This small house doesn’t look like much now,
but to me it has long lasting memories of my grandparents
and the summers my sisters and I spent on their farm.
Edith and Christian Ingebretsen, my grandparents,
settled in a small township called Lawrence, Michigan
in the late 1800’s. They had two daughters;
my mom, Adeline and Mildred.
Notice the girls matching dark colored outfits. Photo is dated August 15, 1923.
Mildred being our aunt, was just Aunt Millie to us kids. She lived with her parents for many years and
didn’t marry until very late in life.
However, my mom, married Edmund Sperske at an early age and had five daughters; Lorraine, Barbara,
Kathy, Mary and Helen.
My dad moved us to California in the 1950’s and that’s
where all of us live now and have made California our home for our own families.
SUMMERS COME AND SUMMERS GO..
For some reason, which I can’t explain I was drawn into writing this story about those days in Michigan.
Maybe, it was my sister, Helen, who keeps track of photos and stories for me to remember.
Thank you, Helen.
Warm Summer Sun
By Mark Twain
Warm summer sun,
Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind,
Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.
MY STORY CONTINUES…..
To make up for taking us away from our loving grandparents,
my parents would drive us across country each summer so we could spend time on the
farm in Michigan.
They were the best summers.
Our days were full of fishing on one of many lakes in the area.
What ever we caught, we had for dinner that night.
I was not a big fish fan so I eat salad, potatoes and fresh vegetables.
My fishing days started in Michigan and I’m happy to say, ended in Michigan.
The Engebretsen farm consisted of several acres which they used wisely.
Behind this tiny 2 bedroom, 1 bath house was an apple orchard
which my grandfather planted in the late 1800’s.
Michigan is the third largest apple producer in the country,
after Washington state and New York.
There was a chicken coop with lots of chickens. I’m sure they had names for the types of chicken,
but I just don’t know. I liked to collect their eggs each morning
and sit in the kitchen and watch my grandmother
serve up a big batch of pancakes with those eggs on the side…yummy.
My Grandmother and Aunt Millie had a vegetable and fruit garden.
Watermelon was their favorite fruit to grow along with strawberries,
green beans and corn.
My mother told my sisters and me this watermelon story about her sister and her.
The two of them would pick out the best watermelons from their garden, cut it open
and only eat heart of the watermelon and then throw out the rest. ( wasteful, yes, but
they had an abundance of melon}.
Roses were planted through the farm which delighted
my grandmother. She attended to the roses as if they were another part of the family.
She walked through her gardens with a big sun hat
and a basket to hold the fruits, veggies and roses.
Roses have always been a favorite flower of mine.
Maybe, I take after her.
My grandmother was a great baker. She made her own bread, jams, jellies and pies.
There was nothing like her breads. She never bought store items if she could bake or make them
herself. ( Those were the days).
This has been a fun time walking down memory lane. Hope you
enjoyed a few of my good times on the FARM with me.
By Barbara KisKis
August 15, 2021
sagasandstoriesat821lane 