Corn by Kylee S. 2010

Loran Swanson    guest contributor 

I love corn-on-the-cob. Corn with butter, corn with salt, corn with teriyaki sauce; I love it all. I Am endlessly in awe of each delicate kernel’s precise alignment, despite its husky, green blanket. I love the typewriter rhythm of each bite, the juicy pops that ensue in every chomp; I even love the strings that…continue reading »

I Want to Be, By Drew B. in 2011

Loran Swanson    guest contributor 

What do I want to be? A question that many people ask, I want to be successful, To be happy and live long.   Someone that helps others, Thinks before they act, Gives back to the community, Helps others be happy.   I want to be a business person, A stockbroker or a banker, Maybe…continue reading »

Mount Custer

Loran Swanson    School 

          Having already visited my wife’s places of learning, I thought she might want to see how our early education differed.  I first showed her where I lived so she would believe me when I said getting to school was two and half miles one way, up and down hills, walking on dirt roads.  However,…continue reading »

The Lord God Planted a Garden

Loran Swanson    Uncategorized 

The Lord God Planted a Garden By Dorothy Frances Gurney (1858-1932) THE Lord God planted a garden In the first white days of the world, And He set there an angel warden In a garment of light enfurled. So near to the peace of Heaven, That the hawk might nest with the wren, For there…continue reading »

DOWN IN THE RIVER TO PRAY

Loran Swanson    Uncategorized 

I had rarely been in a church until I was in high school,.  This didn’t mean my spiritual house was not in order.  My father was very strict, especially in religious matters. The reason I hadn’t been in any church was because we didn’t have one in our community.  What we had was country high…continue reading »

A Christmas to Remember

Loran Swanson    Uncategorized 

Of all the Christmases that I remember in more than eighty years, several have left an impression that have stayed with me for a lifetime. One in particular, and maybe the one that has had the greatest impact, occurred when I was eight years old, on Christmas Eve, 1937. I don’t think I have ever…continue reading »

SHOES

Loran Swanson    Uncategorized 

May always had a great influence over me.  No, not the lady, the month.  It was the beginning of life for another year when everything was fresh, green and young.  It somewhat reminded me a little of myself – another chance for a new beginning in trying to do something right or at least a…continue reading »

Things You Learn About Genealogy

Loran Swanson    Uncategorized 

Before making the decision to explore your genealogy, take into consideration that if you go back far enough, you more than likely will encounter information that can be disturbing, eventful and surprising. For me, a surprise discovery is that way out on one of the branches on our family tree, (a twig actually) you find…continue reading »

In the Evening by Moonlight

Loran Swanson    Games 

A full moon was so welcome. The chickens might not have liked it but I could shoot baskets until it was time for me to go to bed.  On the south side of the chicken coop, I had fashioned a back board out of scrap wood and slats taken from our beds.  By taking one…continue reading »

The Old Oak Table

Loran Swanson    Uncategorized 

We always took all of our meals, breakfast, dinner and supper, in the dining room.  Our kitchen wasn’t large enough to allow the seven members of our family to sit around the “Old Oak Table.”   We always sat in same chairs and same place.   I was always seated beside my mother.  The table was round,…continue reading »