On The Farm

“For Life”, an original watercolor by Erin Burton, depicts two sandhill cranes dancing. The story within is one of love, life, and dancing.

Antique rump bells, family history, and Christmas spirit intertwine in Erin’s newest story and original watercolor painting.

I’m sharing my great-grandmother’s recipes for Swedish meatballs and rice pudding. Christmas dishes that are no longer reserved for Christmas because we like them that much.

My family was in the throws of craziness about a month ago. The free soccer league that I founded last fall was beginning their spring practices, both kids had started soccer, my husband and I were coaching both of their…

I’m tickled pink – I really am! From Westfalcon Farm preparing for the Unique Boutique and Antiques Tour, to a cute pig, and another award nomination (not the Sunshine Blogger Award that I previously wrote on) – all have combined…

The hat thief is tenacious, insistent, and unsympathetic. She’s motivated, resilient, and determined. When she sees a hat, and it’s within reach, there is nothing that will stop her from getting it. She is the best hat thief I have…

“Mom, have you seen my heart?” my daughter asked as she rounded the corner to go search in the kitchen. “The last time I saw it it was on your bed.” I replied. “Oh, that’s right!” she yelled as she…

Nestled in a thick layer of straw in the corner of the chicken run you’ll find a chicken with bright gold feathers lying still; unnaturally still. If you look close enough you can see her densely feathered back rise and…

“Mom, something is wrong with Lily.” I remember my daughter notifying me about Lily, one of our Easter Egger chickens, last week. Unfortunately, I had brushed it off at that moment. Last fall we lost one of our friendly chickens,…

My family arrived at Westfalcon Farm just after noon – the sun was shining, a slight breeze was blowing across the open fields, but not hard enough to turn Mr. Squeaky (the 103-yr. old windmill that my children named), and…

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my blog, Unbound Roots. I received a nice little message from WordPress, the content management system I use to run my blog. It read: Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com! You registered on WordPress.com one…

“I can’t wait to go to the egg store tomorrow!” my son exclaimed as he glanced at his calendar before settling into bed. “Mom, can we read Rechenka’s Eggs one more time before we go to the egg shop?” my…

“Mom, Ayla was going after what looked like a chicken in our driveway.” my daughter explained as I was cleaning up the kitchen. It was 12:35am (yes, we are a late-night family), and my husband had just let the dogs…

“I love him.” My son replied after I asked him what came to mind when I said “Grandpa Peterson”. “I do too, buddy.” Last November I wrote about my desire to write about two very important people in my life…

Think of the things this farm has seen, the many people it has known, the storms the farm has weathered.

Porcelain-white skin, lips tinted rose, eyes painted with exquisite detail. What would her hair look like? Long blonde locks that brush her ankles, two auburn-colored braids that playfully hang down from each side of her ball cap, or raven-black ringlets…

Thanksgiving on the Farm As my family and I sat down at the table to celebrate Thanksgiving, I felt a warmth wash over me as I gazed around the room. Here we were, sitting around the table as a family…

Since beginning my writing journey, I’ve wanted to write about two important people in my life – my parents. Today is my mom’s birthday, so what better time to tell you about this special woman. Mom, thank you for being…

This period between 1923 and the early thirties seems to me was the end of a rich community fellowship, the parties, and the ball teams of which each community had one… It was the end too of meetings at Larson’s…

A personal story about Grandma published on You Are Awesome.

Cornerstone Last April I decided to dive into writing – something I’ve wanted to do for years, but the time wasn’t right until now. My kids are now old enough to be more independent, so I have an hour here…

Last week I wrote about the special connection between horses and humans. That particular piece was one of the most difficult to start. How do I put a lifetime of passion and memories in one post? But, after I gathered pictures,…

What is it about horses that capture the hearts of young children and adults alike?

My family and I spent the day at the lake yesterday. Several other family members met up with us for a day in the water since the temperature was in the 90’s with high humidity. We all agreed that the…

Some years, in the spring of the year, Mama would set up the carpet weave in the upstairs of the granary. This setting up of the weave took help, so Aunt Lizzie Falk would come out to help. Aunt Lizzie…

As the kids and I took a walk down our road to the lake, the intoxicating smell of sweet clover, vanilla mixed with fresh-cut hay, permeated the air. Late June in Minnesota is when the summer wildflowers awaken and adorn…

Last night the kids went outside with their flashlight after dark to look for night crawlers since it had rained earlier in the day. They collect night crawlers throughout the summer so they can use them for fishing. While the…

If only the walls could talk, what would they say? In my introductory post of Westfalcon Farm I mentioned that one of the things that had an impact on my mother the first time she saw the old family farm was…

By the middle of May, here in Minnesota, our average high is 70F. This weekend we had several inches of rain with temperatures between 40F and 50F. Now, I’m not one to stay inside on a typical day, rain or…

On April 25, 2015 my husband and I packed up our kids and our dog, Brook (she travels with us wherever we go), and drove to pick up our very first one-day-old chicks. Our family had moved into our current…

Have you ever had one of those “everything happens for a reason” moments that gave you the chills? Well, I have a story to share with you that still gives me the chills, and I truly believe that everything that…