I have been away from my computer for the better part of this past week. We’ve been seriously cleaning the house in preparation for Daughter’s graduation party, which was yesterday. This wasn’t some surface clean suitable for a quick visit; it was a deep clean that included sorting through closets and towels and sheets and fiber arts cabinet and emptying the back porch so Erik could paint it. I don’t have any “before” shots of the back porch to show you, but here are a couple of views in its completed state:
The back porch, all tidied up & dressed in spring green
Another view of the back porch, June 13, 2010
Trust me when I tell you that the back porch, to borrow an old ’80′s phrase, was grodie to the max. As you can see from the pictures, our porch is all windows, so it was difficult to get a shot of the cleanliness and spaciousness in all their glory. You can see Erik’s motorcycle table in the corner, which we moved in for the occasion.
Along with cleaning inside the house, which was a process we were engaging in right up until the point of the arrival of guests yesterday, we tackled the yard. We mowed, edged around the sidewalks, and removed brush. The children even revamped the fire pit and added seating, which was no small feat, judging by the weightiness of the seats.
Campfire ring all spruced up, June 13, 2010
Seating around the campfire ring, June 13, 2010
Old porch pilons used to create campfire seating. They read "Knut Elvik," who was the man that built our house. The pilons had to be dragged from other areas of the yard. June 13, 2010.
While we were working in the yard, Erik and I spotted these cute critters:
Chipmunks on the wood pile, June 14, 2010
This photo was taken during Daughter’s party yesterday. As you can see, the chipmunks are on a wood pile in our yard, which is a little distance from the house. When Erik and I saw the chippies a few days ago, they were hanging out on a garden wagon next to the house. While we were watching them, both of us were seized with the suspicion that they might be living in a hole under the foundation of our house. Sure enough, they scooted right in. With a bit of digging, this hole leads to the basement. If the chippies figure out how to get into the house, they are going to be very surprised to find three cats attentively waiting for playmates. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll stay out by the wood pile.
The party was a smashing success in terms of house cleanliness, number of guests, plenty of food, Daughter’s grad decor, and lots of assistance from relatives and friends. Now that we’re finished (almost – still a little cleanup to do), we’re ready to collapse for a few days.
Thanks to everyone who loaned us stuff, brought food, and helped with party preparations.
We really need to do this! Love those chipmunks, but they sound like they could be a bit of a nuisance. Also, the names: Erik, Knut, Elvik…all struck me as Nordic. Is there a strong Nordic tradition around your area of the US?
Hi, Clare – Minnesota is known for its Scandinavian background, although Morrison County, where we live (center of the state, Mississippi River runs through the middle), is one of the most ethnically diverse in the state.
The Dakota and Ojibwe Indians called this area home before European settlement. The Winnebago Indians were moved into the area in order to keep peace between the two tribes. (Yeah, they were supposed to be human shields, which, unsurprisingly, they didn’t care for.)
The French-Canadians and English came into Minnesota with the fur trade companies. The Hudson’s Bay Company started in Canada in 1680, so the fur traders were here long before Minnesota was a state. The English and French-Canadians traded with the Indians and got help from them in their fur trade endeavors. People of both nationalities settled in Morrison County, but the French-Canadians stand out in our history because I believe we had the largest settlement of this group in the state.
They were joined by the Germans, Poles, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Irish, and Scotch-Canadians, among others.
Here’s a link to a map from my work website that shows the distribution:
http://www.morrisoncountyhistory.org/immap.pdf
So, in answer to your question, we do have a lot of Scandinavians, including Knut Elvik (Norwegian), and Erik and me. I am part Swedish, Danish, Polish, and French-Austrian. Erik is Swedish, Danish, Bohemain, English, Irish, and a bunch of other stuff, but his mom, who spoke Swedish before she spoke English, very much wanted the Swedish spelling for his name.