It’s our first weekend all together at my family’s farm since Christmas Eve. This time we gather for an Easter celebration. Last night as the lights went off at church, my dad draped a black cloth over the large wooden cross at the front of the church. Then in his perfect pitch voice my brother Robbie sang a capella “Were You There?” (…when they crucified the Lord). It was a truly a moment that I won’t forget.
An evening at the farm tonight…things are not green yet but we have progress towards spring.Gpa Fred, Hunter, Robbie, Elissa, Joe
And Bucket Head Butler the farm dog
I should have known things were going to get very interesting when Miss E woke up at 5:25AM for the day and I noticed a rash starting on her face and neck. She had been diagnosed with her first ear infection which she had showed no sign of until the pediatrician discovered it over a week ago. And today after a week plus of amoxicillin to treat the ear infection, Elissa experienced an allergic reaction. It was most helpful that Nathan’s best friend Dr. Swenson was our on-call consultant via cell phone. Then we visited two very experienced doctor different friends today…and both concurred…the same. Allergic reaction. So we are about to give her the second dose of Benadryl tonight and Miss E will not be having any penicillin for the rest of her life. Other than being covered in a blotchy red rash and having a puffy face, Miss E is her normal self. She is most adoring of Butler the farm dog, who is bucket head dog this weekend due to a recent surgery. To avoid having Butler get to his incision, the veterinarian recommended my dad cut off a five gallon bucket and put it over his head. Thus we have bucket head dog. He is very entertaining.
The snow melted quickly today as it was (finally) in the mid-50’s for high temperatures. The ice will soon leave the lake. We watched deer cross the lake to the south of my parent’s house last night and tonight. We were sure they were going to fall through but they once again made it across with out incident. They will soon need to walk around it or be left to swim. Early this morning, Elizabeth and I sat on the (closed in, heated) porch and watched deer feeding and geese splashing in the bit of open water. It was peaceful.
Elizabeth and Uncle Joe enjoying the left over snow banks by the house.
Hunter has spring fever. The Minnesota Twins are playing every night. He is outside throwing a baseball as much as he can and tonight pitching to Uncle Robbie with Grandpa Fred’s coaching.Last night and today we had some quick visits with family and dear friends, Cousin Scott and his fiancee Elizabeth H, 103 year old great aunt Iris, Best friend Sara (expecting baby #2 in May!!!), Scott and son Sam, the entire Millette family and tonight Nathan is having dinner with his longtime friend Dr. Stewart. Plus we are sharing family time and meals with my siblings, parents, grandparents and Uncle Jim. When we live in the middle of the prairie we miss out on frequent visits but have packed in as much as we could today. Tonight in usual Lukens tradition, there is an intense Monopoly game going on with Joe right now arguing with Dad on the value St. Charles Place. And Robbie calling Hunter “Fannie Mae” for giving too many people “free” stays on his land and not making them make rent payments to him.
Tomorrow we will leave early for a grand sun rise Easter service, followed by breakfast in the church basement, the traditional peanut (not egg) hunt at Gma and Gpa’s house and then a Easter feast created by my mom. Elizabeth will be the ready to go for 7AM church. Blotchy or not, she is sure to be charming and will make sure we are all bright eyed for the service. We won’t even need to set an alarm clock tonight. Rumor has it, brother Hunter may even wear a real tie for Easter tomorrow with out much coercion from me. With tie tying lessons from Gpa Fred and Nathan, he is sure to look like a dapper young man.
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