Lemmon, South Dakota (Flandreau: university, camper, cost)

[sd2ca]

I'm sure that you'll have a good time when you go back.

I went back in Sept, with one purpose in mind, and that was to re-live some old memories. I checked out our old farm. I was hoping to be able to sit and listen to the wind whistling through the power lines. Sad to say, the house and the power lines were gone, and there was no wind.

I did take the time to check out some of my favorite spots around Shadehill Reservoir, checked out the Hugh Glass monument for the first time is many years. If you look really hard, you can still see USA carved into the hillside near the monument. My dad told us that the US Cavalry carved the letters into the side of the hillside, and that they used that "mountain" top as a lookout point. It won't be long a nature will have reclaimed the side of the mountain.

I took the "back-way" from out farm when I headed into Lemmon. That was the route we took during harvest when we took the wheat to the grain elevator in Thunderhawk. I was saddened to see that Thunderhawk barely exists. All of the businesses have left with the exception of a small welding shop. The grain elevator apparently burned down some years ago, and I suspect that was the only thing keeping that little town alive. We sure had some wonderful times at the Thunderhawk CO-OP every year when the folks were attending the shareholders meeting, and us kids got to watch movies and drink all of the soda pop that we could handle.

Once I finally made it into Lemmon, I picked up and we toured the town.

Anyway it did my heart good to go back again, this time to refresh the memories.....and to plant a seed about someday possibly moving back. I have to admit, seeing all of the wide open prairie was very appealing!!

I hope you have a great trip. Fill us in on the details when you get back.

[vkhmini]

Originally Posted by I Remember

This summer, as I have been promising myself every year for about 40 years, I PLAN on going back to Lemmon just for old times sake. I'll disguise myself as a senior citizen. Most of my relatives whe were raised near Lemmon in North Lemmon, ND are in Minnesota. I did go back for a week about in 1996 but had too many things to see. The farm where I lived from 1934 to 1939 was abandoned and falling apart. There used to be a lot of little farms with everyone struggling to make a living but many seemed empty.

Thank you for reviving this thread. I've been sitting here, reading these posts with an occasional laugh and a few tears.

I've never been to Lemmon, except via the webcam they used to have. Wonder what happened to it. It was one of my favorites. I lost it a couple of years ago and I miss it. I actually look at South Dakota webcams a lot, especially now that it's starting to get colder. I love the snow and we get so little of it here. It's great to enjoy it vicariously.

My experiences of living in a little farming town on the prairie come from Crooks, in about 1957-58. My folks owned the Candyland Cafe there. I was only 4 or 5 but I have some of the loveliest (if slightly vague) memories from there. When it rained and the farmers couldn't work in the fields, they'd come to the cafe to sit and drink coffee, eat my dad's fresh donuts, and play canasta with my mom. I think I loved it when the farmers came in because they often were able to find a piece of penny candy for me, in one of their pockets.

I loved winter there. The volunteer firemen would flood the playfield and make a skating rink. I had little skates with double blades and I fell a lot, but I loved the skating, with my dad's big hands holding me up at first until I got going.

Memories of Christmas there are the most precious. Through the simple eyes of a child, the colored lights and shiny ornaments seemed truly magical. I recall standing in fresh snow under a streetlight or a bright moon, thinking there were diamonds in the snow, and the absolute silence broken only by the occasional gust of wind seemed so special and spiritual. When I sing "Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, All is bright", I am reliving those moments. Always takes my breath away.

In retrospect, I remember feeling an awareness of the perfection of the world and the rightness of me taking my place in it. That was probably before I started to be affected by the world, and everything that tells us that life is hard and we're going to be hurt by it.

I've had fibromyalgia for twenty years now, and it has robbed me of much of my memory and my ability to truly feel things. I've also lost most of my large family over the last twenty years, and keenly feel the loss of my history, because there's no one around to verify any of it.

I'm slowly getting better, and these posts are more important than I can express, because they help me every day, in a very real way, to start being alive again. It's helping a lot to jog any old memories I can and roll them around in my head.

Thanks more than I can say,
Vicki

[Jammie]

Sd2, that was such a touching post. Sometimes I envy people who've gotten to leave and live elsewhere. I often feel like I've missed out on something in life by spending my entire life in the same area. But when I read a post like yours, it makes me more content.

Vickie, I loved your post, too. You both should consider a career in writing. I didn't realize you have fibro. I also have it and have to constantly push myself to keep going. So far, I'm full functioning and very active. I have this fear that if I kick back and relax, I won't be able to get moving again. Just curious about your comment on memory~does it also affect memory? I thought it was just me.

[vkhmini]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Sd2, that was such a touching post. Sometimes I envy people who've gotten to leave and live elsewhere. I often feel like I've missed out on something in life by spending my entire life in the same area. But when I read a post like yours, it makes me more content.

Vickie, I loved your post, too. You both should consider a career in writing. I didn't realize you have fibro. I also have it and have to constantly push myself to keep going. So far, I'm full functioning and very active. I have this fear that if I kick back and relax, I won't be able to get moving again. Just curious about your comment on memory~does it also affect memory? I thought it was just me.

I really enjoyed sd2's post as well. I was thinking the same thing, that he/she ought to be writing professionally. Way to GO!

Jammie, I've felt that same thing for 20 years, that if I slow down for a second I'll never get started again! It has really affected my memory, and that's common. Concentration, memory, energy level. Sleep too. I've found that almost everyone I know with fibro has underlying sleep apnea. I'm taking Lyrica now, for the last 8 or 10 days, and I can feel the difference already -- better sleep, less pain and fatigue.

If there's anything I can do, please let me know.

[Jammie]

Thank you, Vickie. I feel like I've probably always had this, but it seems to have escalated about the last ten years. There is a very good post in the "health" forum from a lady who is in her 70s and has it. She seems to have gotten some relief from pain with time and it's such an encouraging post.

I don't take anything for me. Drugs and I don't do well together. LOL

[vkhmini]

Jammie, I totally understand your reluctance to take drugs for your fibro. Do you have access to acupuncture? It really helped me with the pain. That and Vit. B12 shots, which gave me more energy. I hope you find some relief somewhere.

Thanks for telling me about that post. I'll certainly read it.

[Jammie]

Yes, I've actually tried the accupuncture. The Dr. decided my neuropathy was too bad because I cringed in pain with each needle. Guess it's not supposed to hurt. It wasn't the insertion of the needles, just something inner that didn't work out.

You're probably aware of the machine~type accupuncture. It helps a bit, but the pain is just too widespread to be doing that.

[DannyBanany]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Yes, I've actually tried the accupuncture. The Dr. decided my neuropathy was too bad because I cringed in pain with each needle. Guess it's not supposed to hurt. It wasn't the insertion of the needles, just something inner that didn't work out.

You're probably aware of the machine~type accupuncture. It helps a bit, but the pain is just too widespread to be doing that.

Jammie, as you know my mother has widespread chronic pain and fibromyalgia as well. What really helps her is swimming because it doesn't cause a lot of stress to any parts of the body and it stimulates bloodflow. Sure, she still has days where she is laid up and has to call in to work (thank God they're so lenient with her ) but she always feels better afterwards.

Dry hot air helps too. She can't hardly stand humidity, especially in the winter. We went to Omaha in January a couple years ago and she was laid up the whole trip.

[Jammie]

Danny, I remember that your Mom suffers from the same thing. And I totally agree with her. I feel SO good after I've been in a pool. But the hot tub is still number one with me. Does she take any meds for it?

[DannyBanany]

Jammie, she takes so many different pills I couldn't even begin to list them off! I wouldn't want to either because some are very strong!