My kids often talk about how often we have moved and lived in different areas as they were growing up. My parents did not do a lot of moving. They moved from Galva, Illinois to northern WS to an old potato farm. The place had an old barn, a story and half home, 40 acres of timber and 40 acres of tillable grown. Upon moving, dad brought with him his Clydesdale horses to work the farm. I was only 5-6 months old when they moved.
When I started walking, I would always go out to the barn to feed hay to the horses, Ben & Jerry. Once in a while, I would bring a carrot with me, or grab a handful of grass and feed it to them. My dad told me these stories, as I do not recall them. He said that I would approach the barn and whistle for the horses and they usually were tied up in the stall.
One afternoon, I came out, I was 2 going on 3 and I whistled. Dad had just put the horses away, but had not tied or closed the stall, and they came trotting out of the barn to meet me. The barn door was 2 doors wide, and I was standing in the middle of the doors as Ben & Jerry went by me. Dad was trying to run to pull me out of the way, but could not get there in time as Ben and Jerry came thru the door together. They trotted out the door, stopped outside and turned around to reach for the carrots in my hands. When dad reached me, and looked in amazement as neither horse had stepped on me.
That year, the crops did not grow, as the former owners had grown potatoes until the land would not grow anything else and then sold the farm. Dad’s 1st year of crops failed, and he resorted to cutting timber, which he was stopped from doing, as the contract of deed to the place noted he could not harvest the timber to sell. That winter, he worked in town, and managed to save enough dollars to buy more seed and some fertilizer. That spring while he was planting, he saw a white cloud of dust being hurled in the air by the fertilizer sacks. It was just little jimmy, having some fun, but dad was not pleased. He ran over, swatted my butt, and ordered me back to the house. That summer and fall, the crops again sprouted, then withered and died in the fields, except where I had been playing. There corn grew tall and dad knew then he would not be able to hold onto tthe farm as he could not afford that much fertilizer.
That winter, the owner called the loan, and we moved to town, so dad could be closer to work. Those are 2 moves that I do not remember. However, I remember all the rest of them.
When I started walking, I would always go out to the barn to feed hay to the horses, Ben & Jerry. Once in a while, I would bring a carrot with me, or grab a handful of grass and feed it to them. My dad told me these stories, as I do not recall them. He said that I would approach the barn and whistle for the horses and they usually were tied up in the stall.
One afternoon, I came out, I was 2 going on 3 and I whistled. Dad had just put the horses away, but had not tied or closed the stall, and they came trotting out of the barn to meet me. The barn door was 2 doors wide, and I was standing in the middle of the doors as Ben & Jerry went by me. Dad was trying to run to pull me out of the way, but could not get there in time as Ben and Jerry came thru the door together. They trotted out the door, stopped outside and turned around to reach for the carrots in my hands. When dad reached me, and looked in amazement as neither horse had stepped on me.
That year, the crops did not grow, as the former owners had grown potatoes until the land would not grow anything else and then sold the farm. Dad’s 1st year of crops failed, and he resorted to cutting timber, which he was stopped from doing, as the contract of deed to the place noted he could not harvest the timber to sell. That winter, he worked in town, and managed to save enough dollars to buy more seed and some fertilizer. That spring while he was planting, he saw a white cloud of dust being hurled in the air by the fertilizer sacks. It was just little jimmy, having some fun, but dad was not pleased. He ran over, swatted my butt, and ordered me back to the house. That summer and fall, the crops again sprouted, then withered and died in the fields, except where I had been playing. There corn grew tall and dad knew then he would not be able to hold onto tthe farm as he could not afford that much fertilizer.
That winter, the owner called the loan, and we moved to town, so dad could be closer to work. Those are 2 moves that I do not remember. However, I remember all the rest of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment