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DeAnn (Wolkow) Kruempel, Columnist
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
“I don’t have anything to do!” “I’m bored!” “Are We There Yet?” were phrases that never crossed the lips of the children at our house. When we were old enough, we helped Mom or Dad in the house or outside with farming and chores. When help was not needed, we wasted no time heading for our favorite hang-outs.
In winter, it was never too cold for sledding, skating, or snowball fights. Inside, we found
little niches where we could play. Delmer “farmed” under the kitchen table. A corner in an upstairs bedroom was my kitchen. Cardboard boxes, complete with cut-out doors served as a stove and refrigerator. My menagerie of dolls usually liked my cooking.
In summer, we could head in any direction outside and find something to do. The tree
swing dared us to see how high we could pump. Corners of the house afforded sheltered spots for whipping up mud pies. In the old shop, I pounded straightened nails into scraps of wood with Dad’s hammer. Kittens were just waiting in the barn for someone to play with them.
My sisters had established a “playhouse” out in a small clearing in the trees. From the
nearby junk pile, (there was no garbage pickup) they found excellent items for pretending. Tree stumps and old boards served as chairs and tables. A rusty tractor seat wedged between logs was their car. I took over the playhouse when the other girls grew too old for such things. Many summer hours were spent imagining and dreaming in the shade of those old elms.
On long drives we commented on the scenery, did a mental checkoff of different states’
license plates or identified the birds on power lines and in ponds. When tummies growled, we looked forward to the picnic lunch Mom had packed.
At the dentist’s office there were kid magazines, people to watch and sounds to identify.
Of course, we had to think about which plaster-of-Paris figurine (made by the dentist’s wife) we would choose to take home later.
Church was a bit challenging. Not only were we to sit through the whole service, we were
supposed to sit still and listen. I usually did OK until the sermon. Suddenly, the feathers covering a lady’s hat called to me. I felt sorry for the poor pheasant that had to go naked. I wondered what Delmer was doing, so I leaned very subtly around Dad, who very subtly cleared his throat. But I had succeeded in a quick zoom of my brother. He was staring ahead, not at the preacher, but at the painting behind the altar. I checked it out. Gilded white spires framed the beautiful picture. I decided to ask Dad if I could have a lamb. After all, if Jesus had one…
Back then there were no mobile phones. There were no portable screens of any kind. We
talked. We came up with our own entertainment and did a lot of imagining and dreaming.
Studies have shown that people born in the 1940s and 50s are known to have an excellent
work ethic. They are self-reliant, good at face-to-face communication, possess practical skills, and can sit patiently without needing instant gratification.
It must be true; good things do come to those who wait!
DeAnn Kruempel grew up on a farm near De Smet, SD, the sixth child of Harrison and Mabel Wolkow. She attended school at Erwin and De Smet and has lived in Benedict, ND, Toeterville, Akron, Missouri Valley and Logan, IA. The author worked in school and public libraries for more than 30 years. Her column has run in a growing number of Midwest newspapers for five years.
Each year the author has published the stories into a book. She has also written a historical fiction series, “Promises to Keep.” Her ten books are available on Amazon. Signed copies may be purchased at the Harrison County Welcome Center. Contact Kruempel at deannkruempelauthor@gmail.com
