|
Lyman County, South Dakota Genealogy |
|
We should all live on a hill overlooking the river
03/23/2008
Well, I guess that is to say we should, if we all want to. Probably some of us don't. Me, I turn green with envy every time we drive up the north hill above Oacoma and look back. When I win the lottery ... well, that took care of that ... I don't play the game. The river almost came to our house a couple of years ago (ca 1995) during all of the flooding. For awhile there we thought maybe we were going to have lakeside property, but the water stopped a block from the house. We can see the river from our upstairs window and in the summertime we can hear the river running and the coyotes howling, but still, the top of a hill has a definite draw for both of us. Several years ago one of my sisters (Sandy) came to town with thoughts of buying "some ground." For two days I did the land promotion bit and took her to the top of every hill I could find. She got to see the river from every direction and angle imaginable. Finally, in exasperation, she asked what ever made me think she wanted to be on a hill and see the river. She didn't give a damn about that river. I couldn't believe my ears, but then, we did grow up over in Reliance and the prairie is also a wonderful place with its meadowlarks and cow pies. And oh, those nasty cow dung beetles!
A hundred
years ago when we lived on a little acreage above the town of Duchesne, Utah, I
did the "Mrs. Farmer" thing. I learned fairly quickly that I was not farmer's
wife material and didn't like the care and feeding of chickens and turkeys, much
less the care of their coop! I said never, never, never again. Now that I'm old,
I do appreciate the peacefulness of the farmstead and the sounds of the
pheasants and meadow larks. Maybe At one point (after we returned to South Dakota) Ed was looking for an acreage and found an ideal spot in Brule County. I immediately told him there was no way he was going to move me to Brule County. He couldn't believe it and asked me why not. The only answer I could come up with was that I was raised in Lyman County and that's where I'm staying. When he asked where I ever got such an idea I had to admit that I didn't even know I felt that way until the words came out of my mouth. Where do our loyalties come from? Beats me. I will fight to the death for Oacoma, but my old heart hangs around over in Reliance. I'm rambling, aren't I? Going nowhere. Bear with me, maybe something worthwhile will come up. Our grandson Morgan is having another five-week vacation (from his school in Las Vegas) in March. He attends school year-'round. Last year he spent his vacation with us. He arrived with his "care and feeding" instructions from his mother. The first couple of days he tried to be good and stick to the rules, but I have too much trouble making grandbabies stick to the rules. We had too darned many rules when our children were little and now they've grown up and have too darned many rules for their children. Mom's rules don't come to my house with the grandchildren. Tell the truth, yours either? After about a week he commented that he couldn't believe all the different kinds of food he liked. He thought he just liked fruit and pasta, or something as equally exciting. We were visiting with his mother one night and she asked if he was eating his ever how many apples a day. In my true Soud Dakoda tongue I said, "You betcha, but we put caramel sauce on them at my house." She about had a coronary. He only gained eight pounds while he was here. I wonder it she'll let him come back!
|
|
This website Copyright © 1996-2008 by barbara
stallman-speck This page last revised Tuesday May 20, 2008 03:25 PM
|