A post -

- as we head out the door. We are heading to Jay Cooke State park to go camping with the Rodgers and all their family! We are so excited. But in the world of blogging I still have lots of catching up to do. Stacy was here with her kids for the last few weeks, and I have lots of pictures to commemorate our time together. So stay tuned!

Today, however, I will just post a few pictures from the place Aidan and I spent the afternoon, The Kelley Farm, operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. I must admit as we wandered around the working farm, taking in the animals, the old farmhouse, the ladies making pickles and the farmer making hay, I had a little wistful longing for the simpler life.

But then we raced back to the City to have some McDonald's and find a movie for Aidan to watch tonight so I could frantically sew the baby gifts I have been pushing off for the last two weeks. There is nothing like a deadline to bring out my best work!

So here is a little view of the simple life for you. Enjoy!

There were cows, horses, chickens, cats, and pigs wandering about the farm.






Aidan couldn't believe that his mom used to help some friends make hay every year, and that we even had a barn by our house filled with hay- and it had a giant swing hanging from the top rafters! We weren't allowed to play with hay at this farm but the smell of it brought back lots of old memories.

This farm was along the banks of the Mississippi, which is one of the reasons Oliver Kelley picked this spot for his farm.

Idyllic, isn't it?







Three little pigs!

Aidan making sauerkraut.

Their garden was huge, and the workers literally harvest and preserve in the way they would have in the 1800's. Instead of canning jars they used crocks, and one of their jobs in the winter - even in 2008 - is to skim the crocks because mold grows on the top. Apparently this was a way of life!






Isn't this old tree lovely? Aidan was peeing behind it while I took the picture.





The last thing we did was make a jar of refrigerator pickles to take home. We will try them in a few days and let you know how they turned out! But trust me- if any mold grows on the top they will be out the door!