Country Focus: Lots of hustle and bustle

This week is the last week of school for many area students. Numerous graduation ceremonies are scheduled over the weekend. Tractors and planters are busy putting in the 2022 crop. Lots of hustle and bustle going on this time of year.

The last week of school ends a chapter for area high school seniors, retiring teachers and staff plus the parents. Schedules switch from school to summer activities of sports camps, summer jobs, swimming lessons, family trips or just hanging out with the neighborhood kids. With my paraprofessional job, I will have the summer off. I haven’t had a summer off since 1991. I worked my first off-the farm job, when I graduated from high school, as a summer babysitter.

Summer vacation growing up meant looking forward to Community Days in Valley City, then a week at the lake fishing in Minnesota in June along with competing in 4-H events. Mom worked the morning shift at the Care Center so we didn’t see her before she left. When we woke up and ate breakfast, we would read the list of chores Mom wrote for us on the back of a used envelope. We knew those chores had better be done by the time she came home.

Summers also meant climbing on equipment for fun, waiting for Grandma Kunze to come out with Crispies from the bakery, swimming lessons at the college, riding bike, and eating fresh produce out of the garden. Eating peas right out of the pod was the best! I can’t forget picking raspberries. One year, we could barely keep up with the picking. Maybe that’s why I don’t care for raspberries now. I ate too many as a kid.

I hope all the kiddos enjoy the summer break and have fun! The next school year will be here before you know it.