Kohake Homestead Weekend

On July 9th, my Mom and her three sisters got together along with those of us who could come and finished cleaning out my Grandma Kohake's home.  She passed away four years ago and some was done then but my Aunt Marcia and Uncle Max planned to retire there so much was left so they would have the things they needed to stay there.  Life has changed and along with it, plans, so the farm will be sold.  They planned this day to finish going through the barn and home and give everyone little treasures that belonged to Grandma.  Whether it be a recipe book or the buffet that sat in the dining room for as long as I can remember, everyone left with a piece of memory.

I took the time to sit and remember all the fun we had at Grandma Kohake's house.  The Christmas holidays with all the cousins.  Chalea and Chanda would orchestrate some sort of a Christmas play with all the kids.  We would talk it through in the back bedroom and then head to the living room to put on our performance for the parents.  I remember being afraid of the basement.  There is a bedroom down there but if you go into the back part, she had a storage room where she kept all her canning and boy was it dark back there!  Even the sounds of the house.  How the bedroom doors sounded when they shut, the locust and other critters that were in the fields outside while we slept with the windows wide open.  A benefit to the living in the country.  The full length mirror that hung on the wall outside the bedrooms.  There were so many of us crowded around that mirror on Sunday mornings doing hair and getting our clothes just right.  The brown and white colored canisters on the kitchen counter.  Austin and Tony climbing the big oak tree in the front yard. 

I was pregnant with Wyatt when Grandma Kohake passed away and I am so happy he got the opportunity to go play at her home and enjoy the yard and being in the country.  He had so much fun and I enjoyed every smile.

I know this had to be tough on my Mom and her sisters but they pushed through like a Hulsing woman knows how to do and I think they had a great time just being together in their home.  We found so many treasures.

And got rid of some too! :)

I will miss going back to Goff.  I have a stack of Grandma's handwritten recipes to go through. Some don't even have the recipe name listed!  Grandma has lines drawn around some with little notes and others have ingredients listed with the words "more or less" written after them.  It is nice to see her familiar handwriting.  I love my Grandma, love her family and definitely love going back home to her farm.