Nurtured by Nature: Sixty Years of Learning and Loving in the Red River Valley of the North

By Alice Bjorklund Gunness

Nurtured by Nature is Alice Bjorklund Gunnesss memoir of faith and family. Alice recalls stories of family farm life with Donald, her husband, and their five children, living along the Red River of North Dakota. The stories evolved over sixty years of farm living. Alices voice is positive. She recounts her childrens adventures, sometimes full of surprises, and tells lifes lessons learned through nature. Her storiessome humorous, some causing us to think about our lives in terms of eternal perspectiveinclude her strong belief that God, in His grace and mercy, protects and helps us. Wildlife, birds, farm animals, pets, and the beauty of sky and landscape accompany Alices stories. Alice writes with the thought of encouraging others as they continue their journeys through life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973629221

Alice Bjorklund Gunness

Nurtured by Nature Book II follows Alice Gunness’ well-received first book of memoir stories published by WestBow Press in 2018. Alice Bjorklund Gunness, was born at home to Ottilia and John Bjorklund, on July 20, 1933, during the heart of the Great Depression in Richville, Minnesota. Alice was the youngest of seven children. Her parents immigrated from Sweden in 1910 and 1914, and moved to a dairy farm in Ottertail County, Minnesota. Alice graduated from Perham, Minnesota High School in 1951 and North Dakota State University in 1955 with a degree in home-economics education. Alice and Donald were married on March 25, 1956. They raised their family on a diversified farm near Abercrombie, North Dakota, in the heart of the Red River Valley of the North. Anyone interested in contacting Alice may reach her at: 5300 12th Street South Fargo, ND 58104 dakgunn@rrt,net

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Copyright © 2018 Alice Bjorklund Gunness.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2921-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2920-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2922-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018906077

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/29/2018

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 When We Were Young

Something Beautiful

Over the Door

Peter and the Cat

A Silent Heart Attack

Our Border Collie Family

Mark’s First Christmas Program

The March 1966 Three-Day Blizzard

Angelic Protection

Playing Pony in the Living Room

The Designer

On My Side

Gambling vs. Praying

Aren’t ‘Em Tute

Chapter 2 Family Adventures

Figure-Eight Snake

The Cow Silje Milked

Watergate—No!

Family Christmas Shopping

Our Ponies and Horses

Halter Breaking

Rudolph’s Nose

A Summer with Foxy

Television Coyotes

I Lost My Diamond!

The Boston Boys

Saving the Christmas Calf

A Wild Summer’s Ride

1980 Hail Storm

Chapter 3 The Leaving Home Years

Grandma Dumb

No Jumping on the Bed!

The Spring Flood of 2009

Hankinson Pasture Artesian Well

I Just Love Horses

Riding in the Red River

The Fog Dangers

Waiting for the Break-In

9-11 Trip

The Night of Sarah’s Wedding

Two Weeks After the Wedding

Donald’s Invention

The Dakota Gunness Uncapper

Bringing the Bees to School

Chapter 4 Wildlife

Caught in the Act

The Bunny Hop

Learning to Fly

Mother Goose on a Bale

The Thermal Ride

The Northern Layover

The Coyote Lure

Hidden for Awhile

The Swallow Symphony

Spiraling Circles

The Conflict

Undercover Kittens

The Whistling Swans Chorus

The Deer Hide

Pictures

Donald and The Dakota Gunness Uncapper

Donald’s 88th Birthday

Sonja’s Family

Peter’s Family

Sarah’s Family

Arthur

Mary’s Family

Swans on Lake Alice

Overland Flooding

Chapter 5 Recalling Childhood

Doll’s Woods

Bringing Home the Tree

Picking Potatoes

The Day of Small Beginnings

The Lost Coin

Life Was Simple

Cats We Loved

The Lost Billfold

The Hard Work Ethic of My Father

Mother’s Life on the Farm

The Lost Scissors

Driving the Buck Rake

As A Mother Gathers Her Chicks

Badge of Tear-or

The Alphabet Story

The Waterford Crystal Bowl

The Blue Velvet Boxes

Country Girl at Heart

The Year of My Three Christmases

Chapter 6 Stories of Faith

A Cold Drink of Water

The Santal Mission:

Our First Step of Faith

The Bestest Goodest of All!

Seventh and Eighth Graders—Yes!

A Second Blessing

Evangelistic Services

Put on the Coffee, Alice

With a Cane and a Crutch

How Long Have You Worked for the Britts?

Going to Bible Camp – Oops!

Christian Women’s Club

By His Stripes We Are Healed

Chapter 7 Cherished Friends

The Frenchman Spilled His Coffee

The Fall in the Slough

A Warm Loaf of Bread

Being a Gideon

The Smiley Fellow

The Argentina Girl

The Hutterite Girls’ Christmas

Chapter 8 Saying Goodbye

The Last Two Months

Our Last Christmas Together

The Last Four Days

Sarah Ostrem’s Tribute to Her Dad

Words to Live By: A Life Alphabet

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Dedication

In loving memory, I dedicate this book to my husband Donald B. Gunness (1928—2017) and to our five children. Without each of them, there would be no stories. Thanks be to God for providing these experiences in my life.

01DonaldAliceWedding03251956.jpg

Donald and Alice Gunness at their wedding March 25, 1956.

Preface

A lice Gunness was the first writer to enter the room. Little did either of us know that a lifelong friendship would result. It was June 2017, in a comfortable writing space provided by Riverview Place, the senior complex where Alice lives in Fargo, ND. My husband, David Morstad, and I were ready to greet seniors coming to a writing and photography workshop sponsored by the North Dakota Humanities Council and the SPIRIT ROOM of Fargo. Alice and the others formed a collaborative community of writers, working together for a month, wishing to preserve memories and share memoirs. Some were beginners, but some, like Alice had written memories already collected. Sensory details, dialogue, and imagery made for vivid descriptive narratives.

At the close of the workshop, we agreed that I would read Alice’s writing from the past 10 years. Like her workshop writing, Alice’s memories of marriage, family life, appreciation of the North Dakota prairie and the abundance of North Dakota’s farm land of the Red River Valley all include her thankfulness to God. Alice thanks God for daily blessings, daily perspective, and daily presence. Appreciation and praise shine in the memories, vignettes, and stories Alice Gunness includes here.

When I think of Alice, I think of a hymn sung in the United Methodist church of my childhood, and at the ELCA Lutheran college where I taught for 30 years. It is Piermont’s (1864) Hymn of Grateful Praise:

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the sky,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

Here are Alice Gunness’ memoirs, hymns of grateful praise.

Karla Smart-Morstad, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita

Concordia College

Moorhead, MN

Soli deo Gloria

Introduction

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:

The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Oh magnify the Lord with me,

Let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

New King James Version, Psalm 34; 1—4

T his is a collection of true experiences that occurred during my husband’s and my 60-plus years of marriage, and remembrances from our childhoods. Donald Gunness and I, Alice Gunness, and our children, Peter, Mary, Sonja, Arthur, and Sarah, lived in North Dakota’s Red River Valley.

Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren are growing up in a world very different from the one we experienced. That, and the fact they have grown up far enough away, so that they do not really know us, and all our life experiences, encourages me to write our stories.

Our family love is real and strong, but so much is unknown. I have tried to share stories to connect us as a family. My children and grandchildren are facing a big world of the unknown, just as we did. But, we have learned to know the One who loves us and who holds our hands through all of life’s experiences.

It is with this goal in mind, that I am sharing our stories. It is with the hope that people also can be encouraged, as they read of our experiences. Looking back from near the end of life, we know that there will be situations and struggles, and crosses to endure for each of us. But, we dwell secure in knowing the same Jesus who has gone with us, and before us, will do the same for our family members and others, and we will come out stronger on the other side.

In the meantime, God is working in us to produce character that pleases Him. He is preparing us for eternity, so that when He comes again, He may find us fully developed in faith as His own children, without spot or blemish.

Life is a growing process, and just as we start out physically as babies, so it is the same in our spiritual growth. The important thing is to not short circuiting what God has planned for us. Grandpa Donald and I can attest to this: Wherever you are in your walk with Jesus, there is more, even into eternity. You, all of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as the faithful, including unborn offspring, are part of the wonderful family of God. So, whether we, Grandpa Donald and I, are still on the earth, or gone to heaven, our prayers continue to go to God’s throne of grace for you all. We pray that He will protect and direct you, all the days of your life. And that you and the other faithful will enter heaven’s gates with great rewards.

Chapter One

When We Were Young

Something Beautiful

I was a young bride of the mid-1950s. I was home from finishing my home economics spring visitation in a Minnesota school, part of a 10-month program ending in June. My new husband and his helper had made a good, strong clothesline for me with several lines of wire to hang out clothes—a necessity for sure. It was a little earlier time than automatic washers and dryers. I was happy to begin hanging out my first load of clothes since my marriage!

As I carried my basket I heard a frightening, crying sound out of the adjoining bushes. I set my basket down and ran over to check. There was the neighbor cat with a tiny wren in his mouth. I reached down and grabbed the cat and squeezed open his mouth. Out popped the wren, and it flew away. The cat was sent home, and back I headed to hang up the clothes.

Then what do you suppose happened? The wren flew over and perched on the next clothesline and he proceeded to sing his heart out in thanks. He stayed about four feet away from me, and wouldn’t let me get any closer as I moved down the line. Is there anything prettier than a wren’s song? A wren’s melodic song is something beautiful. He sang for five minutes or more, and every spring thereafter a wren family raised their babies in our yard. When they arrived in spring, they sang loud and long to me outside my kitchen window to let me know they were back. I was always so glad to hear their beautiful song.

Over the Door

C heep, cheep, cheep. Cheep, cheep, cheep. Would it never end? As soon as my new husband left the house in the morning, they would begin. Maybe the screen door, when closed, woke them up. They continued their noises even though Don never heard them. I was trying to go back to sleep, as it was very early.

We were in the process of building our three-bedroom rambler when spring’s work began and interrupted our home building project. We had two rooms finished, the kitchen and the bedroom were painted. That’s all! We camped. The smell of pine studding and rafters helped, and the opening to the fireplace was boarded up—but not quite. The refrigerator and stove were in place. Two sawhorses held up a 4x8 sheet of plywood for my kitchen counter. The windows also were in place.

My husband had a hard time believing me since he had never heard the cheeping. He was told, Bring in the stepladder, by his disgusted bride. The noise was coming from above the kitchen doorway into the unfinished dining and living room areas. Don reached in and pulled out four baby sparrows. He became a believer!

The huge mess of trash and feathers from underneath the insulation was pulled out and burned in the trash. I was remembering my dad and how he hated those big messy sparrows’ nests on his farm. The small opening on the fireplace wall was closed. And that ended my early morning serenade. My house became our new home when the building was finished. God granted us 60 years together in that same home. Don and I raised five children in the years ahead. What a life-time of learning and loving.

Peter and the Cat

O ur oldest son, Peter, was out in the back patio with Lightning our neighbor cat. The cat was a big tom who loved affection from our two-year old. They were sitting together with Lightning in Peter’s lap purring loudly. He enjoyed being petted enormously. I was busy in the kitchen making noon dinner. I was surprised to see Peter dash in the screen door. He asked me, very seriously, this question: Mommy, but where is my motor?

A Silent Heart Attack

W e were new at raising sugar beets in the 1960’s. American Crystal Company had increased acreage, and we signed a contract with them. We were the furthest away from the piler where the beets were stored in the winter in huge long piles until the factory could haul them in to process.

Sugar beets were considered a glamour crop at the time. Although the initial investment was large, the tonnage yields in the fall made it worthwhile if the crops were good. But we were not seasoned beet growers. Don, with his brother Gordon, contracted 75 acres. That spring they had rental acreage from two friends several miles away. It was important at that time that the ground be summer fallowed from the year before.

The beet seeds came up nicely, and it looked like a good crop. But one day, as we drove out to check the field, we noticed some bare areas. It was then we found out we had an infestation of cut worms, cutting the plants off at the ground, and destroying them.

Something had to be done immediately. The field man for the factory was contacted and he came out and confirmed the problem. He then told us the spray needed, an insecticide with directions for application.

The next day the spray-rig was on the field. Don filled up the tank with water and proceeded to add the chemical. No one said he shouldn’t breathe in the fumes.

Don started down the row of sugar beets. All of a sudden, he had such sharp chest pains that he got off the tractor and lay on the ground until the pain left.

We didn’t find out until years later, when he needed by-pass surgery, there was evidence of scaring from an earlier time—we knew it was the sugar beet spray.

Because it was spring planting and farm work, there was no time to rest. But, it affected his nerves and it took months for him to feel good again. As his college professor told him, If you ingest enough bug spray into your system, it can kill you. We almost found out.

Our Border Collie Family

C all us prejudiced, but we think the smartest of all dogs is the Border Collie, at least for all around farm use. They are a working dog and like to be busy. They have been bred through the centuries to be the sheepherders’ special helpers. We have had Border Collies almost continuously since we were married, and that was 60 years.

One of our first dogs was Josie, a sleek little Border Collie who was so smart. Gordon, Don’s brother, said, She thinks. She also could figure out things. If we didn’t latch the front door tight, she would get in through the storm door at the bottom that was a little warped, so she could pull the door open with her paw, get in between the doors and pounce on