January 1st…“WHAT WAS A PRACTICE OF HEALTHFUL LIVING, FOR YOUR GRANDMOTHER, IN THE OLD DAYS OF FARM FAMILY LIFE OF NORTH CENTRAL IOWA?”
POEM – “That Fair Clean Air” by N. Elliott Noorlun
Grandma loved clean air, And so she’d share,
Big helpings with family dear.
Cause that old farm house, She’d say to spouse,
Could hold bad germs, She’d fear.
So, every day, I’ll bet she’d say, “It’s time to air out the house!”,
Both windows and doors, On both farm floors,
Thrown open for germs to be doused!!!
Be it Winter or Spring, You could hear wind sing,
As it washed that farm house air clean.
The air may’ve been frigid, But her duty was rigid,
To germs she was downright mean!
Oh sure, she’d scrub, And rub a dub dub,
Every surface that was touched by “man”,
But any lingering harm, In that house on farm,
Was blown out by the wind like a fan!
For there was a time, In a different clime,
When Amanda caught a disease.
Tuberculosis was her plight,
Transferred by a possible sneeze.
She suffered so, And she had to go,
Far away from the ones she did cherish,
For if she’d stayed, They’d soon’ve displayed,
Her sickness and possibly perish.
When she finally healed, I’m sure she squealed,
With delight to be once again HOME!
So that fair clean air, Would always be there,
Refreshing all under that dome!
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The genesis of this poem is based on stories that my mother told me of how her mother, Amanda Rogness Sletten, would open all the windows and doors of their farm home, near Scarville, Iowa, daily. Rain or shine, snow or drought, that farm house was opened for fresh air to “chase the germs out”. Especially after Amanda had to suffer the ravages, and quarantine, of tuberculosis for almost two years (that she had to be far away from her children and husband in order to rest and heal). As of this writing, in April of 2020, I find it interesting that, as our nation deals with the corona virus, we, too, would like to get some fresh air in our lives to heal and once again be whole and healthy. So surmises this Norwegian Farmer’s Son.
Norwegian Farmer's Son 