Summers on the Farm by Randi McNiel

The cows were in the barn hooked up for milking, some done and heading back out to pasture, others moving in to take their place. Cats ran around playing tag with each other with the quietness of a feather. The dogs roamed around sniffing anything in sight searching for a new discovery, but always available if anything needed tending to. It was the late afternoon milking hour and I found it fascinating as a child to watch the process.

The Waarvik Century Farm in Elroy, Wisconsin, belonged to my Uncle Helmer Waarvik and Aunt Mur, and their six children who helped with all the chores. My family - Mom and Dad and us five kids – spent many summers driving from California for family vacations on the farm and spending time with cousins. Other relatives from Minnesota and Illinois also spent time here, and over the years there were reunions and special celebrations. It was located right off the county road and you crossed over a small wooden bridge onto the farm. When we heard the wooden planks beneath the tires, we knew we had arrived.

The farm holds such history. It was originally purchased by my uncle’s grandparents, Holger and Magla Waarvik, in 1884. The original house was remodeled in 1914 by his parents, Tom and Sophie. Uncle Helmer was born on the farm and lived his entire life there. In 1938 he built another house on the farm for his new bride and this is where they raised their six children.

When I was a small child and we first began visiting, Grandma Waarvik was still living in the original house and I remember she had an old organ we would sometimes play. But one memory that stands out from a very early age was the Lutheran heritage and strong faith that was shown in my aunt and uncle. Uncle Helmer would read a devotion at the evening meal and say a prayer. Then the entire family sang our traditional prayer in 4-part harmony, “Be Present at Our Table, Lord.” I didn’t think about it back then, but today I smile when I recall Deuteronomy 6:5-7 – “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” These verses were lived out on the farm and it was evident to all.

There was so much to do here we never ran out of fun. Our cousins would take us out to the fields and show us how they gathered and bundled the hay that would later be stacked in the barn. They showed us how to drive a tractor, took us on hayrides, and showed us how to pull the red clover apart and suck on the little petals for its sweetness. Back in the barn we built forts with the bundles of hay and played hide-and-seek. I remember a horse and buggy on one trip and each of us had a turn to ride Rex. We watched as our cousins brought the cows in from the pasture early in the morning and again before supper. My younger sisters loved making mud pies while I preferred roaming around the barn and the large open areas.

Many years later I chose the farm for a 5-day celebration of my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. It was no longer a working dairy farm but the land was leased to a neighbor so Holsteins were still a part of the scene. Relatives from all over came for the big event, lining up their RVs like a drive-in theater. Guests stayed in one of the two houses or their RVs. My cousin Mary added a log cabin to the farm and all the teens stayed there – the girls downstairs and the boys in the loft. The bathroom, accessed from the outside, had a galvanized stock watering tank that served as the bathtub/shower. An early-morning trip to a dairy farm gave everyone the experience of real farm life. We enjoyed a watermelon seed-spitting contest, and in the evening we sat on bales of hay in the barn for a real down-to-earth family talent show, ending with a sing-along of old-time songs. It’s hard to think of the Waarvik Century Farm without thinking about Fountain Lutheran Church just a few miles down the road. My maternal grandfather pastored the church many years before and it’s where my parents were married. How fitting then to worship at Fountain on Sunday morning with all the relatives and friends they once knew. I organized a family choir that sang during the service as a surprise for my parents. That afternoon we were back on the farm for an Open House on the lawn where friends from all over came to spend time with the family. It was time to say goodbye to the farm once again and many family members we would see for the last time. As we drove back over the wooden bridge with the familiar sound of the wooden planks beneath the tires, there was a sadness of leaving something behind. None of us knew if or when we would return, but one thing was sure . . . memories of days gone by would stay with us forever. Cousin Mary owns the farm now and keeps it up so beautifully. We will always remember the years of fun and adventure that our Waarvik cousins provided. And who knows, maybe someday we’ll get back there again.