Labor Day Weekend ~It was a Tough One ~~Why Do Some Find Pleasure in Destroying People's Personal Property? #heartbreaking

This weekend we visited our family farmstead.

Many of you remember that the waters of Devils Lake 

have swallowed up farmland and destroyed the homes in the community.

For generations, our family had cared for this home...

painting and repairing to preserve this treasure.

Last year, the water had receded and it was the first time

in years that we could get near the house. 

Click here to see my post from last summer.

While the water damaged the home beyond any hope of restoration,

this weekend's visit was disturbing.

As we approached the yard, I sensed something very wrong.

Someone...had broken every window in the house.

...every single window.

I am angry.

I am sad.

I am frustrated and disappointed.

Why would anyone in their right mind think it is okay to

trespass onto private property and intentionally damage

personal property?

What is wrong with people?

Equally upsetting,

people are using our property as a dumping ground.

Old television...

Old furniture...

Old shingles.

I am heartbroken.

Monday Memories ~The Family Farmstead, Then and Now ~~Possible Wedding Cupcakes ~~~Birthday Giveaway Reminder

Mom always took good care of the family's home.

This photo was was taken in the spring of 1994.

She had been freshly painted and the window frames were being repaired.

My dad had passed in 1988, but mom continued to live on the farm.

Mom hired someone to come to fix the roof after the slightest leak...

and repaired the foundation after the smallest crumble.

Those little people by this huge farmhouse are

Mom, her sister Enid, myself, Amy and Emily.

Did you notice the beautiful front porch?

Upstairs, you could go out onto that balcony to look over the country side.

When I was in high school, I would go out there to lie in the sun.

So much better than the modern day tanning beds, right?

And there's that shelterbelt I told you about.

My daddy made that investment in the early 70's.

I can remember going out there with a garden hoe 

to nurture those baby trees.

I have enjoyed the facebook messages from all of you 

about the house and all of the memories.

I also appreciate all of your support, 

as hubby and I work to salvage the precious keepsakes.

We have now brought back two pickup loads from the farm.

Here is the view from the smaller east porch.

You can see water on both sides of the road.

Here I am standing on the foundation of what used to be the barn.

Thank you GoPro for helping me capture the view.

And when I turn around...the old farmhouse.

You can see that when the lake was at it's highest level, this was under water.

And you also notice that hubby is gathering some barnwood...

He is building some flower boxes for our daughter's wedding, and this might be a good option?

Speaking of wedding planning...

We have a new bakery in town.

Grand opening is today!

Does anyone want to go cupcake tasting with me?!

Take care,

~Natalie

It is time for my annual birthday giveaway.

It started yesterday on my blog's birthday,

and will end on my birthday, the 23rd.

Just leave a comment on yesterday's post to be entered.

In this photo, (click here to see that post) our daughter helps draw the winner in 2011.

Remember, we were almost late for my surprise party?

And, you were so calm and cool!

Scroll down to leave and comment to make sure you are entered.

Monday Memories ~Visiting our Family Farmstead ~~A Peak Inside the House ~~~Plus, Using my New GoPro for the First Time

Last week, you saw photos of our family farmstead.

If you missed it, click here.

Because of the water, we hadn't been there for 2 1/2 years.

And like the last time, we discovered that someone had broken another window in the door and must have gone inside.  

I know...creepy, right?!

I want to share many favorite features in our family's home.

The bay window in the dining room.

At one time, the home was heated by hot water heat

and there was a radiator in this window cove.

In the winter, whenever I came home from anywhere,

I would sit on the radiator.  Nothing today compares to that warmth.

And now, those pretty shears are still on the windows.

Every summer, my mother would take them down, hand wash them,

hang them on the clothes line, and then press them.

Labor intensive...but so worth it.

By the way, the kitchen looks like the day we moved out!

A bedroom on the first floor was converted to this "modern" kitchen sometime in the 60's.

(Marcia...do you remember the exact year?)

Again, we washed and ironed these curtains every summer, as well.

Back to my favorites.

There are two parlors, separated by these beautiful sliding doors.

We always kept the doors open, however, I understand that, "in the olden days" children were never allowed in the 2nd parlor...the "formal" parlor.

There are two large picture windows in this parlor.

The etched top pane is so pretty.

This is the open staircase.

My grandpa, Gustav always talked about their wedding day. 

He stood in the far corner of that second parlor and watched my Grandma Rhuda walk down that open staircase, as his beautiful bride.

I bet I listened to that story at least once a week!

You can see that under that 70's carpet, the stairway is hardwood.

And the window there, where the stairway curves, has stained glass panels.

(I parted the curtain to look out this window, 

every single time I came down the stairway)

Oh, how I love the clawfoot bathtub.

Our girls could play in that tub for hours 

when we went to visit Gramps and Grammy.

It certainly was a dream home, in her day.

There are five bedrooms upstairs.

But the reality is, our home had to be abandoned when the 

water of the lake was rising around her foundation. 

I fear that, like so many of the other family homes in this community, she will need to be burned because the basement is filled with black mold.

My hope is that we can preserve some of the precious pieces of our family's history.

Take care,

~Natalie

Monday Memories ~Visiting our Family Farmstead

This is our family's farmstead. It was built by my Great Grandfather.

It was such a beautiful home back in the day.

The barn was pretty majestic, too.  

Our Great Grandfather's picture is the fourth from the right 

on the bottom row.

We had the privilege to move to this beautiful home during the winter of 1969-1970.

My family always took such good care of the house and yard.

My dad died in 1988 and mom lived here, 

on her own, for another 10 years.

And then a few years ago, this happened.

If you have been a blog friend for years, you remember this photo.

The waters of Devils Lake swallowed up the land 

and farm homes of our small community.

This was as close as we could get in July 2013 

when we were home for mom's burial.

Our last visit to the house was in December 2012,

We could get in, only because the ground was frozen.

It is just so sad...

Someone had broken the window in the door and gone inside.

This is where the barn had stood...

We lost the barn to a wind shear.

The pump house...

And the machine shed.

We lost the roof to heavy snow.

It was so hard to say goodbye,

not knowing if we could ever get back.

This spring, we received word that the water has receded 

and we might be able to get to the farmhouse.

(Thank you for that news, Darryl)

That road made me a little nervous, but we had the big pickup, 

and hubby assured me that he has driven on much worse when they have been hunting.

You can tell, because of the reeds,

 that the lake water had been right up to the house.

It still laps up on what once was the barn's foundation.

The pump house was in the lake, but now it's drying up a bit.

The shelterbelt is now history.  

Through tears, I told hubby how my daddy had scraped enough money together to have that planted.  He considered it an investment for our farm.

I remember going in here many times to get water for our garden.

Now, it features skylights.

Again, it was so hard to say goodbye.

So many families have lost their homes to flood, tornadoes, and wild fires.

My heart goes out to them.

 This has been long enough already.

I will come back to show you photos of the interior of the home.

Take care,

~Natalie