New House Gathering

We spent the 4th of July at relatives up in NE Kansas. My wife's youngest sister and her husband had just finished their new home. It is built on the original homestead that my wife's family started farming in the late 1850s when Kansas was as wild as could be. On a very cold day a year ago last February my mother in law (the artist quilter) and several of her nine children gathered to say goodbye to the old farm house and bulldoze it.






The barn and several outbuildings are still here. My mother in law was born in the old house, as were her brothers and sisters, but none of her children. They had outside plumbing until my wife was 12 years old. The new place has 2 bathrooms. My brother in law ( a contractor) used to joke "the only thing holding up the old house was the termites were all holding hands". So it was bittersweet but not all that bitter to see the old place go. Lots of memories.








We gathered at the new place, almost all of the siblings, my sister in law had promised cold beer, watermelon, hot pies, smoked turkey and lame fireworks (not really but she thinks so). She came through on all counts. Catching up on family news, bad jokes, and old stories we all agreed that we loved the new place and were glad someone in the family had decided to stay on the land. In the cool of the evening we sat and watched the next generation play a game of softball using rocks and buckets as bases, not much changes. The sun set on a beautiful day and the the fireworks began, we clapped and cheered.



Off in the distance above the trees we could see towns to the west and east shooting off their own fireworks. One by one families left, several stayed the night. Rising the next morning some of us slipped into the ancient berry patch out back to take a few pints home along with some new memories.