Hello from Bloomfield, Nebraska

Hello from Bloomfield, Nebraska ! My name is Reann Risor, and I am the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Johnson (the Flat Stanley coordinator at our school). I work at the Bloomfield High School as Special Education Para and I was very happy to host your Flat Stanley.

We are a SMALL community. We have about 1,000 residents. We are mostly a farming community. The people in the area farm corn, beans, alfalfa and a few other items. Many people also have their own gardens to grow vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, green beans. Most here travel by car, truck, or by tractor for day-to-day traveling. When they must go farther, they will either drive or take a plane. The closest main airports to our area are about 2-3 hours away. most of the towns in our area are similar in size but there are a few larger areas within an hour's drive. Because we are a rural farming area, we tend to eat a lot of what we grow. We eat a lot of vegetables, meat and potatoes. We dont eat a lot of fish other than what we can catch in the nearby lakes and rivers.

Flat Stanley arrived here shortly after Halloween so he missed out on the opportunity to go trick-or-treating with my husband's little brothers. He was, however, able to enjoy some of the candy that they received and check out their costumes.

Flat Stanley has also been able to take part in Thanksgiving and Christmas here in the U.S.

On Thanksgiving, we celebrate the unification of a group of English settlers and the Native Americans. Native Americans were a central part in the growth of the U.S. They taught the settlers how and when to grow crops that were able to sustain the people during the long winter months. These days, most celebrate Thanksgiving by gathering with their families and having large feasts. In our family we feast on turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and many desserts such as pumpkin pie. After eating the meal, we spend time watching football games, playing board games with the family, talking with friends and family that we do not see on a regular basis, and many other activities.

After Thanksgiving comes a very busy time....Christmas. As on Thanksgiving, we gather with immediate and extended family and friends to eat and catch up on the past year. We also exchange gifts of many sizes. I spend Christmas with my husband and his family and we celebrate with my family the week before or the week after as they live about 12 hours from us. On Christmas, the young kids usually get up early and wake the rest of the family as they are eager to open their presents from Santa and the family. After opening presents, we gather with the family and enjoy a feast similar to the one we have on Thanksgiving.

I will be sending Flat Stanley back in the next week as I get some items to send with him. If you have any questions concerning anything I have shared or if you would like to more, feel free to ask. I will respond to them as quickly as I can and am glad that your students have such an interest in learning more about the world around them.

Very best,

Reann Risor

Here are some pictures of typical, country Fall scenes, Halloween costumes and decorations, the Christmas tree and decorations we put up,, and then some of our lovely winter that we get here...