Country April/May 2019

“YOU’RE GONNA LOSE,” my 5-year-old gleefully sang over and over again. It was Easter morning, and he was destroying me as we tapped eggs—a holiday tradition in my culture. I held a pink one in my hand, waiting for him to tap it with his own. A second later I heard the crack, and my egg’s shell splintered into little pieces. Another victory for the little guy! I’ve never been a master egg tapper (and I’m OK with that), but the game is fun and adds to the festivities. I’d love to learn more about your Easter traditions (share them with me at the email address below). In the meantime, on page 48 you’ll read all about how Wilma Williams and her family observed the holiday at their church in…

“I’m a retired aerospace engineer, married with two daughters and one adorable granddaughter. I enjoy anything outdoors, including traveling, hiking, canoeing, gardening, and studying birds and wildlife. I love the West’s wide-open spaces and the down-to-earth folk you find in the country. It especially warms my heart to see my granddaughter explore with a sense of wonder.” See Kenneth’s work on page 16. Become a Country field editor! Apply at country-magazine.com/fieldeditors…

Rural life is always better with Country magazine. We spend time with our friend’s daughter, and there is nothing she enjoys better than playing with her toy farm and reading stories about rural America in her favorite magazine! Patrick Delaney Cambridge, Vermont JUST FINISHED READING the Dec/Jan issue. I love this magazine because it is the heart and soul of family, and the pictures are beautiful. “The Perfect Tree” by Amber Esplin (page 11) brought back a lot of memories. Like the Esplin family, we followed Dad and Mom into the woods behind our home to cut down the perfect tree. We sang and threw snowballs at each other as we looked for the fullest and tallest tree that would fit in our living room. Dad cut off the lower branches,…

Traveling with my family is always special, but I really treasure the memory of our journey to Big Bend National Park in April 2015. My husband, father, mother, sister and I crammed into a minivan and drove 630 miles to get there. You might think there is little to see in a desert environment, but you’d be mistaken. The vast beauty of the open terrain took our breath away. Big Bend covers more than 800,000 acres and has an immense array of wildlife and an abundance of activities to offer: scenic drives, hiking, bird-watching, canoeing, stargazing and photography. Dugout Wells (at left) was the site of a schoolhouse that stood until the late 1930s. Today, a working windmill, nature trail and shady trees are all that remain. The things I…

MY SON, BRANT, ORDERED UP 250 saplings to plant on his property in Somerset, Wisconsin. He began planting patches of native prairie and trees as a way to restore the landscape around his home, which is part of his wife’s family farm. Gardening has always been our family tradition, but planting trees is something new. As with many things, including gardening, Brant believes the best way to pass a tradition down to the next generation is to get them involved. Last spring, the whole family planted the saplings, including his youngest daughter, Elsa, age 4 (at right). She put on her boots and gloves to help out. Since she was closer to the ground than her dad, she was a great help to him. He dug, and she put the…

THOUGH THE GRANDCHILDREN are now grown, we continue to have an annual Easter egg hunt. Everyone enjoys racing around our 10 acres in hopes of finding what the Easter Bunny may have left for them. The star of the show is our famous “golden egg,” which is a larger-than-normal egg filled with all kinds of fun and tasty Easter goodies (inset). Our family talks about the upcoming hunt for months, and some people even speculate about who will find the golden treat! No one’s ever been disappointed with the contents. We started this tradition with our oldest grandchild, who was 2 at the time. It was so much fun that we’ve kept the merriment going year after year. Battle Creek, Michigan…