February 11th…..“DID YOUR FATHER EVER BUILD SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR ONE OF YOUR SIBLINGS WHEN YOU LIVED ON THE FARM NEAR KIESTER, MINNESOTA?”
It’s possible that her ‘Prince Charming’ (better known by the title….. Daddy) sensed the susurration within the quiet heart of our little sister Candice Lynn (and, by the way, the nickname that we all knew her by then, and now, is Candi ).
Somehow, to meet the little girl dreams of his ‘Princess’, Dad discerned that he would appropriate the necessary time and resources, from his busy farming lifestyle, to build his ‘Little Princess’ her very own castle.
Candi š
It is a bit of a mystery as to the source of the inspiration that brought our farmer father to the point of deciding to build our little sister princess her very own playhouse there on our farm northwest of Kiester, Minnesota. A possible variable in our dad’s decision could have stemmed from the time when our elder brother, Lowell, had received parental permission to use one of the small chicken houses on the farmyard and had transformed it into his very own clubhouse. It was an exclusive, male-dominated hideout for big brother and his buddies. Another plausible genesis to this tiny castle idea may have come from our beloved ‘other grandpa’, Mr. Harry Bauman. Although Harry was not related to our family by blood, he was just as entwined in our hearts for the fact that he ‘belonged’ because we all loved him so deeply.
‘Grandpa’ Harry was the possessor of a bottomless generous heart. Even before our sister, Candi, entered the world in 1955, Harry often gave of his time, care, love and even his car when our young family had a need. In just one of many instances, there was the occasion when our mother wanted to visit her brother, Robert Sletten, and family way up in the northern Minnesota town of Mahnomen. Dear ‘Grandpa’ Harry offered his reliable Ford as a chariot that safely hauled them all to northern Minnesota and back home again.
When our sister, Candi, came upon our family scene in 1955, ‘Grandpa’ Harry was just thrilled as he watched her grow and grow. He noticed that our little sister was just ‘as sharp as a tack’ when it came to arithmetic and dealing with dollars. He marveled at her ability to ‘make change’ with any dollar amounts given her. I, for one, surmise that ‘Grandpa’ Harry, to show his love and esteem for Candi, teamed up with our father to make it a joint effort in creating a darling little playhouse castle for our sharp and sweet little sister to call her very own. What made this endeavor even sweeter is that Candi, being a tender heart, had never made an issue of even asking or badgering our dad for a playhouse. That youthful and honorable character trait in her young heart is what made the creation of said dwelling that much sweeter.
So impressed was ‘Grandpa’ Harry with our sister, Candice, that he once told our mother, Clarice, that if he were still alive at the time of our sister reaching college age, that he wanted to help put her through college. What a generous love and what a heart of kindness was shown by this dear man!
Day by glad day, Dad and Harry gathered materials and began building our little sister her very own castle. Oh sure, cows had to be milked, and field work had to be accomplished, but, whenever time allowed, you’d find the team of our Norwegian (Dad) and German (Harry) in a harness of harmony. Our own ‘Dynamic Duo’ could be found out there just north of our family home banging away on this cute creation.
All the accouterments of modernity graced Candi’s castle playhouse. An elegant feature was a ‘Living Room’ bench that had a lifting lid that revealed toy storage underneath. Stylish vinyl flooring greeted one’s entrance. New, metal-framed windows were installed that opened and closed by latches. They even possessed screens to keep out the summer bugs. There was even a sweet little metal awning over the windows for shade or inclement weather. Somehow, precious munchkin-sized cabinetry was found to house all of our sister’s empty food cans, condiments and silverware. The midget cabinetry was just the right size for a little lady to turn on her imagination station and play the day away there in the shade of the maple trees just north of our family farm home. It was a delightful time for not only Candi, but also for our girl cousins who’d come by for visits. She even allowed this brother of hers to grace the doorway of her ‘home away from home’.
But, just like in the song, “Puff The Magic Dragon”….there’s a verse that says, …”Jackie Paper came no more”.
The year 1967 brought the end of our chapter of life on the farm there in southern Minnesota and our sister’s little castle had to find a new home because we were soon to leave upon our journey to Washington State. Thankfully, during our farm auction, on July 22nd of that year, our big brother’s mother-in-law (Alpha Braund) bought Candi’s castle for her little grandson prince and granddaughter princesses to play in. In a way, Candi’s playhouse castle still stayed in the family of this Norwegian Farmer’s Son.
Norwegian Farmer's Son 