A distracted mind is hard to harness in. I have been in contact recently with a cousin of mine. Just a bit of background: Cousin Dan is living and farming the Wendlandt homestead where our great, great grandparents started their families, just a bit east of Minnesota Highway 15 right before the town of Brownton. Dan has never married, but has maintained many of the traditions when it comes to farming and the food that is set on his table. Dan butchers his own poultry, pork and beef and freezes the results for the year to come. A fair amount is also canned in quart jars for a quick fix meal for him and his hired hands. A meat saw and a sausage grinder and stuffer round out his pantry supplies. A large garden brings in the mix of vegetables for the freezer and the quart jars.
In the next section to the north is the Penn Township Lutheran Church. Christ and Laura Wendlandt had nine children and all of their children were baptized and confirmed in this church. Membership in rural churches dwindle. Last year at this time the church closed its doors leaving things just as they were when the last service was held.
Dan purchased the church and the land it sits on. He was not interested in the parsonage and that was sold separately. When I asked Dan why he bought a property that would need maintenance on a constant bases, his answer was “Because I can.” His first situation came about this winter when the fuel oil furnace had problems and the entire proper, up and down . . . well you can imagine the rest. His insurance company had a cleanup crew that he said was remarkable. His next task, and it may already be done, was to have central air installed so he could retire the many dehumidifiers in the basement.
It is very hard for families to stay close after our grandparents are gone. That becomes even more so when our parents are gone. Two of the original nine children of Christ and Laura are still living and there is no shortage of us cousins roaming around the state of Minnesota. Dan and I have been in contact, and there will be a Wendlandt gathering in the basement of the Penn church on September 10, 2016. I think it is really fitting in regard to the family history of this rural church. I have been emailing as many as I have addresses for. It is kind of like “save the date” as what you get for upcoming weddings. I believe I am only short the mailing address of one cousin, and right now he has taken a trip back to Vietnam where he had a tour of duty.
I have been making lists for various items, not so much for what is needed to pull off a potluck type of day, but perhaps it is just in my nature to make lists. The church basement is just as the Ladies Aid left it, so there is no worry about utensils, coffee makers and hot water to do the dishes later. I have been somewhat distracted as life on Stauffer does not shut down with all that a day-to-day life entails. That being said, I did want to finish the last of the two wall hangings of the Lord’s Prayer. I was so sure that if I had met all the hazards of the larger one, the smaller one would be a snap. Hey, this is Noreen . . . there is no such thing as “being a snap.” In error I positioned the stars on the opposite corners of what the printed pattern had detailed. Not realizing what would lay ahead, I continued cutting and sewing. That was followed by ripping out many seams and beginning again with the basic pieces. Putting the stars in the wrong corners meant everything thereafter was opposite of what the pattern detailed in the instructions.
In the end, it all did work out and I learned to a slight degree to take it easy, take my time and think, think, think. Now that both projects are waiting to be finished with batting, backing and quilting, I am going to harness my distracted mind and take a break from their completion.
