Farm Life – Mable, Minnesota

Each year, my husband and I hop in the car and drive about 2.5 hours south to Mable, Minnesota where his family has a farm.  His dad grew up there, and although they don’t grow their own crops anymore, they have a farm house that sits on top of the hill and they rent their farm land around the house out to local farmers for soybeans and corn.

The first couple years, we went with all his family, but with the family growing with nephews/inlaws, we’ve out grown the four bedroom house, so getting the whole crew together all on the farm is a bit challenging.

The last couple years, we’ve had a small group of friends interested in coming up too.  We love to BBQ, swing in the hammock, look at the stars, and for one day, we get up, get breakfast and head off to tube and swim down the Root River.  It’s chill, relaxing, and always so fun.

We arrived late on Friday night (thanks construction traffic) and lit up the grill for dinner.  After dinner, we did the usual- start a bonfire, had a few cocktails, and I finally busted out my Astral Hoop for the second time this summer.   There was a meteor shower, and if you looked really close up at the stars, you could see one or two go by every so often.

The next day, we woke up earlier than ever, and we believe that it was because one of our usual team members wasn’t with us.  He’s the one that usually likes to sleep in.  As we made breakfast, my husband tried to mow the yard, but the tractor broke down, so after all the effort, we left for the river.  The water was high, and we were moving quick this year.  We rented some tubes and the rapids were rocking harder than I’d ever seen- it was like being on Thunder Canyon at Valley Fair.

We stopped at some places to swim and watched people jump from a bridge, and when the ride was over, we made our way back to the farm where we once again, lit up the grill and put on some kabobs and corn.  After a few rounds of Cards Against Humanities, people were tired, and after the s  went down, we made our ways to bed before it was too late.

I spent my last moments at the farm Sunday morning in my favorite spot- the hammock in the back yard.  It’s peaceful, quiet, and the breeze makes for the perfect napping weather.  My husband planted many of the oak trees in the yard and sitting in the hammock surrounded by them is one of my favorite moments of any summer.

I really hope we get back there this year, but with my weekend working schedule, it seems there is never enough time in a year before it gets shut down for the winter.  What a special place to be, I am always so grateful of my time there.