Childhood Visits to the House in the Woods

I remember Grandma and Grandpa Guild’s house in the woods in Minnesota. Grandpa had cleared a section from the forest and built a one-room house. In my child’s memory it was quite large. Inside, it was curtained off with sheets hung from the low ceiling by rope. There were two bedrooms across the back half and the front half was living quarters. A kitchen with a black iron stove, a table and chairs and various other cabinets formed half the living quarters. I don’t remember much about the rest of the room, seems like it was a casual living area. Grandma Olive would take her rocking chair outside and I would brush her long silky hair. Grandpa Dan would play with the chipmunks. He had trained them to run up his pants leg and into his shirt pocket where he had stored a cache of sunflower seeds. They had a deep, cold well nearby with a large wooden bucket on a pulley. They stored milk and butter down there. Probably other perishables as well. The kitchen stove always had a kettle of mutton stew simmering. I really didn’t like it at all. Couldn’t stand the smell! On Saturdays and Sundays all the aunts, uncles, and cousins would come out and there would be a family picnic. I remember strawberries and homemade ice cream, especially. Fried chicken and biscuits and singing! Seems like I remember the men playing horseshoes.