Well, it’s finally happened to me…. I am a homebody. I can’t help it I just love being at home. It’s quiet and peaceful. We have no visible neighbors, and we can only hear cars from a distance. There are plenty of woods to explore as we live next to Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve, giving us an 879-acre back yard.
After 16 years and a few additions here and there, our home is comfortable, and Mike has worked hours and hours to give us a picturesque yard. The only thing missing is a lake, but that’s right across the road and thanks to our wonderful neighbors we can walk over and enjoy Lake Francis anytime we want.
Why this sudden appreciation for our home? We vacationed in New York City! I loved the sights but could have enjoyed them more had it not been for the other 5.5 million people crowding around me.
We stayed in Queens because we wanted to get out of Manhattan at night to relax. This was nice and thanks to the subway system it was easy to get there, but when I saw the yard I remembered an old expression…. not big enough to swing a cat in…. I now know what that means. It wasn’t a yard; it was an 8 by 12 piece of grass surrounded by a concrete fence.
Everywhere you looked there was someone or something moving constantly. I could hardly catch my breath. I was overstimulated and couldn’t get my bearings. This is new for me as I once traveled quite often for work. A quick peek at Lady Liberty, and I could hardly wait to board the plane and go home.
Growing up in Schroeder was very similar to my home life now. A comfy, quiet house. Lots of woods to explore. A couple of dogs at my side. I didn’t appreciate it when I was a kid. I craved the city life. I was young, and I wanted excitement and fun. I wanted to go to the movies without driving 85 miles to Duluth.
Now I really love my home, and I want to be there all the time. I am a true homebody. I think I must get this from my Dad. Our family calls him a “barn-runner.” If you don’t know this expression, it means it’s okay to wander about for a while, but as soon as you turn towards home, you run! That’s me now. I do like to get out and about but as Dorothy once said: “There’s no place like home.”
Home is a place you grow up
wanting to leave and grow old
wanting to get back to.
~ Unknown
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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