Scott Schultz wrote, “To truly know the land, a person must walk through Wisconsin pastures in the wetness of a cool June morning and allow Earth’s life to soak through shoes and jeans.”
I loved that quote and wrote it down thinking I might use it in a column one day. I hope Scott doesn’t mind. I was reminded of his words over the weekend during a Sherpe family reunion at our place. We have to thank our daughter, Amy, who took the bull by the horns and got the reunion organized. There are now cousins with young children who had never seen each other. It’s important to keep family ties, just as it’s important to keep your ties with the land.
On Friday afternoon my cousin, Mary Brumley, arrived from Madison. She is Sandy’s sister. For those of you who have been reading this column for a long time, I’ve often told stories about Sandy and how she spent every summer on the farm with us. Sandy would have loved this reunion, but cancer took her from us several years ago. Sandy and Mary are more like sisters to our family. Sandy’s daughter, Kris and family, also arrived from Colorado on Friday. It was her first trip back to Westby since my father died 13 years ago. Kris now has two children. After a wonderful Friday evening meal at Old Towne, we pointed out the farm across the road from Old Towne and explained to her children that it was their ancestral Sherpe farm. Their three times great grandfather settled there when he came from Norway. Sherpes lived there down to my father’s generation. Sandy was born there and I was almost born there. My parents had to move to another farm two months before I was born.
After leaving Old Towne, we all headed for our place on the back forty of the Sherpe farm. Kris said it was the first time her children, Hans and Addie, had ever been on a farm. This is where Scott’s words come back into the picture. Hans and Addie got to know the land by taking their shoes off and running barefoot through the grass around our yard. Then they headed toward the cornfield that borders our yard. They disappeared into the cornfield, just like ghost players disappearing into the corn in the Field of Dreams. Kris, her husband, Augie, and I visited in the yard next to the corn. The kids finally emerged from the corn just like in the movie. “Are we in Heaven?” No, you’re in Sherpeland.” Then they were off, running barefoot through the grass again, allowing the feel of the land to soak into their feet and free their spirits.
Addie: “Are we in Heaven?”
Howard: "No, you’re in Sherpeland.”
We who live on the land and have vast open spaces around us, too often, take it for granted. We can walk down the lane along the line fence and the early morning dew soaks our shoes and jeans just like Scott says. We can stop and watch the Monarch Butterflies as they feed among the milkweed plants. Grasshoppers dart in every direction as we walk through tall weeds. The countryside is filled with life, all waiting for us to discover it. I’m sure there are even some ticks that would like to hitch a ride with us.
All these thoughts entered my mind as I watched the wonder and enthusiasm of the children. They wanted to explore and examine everything. The same is true for our grandson, Sean. He’s walking now. No, it’s more like running. He’s full of curiosity about life. He also loves the outdoors and explored the land around our house. He was constantly on the go during the weekend. I got worn out just watching him and the other young kids enjoying the day and the wide-open spaces of our lawn. Ah, to have that kind of energy again.
Another thing that became very apparent during the weekend is the importance of family. We are very lucky because our family has always been close and all four of us siblings get along. I’ve seen too many families that have been split apart by family feuds and bitterness. If we can’t get along within our own families how do we ever expect different countries, religions, and races to get along? I feel very fortunate that the extended Sherpe clan is very close. I think everyone had a great time getting together .
There was lots of good food too. Nobody went away hungry. As Mary said, “Auntie (my mother) would be proud.” She was a great cook and nobody ever went away hungry. The same can be said for our grandmother, Inga Sherpe. During the Great Depression she made sure people who were hurting and hungry got fed. It’s no wonder Kris came up with the slogan “Be Good To People.” It’s in her blood. As part of her business, she markets shirts and other items with that slogan that she copyrighted. She brought t-shirts for all of us and we had a family photo taken with all 26 of us, including the young kids, wearing Be Good To People t-shirts.
The Sherpe Clan
We are lucky to know the land, have great family ties, and know our roots. Our roots go deep in this rural land. Now a new generation with Sherpe blood, has also been in touch with those roots.
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