The first weekend in November I attended the annual Kuehl family foeden party in Minnesota. When I was a child, the family would gather for a summer picnic in Ormsby, Minnesota, but then attendance began to lag because so many relatives were living in the Twin Cities and not on the farm anymore. So the next generation--my generation--took the reigns and started holding a foeden-making party in the Minneapolis area during the first weekend in November. Though this tradition has been going on for about a decade, this is the first time I attended.
My ancestors are from the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany, a chunk of * land that went back and forth between the Danes and Germans over the centuries. One of the culinary delights of the region is foeden, a round donut of sorts, sans icing and sprinkles. It is made in a large, heavy, cast-iron pan with round depressions. In fact it is so large and heavy that my mother's foeden pan--which had been my grandmother's foeden pan--was confiscated from my son when he attempted to carry it on board an airplane. A potential weapon, so the TSA officials said.
But foeden was not the main reason for the get-together. In fact, if you had been engaged in an engrossing conversation even a few yards away from the kitchen, you might have missed out on the foeden entirely. I had thought that the event was going to focus around foeden, but instead it focused on the people in attendance.
Of the eight siblings of my mother's generation, 25 children were produced or adopted. Only one cousin has died. Only five were missing from this November's celebration--my brother; Don Klassen, who was phesant hunting with his grandson; Becky; Nola; and Marilyn.
* Uncle Rollo and wife Bea had cousin Becky. Bea had had a daughter from a previous marriage, Nola, whom Rollo adopted.
* My mother, Arlyne, and my father, Eugene, had Tim and me.
* Uncle Harold and wife Bernita had Kathy, Phillip, Peter, and Paul.
* Uncle Max and wife Margaret had Vaughn, Mark, June, LaRayne, Liz, and Rhonda. Margaret had had Marilyn prior to marrying Max.
* Aunt Gilma and husband Boyd had two daughters who died as children and also had Jane and Nancy, who are alive today.
* Aunt Edna and husband Sam had Germaine (the only cousin who has died),Ruthie, and Don.
* Aunt Viola and husband Elmer had Rodney and Mary.
* Aunt Dorothy and husband Bill had Jerry, Mike, and Kay.
The cousins span quite a few years. Vaughn is the youngest at 48, and Rodney is the oldest at 72. Ruthie may be just about that age too.
There are only three survivors of my mother's generation--my mother, who now lives in Southern California and has no desire to travel; Aunt Bernita, who drove a school bus up until just a few years ago; and the matriarch of the family, Aunt Dorothy. I am especially fond of the photo that is shown here of Dorothy and me. When I hugged Dorothy good-bye, I was a bit emotional. Not sure why that is. It's just that, at 95, Dorothy has a sense of humor, a sharp mind, and a strong will that are truly inspirational.
All in all, I had such a good time! I flew into Minneapolis on Thursday night and stayed at cousin Rhonda's lovely home on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. She lives in a gorgeous old mansion across from the lake. On Friday Rhonda; her sister June, who had flown in from Seattle; and I explored the city. The art museum was extensive--and free every day. The university was lovely. So many of the neighborhoods, especially those along the Mississippi River, were so cute. In short, Minneapolis seems like a fantastic place to live.
On Saturday, after the foeden party, I joined sisters Rhonda, June, LaRayne, and Liz at Marilyn's house in Fox Lake. This was fascinating as Marilyn's late husband had a collection of thousands of pencils, all mounted in display cases. And Marilyn has all manner of bird statuary and art. We spent the night camping out in her living room and kitchen.
In the morning, we attended the beautiful country church on a dirt road surrounded by corn fields, not more than a mile from the family homestead. We were celebrities, to be sure. Though the minister was young and friendly, he certainly delivered a heavy dose of sin. A cultural experience, for sure. After service, Donald Kuehl, who is my mother's cousin, that is, my grandfather and his father were brothers, gave us a guided tour of the cemetary, a place I have always thought would be a restful spot to spend eternity.
I will have to make this an annual event. This was one of the best times I've had in a long time. Thanks to all my cousins, especially to Rhonda and her husband Dave, who were such gracious hosts, and Kay, at whose house the foeden party transpired.
