perspective and we listened intently to the stories. We asked questions and they in turned asked questions of us to show their interest in us too…it was a very special time as we slowed down our lives to be with these fine folks.
We drove to Wilderness Park after the snow stopped falling excited to get out and play in it. Ours were the first tracks in the park, except for lots of animal tracks. The trees were frosted with an inch or two of the fresh-fallen, white fluff. We strapped on our snowshoes and stomped in the woods, along the river, through the winter wonderland. I kept stopping in awe to take pictures so we got off to a slow start but after awhile I just kept walking to enjoy the beauty and get some fresh air and exercise. It was Minnesota at its finest in winter. Not too cold…no wind… fresh snow cover…beautiful.
