Thank God I'm a Country Girl
Today I am grateful for theater candy, "Madagascar 3" and making dinner with my son. I am also grateful for good conversation with my stepdaughter as we drove to and from an appointment.
Speaking of family, let me tell you a little more about mine. I grew up in a large Catholic farm family. That was not unusual in my neck of the woods. I was child #11 and two followed after me. I have seven sisters and five brothers. I know how to share. We shared bedrooms, a big kitchen table, toys, hand-me-downs, chores, games, fights. I didn't get my own bedroom until I was 17.
We lived on a diversified farm . . . the kind you won't hardly find anymore. We had chickens, pigs, dairy cows, and we grew mostly corn, oats, and hay. A large garden provided fresh produce and gunny sacks full of potatoes that went in the storm cellar and lasted for months. I grew up a tomboy and loved being outside helping with farm chores, if I wasn't playing sports.
Speaking of farm chores, one of my favorites was helping my dad make a feed concoction for the pigs that we called "swill." It was made with dry feed and water and mixed in a big barrel. I liked to stir the stuff. I also liked working in the garden, especially using a one-row plow we could push between rows. I wasn't as big of a fan of butchering chickens, but I do know that "running around like a chicken with your head cut off" is a fitting description.
Speaking of sports, there was always someone to play with and we could practically have our own softball game. (We had to watch the clotheslines though.)
It wasn't all idyllic, but I so appreciate the experience of growing up on a farm.
Speaking of family, let me tell you a little more about mine. I grew up in a large Catholic farm family. That was not unusual in my neck of the woods. I was child #11 and two followed after me. I have seven sisters and five brothers. I know how to share. We shared bedrooms, a big kitchen table, toys, hand-me-downs, chores, games, fights. I didn't get my own bedroom until I was 17.
We lived on a diversified farm . . . the kind you won't hardly find anymore. We had chickens, pigs, dairy cows, and we grew mostly corn, oats, and hay. A large garden provided fresh produce and gunny sacks full of potatoes that went in the storm cellar and lasted for months. I grew up a tomboy and loved being outside helping with farm chores, if I wasn't playing sports.
Speaking of farm chores, one of my favorites was helping my dad make a feed concoction for the pigs that we called "swill." It was made with dry feed and water and mixed in a big barrel. I liked to stir the stuff. I also liked working in the garden, especially using a one-row plow we could push between rows. I wasn't as big of a fan of butchering chickens, but I do know that "running around like a chicken with your head cut off" is a fitting description.
Speaking of sports, there was always someone to play with and we could practically have our own softball game. (We had to watch the clotheslines though.)
It wasn't all idyllic, but I so appreciate the experience of growing up on a farm.
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