"My Crazy Kids"

Dear Grandma: By Allan Olson Dear Grandma, How are you? I am fine. As a child, many letters were started out just like this, addressed to you and delivered by mail to you, a whole 60 miles away. As a child, I looked forward to letters from you written to our family, where we learned to translate your “Swedish” handwriting. Sometimes we would each have our own personally addressed letter – what a thrill that was! Things didn’t change much over the years, and I still enjoyed seeing your occasional “scribbles,” as you called them. Many hours were spent at your home, playing games, eating ice cream or taking trips to town to one of the local diners. The time spent was never boring; it was always filled with laughter and fun. As a parent, watching my children interact with you still holds dear to me. The last year has flown by, and I miss my weekly phone calls and those occasional “Swedish” handwritten letters. Those letters, with the address so jumbled; it was a mir...

A Trailer Ride at the Family Gathering By Allan Olson Nestled on the banks of the Rainy River in Koochiching County sits a quaint little cabin and and an old barn. The top half of the barn has been modified to use for family gatherings for eating, visiting and, of course, having a beverage or two. Over the years, many family members have made significant improvements to the area, which have served our large family quite well. The property is surrounded by acres of woods, fields and trails that make it ideal for family members to go four-wheeling (mudding) and – the favorite of many and possibly a first for many family members – tractor-trailer rides. The tractor and its passengers have been known to travel around the secluded family property at all times of the night, and sometimes even the very early morning hours. No announcement is needed; if the tractor is running and hitched, guests come running from all corners of the property for a ride. Last weekend, my kids ...

Kids and Technology By Allan Olson It’s funny how time changes and how technology makes us dependent and frustrated at the same time. My kids are good at making me frustrated as well but for different reasons. For the longest time my wife and I made a stance against video games and owning a console. Then about 18 months ago we decided to get the Wii, because it seemed like; as my oldest daughter would say “so much fun.” Like most new ‘toys’ the fun and excitement eventually wears off as we primarily use the machine for movies. The kids for the most part all four of them seemed to have learned how to use it pretty well if not proficiently. Another item in our house that holds their interest is the computer, especially for the boys as they appear to be able to navigate it best. When I was growing up our family got our first computer sometime in my mid-teen years. This remarkable machine was all command prompts using the DOS system and no internet (how terrible). I think I would be scared...

Summer fun and work begins By Allan Olson This weekend the weather finally cooperated – it was decent the entire weekend. With the exception of a Saturday road trip to a graduation party, we stayed at home, working on our yard and house. Saturday morning we spent time mowing prior to the road trip. The youngest three kids all wanted to take turns helping dad again pushing the lawn mower. I know in a few years they will run at the sound of having to actually work. However, the majority of this weekend they spent it outside despite the bumper crop of mosquitos hovering around our property. They spent their time entertaining themselves (thus making our job easier) playing house, digging in the dirt and running around the yard. On Sunday afternoon we had to escape the heat and go inside. The youngest ones apparently weren’t affected by the heat, and decided to continue playing outside in the garage. It seems to me that no matter how many outside toys they have, the inside...

Yessy, Yessy, YES! By Allan Olson This weekend flew by for me and likely, many others. I finally got a chance to venture out on that lake outside my backdoor . . . at least for a few hours. My oldest brother arrived with his family and, of course, his boat, late Sunday afternoon. He was ready to fish. My youngest daughter, Alivia, was adamant about going fishing, too, and there was no convincing her otherwise. “I want to fish,” she pleaded to her uncle and me. “We will have to check with the other kids to see who wants to go,” I said, explaining that, being the youngest of the seven kids, she might have to stay at home. The other kids all declined to venture out on the lake with us. “Are you sure, you want to go?” I asked, thinking perhaps my brothers and I could sneak out sans kids. “Yessy, yessy, yes!” she persisted, stating that she wanted to fish. I relented, and sent her with my youngest brother to retrieve her life jacket and an ice fishing pole. I wasn’t g...