Halloween is for kids

Around this time of year I can't help but think of the Halloweens gone by. As a kid I loved Halloween.  What kid doesn't?  I don't know if it's the dressing up part that's so much fun or just going from house to house gathering as much candy as you can in one hour.  When my two boys were young we'd Trick-Or-Treat in the same neighborhood we lived in, which just so happened to be where I grew up.  I'd take them to the five streets near our house to the homes of people we knew and saw often in the neighborhood.  They'd sit on their porches waiting on the eager Trick-Or-Treaters to come by and try to guess who it was behind the mask. We'd walk at a snail's pace so we could see all the creative costumes walking by.  We'd talk and laugh and talk and laugh some more. I think it was the most fun when they were seven and under. It all seemed so magical then, everything was so exciting.  We'd all get scared as we passed by the haunted house on Mill St. where. as a kid myself, I saw smoke coming out of the chimney where no one lived.  OOOOO!  We'd ride by that house on our bikes, time and time again, hoping to see something out of place so we could ring the bells on our bikes and zoom down the street on our bikes to tell everyone what we'd witnessed.  It was fun telling that story to my boys and they seemed to believe every word that came out of my mouth.  That's what kids do when they're little, they believe. As the years went by, Trick-Or-Treat was still fun but now they'd go with their friends and run as fast as they could up and down the same streets.  It was the same familiar faces sitting on the porch.  It was the same candy and hot popcorn in paper bags being handed out by the friendly neighbors but now the race was on, as I stood back and watched my boys from afar.  When your kids are little you don't realize how fast the time will go because you're a young Mom just finishing up your day, trick-or-treating with your kids after working all day.  You're tired.  You know there's dishes to do when you get back home.  You know  that homework has to get done and baths to get. Of course everyone will stay up late after consuming several pieces of candy that's been checked and rechecked. So finally at 10 pm when everyone is asleep,  you fall asleep in the chair trying to relax from this day.  When you stop and think about it you have around seven Halloweens to enjoy the slow walks, the talks, the laughs, the wonder of it all. So please young Moms, enjoy those moments.  Because after that, Trick-Or-Treat just isn't the same.  As the years fly by you wonder where it all went.  You look at pictures and try hard to remember those days of going door to door gathering treats from friendly neighbors.  All those neighbors have moved on now in the circle of life, but I remember them fondly. I'm thankful my kids had a neighborhood to enjoy on Trick-Or-Treat night filled with fun memories of slow walks on dark nights with two boys I loved so much.  And even though they don't dress up like super-heros or mummies anymore, or at least I don't think they do,  I still love them. ~Toni~ :)

Nothing Stays The Same

Did you ever have one of those days that seemed like the one before, you know, that de'ja' vu kind of feeling.  I have those every once in awhile especially with the change of the seasons.  Days when memories flood my mind like dreams in the night.  Actually, I don't mind those days every now and again because the memories that come to me are times I've enjoyed with people I love. When I moved to the farm twenty-seven years ago my Dad was happy for me as I started this new adventure in my life.  He was glad I'd found someone to share my life with and he liked Brent's lifestyle on the farm as well as his as his quiet kind spirit.  He said anyone who would change his life to marry a woman with two kids must be a saint.  Well, I wouldn't go that far, but he's been able to endure the changes of having an instant family. Flexible is the word that comes to mind when I think of Brent.  I don't know that I could have married someone with kids like he did, but he chose to change and do it. And for that I'm grateful.  My Dad enjoyed coming out to the farm and helping anyway he could.  Everything from paneling a wall to building a hayloft & manger to putting a roof on the spring house to protect our water supply.  He especially liked driving the truck during hay season and doing whatever he could to give us a good start in our new marriage. Even today, after all of these years, twenty-two long years, tears fall on my cheeks as I write this missing his smile, his voice and his beautiful face. After a short 5 years of living on the farm, my Dad died suddenly at 69 years old. Nothing stays the same.  This day turns into another day, months and years go by and the seasons change.  So must I. When I moved out here my boys were 2 and 9. They may not agree, but I think this country life was a great place for them to grow-up. We all learned together to raise animals and be free to run around and do all the things kids used to do outside such as playing in sand and water, camping and building lots of bonfires.  We went to church sometimes on Sundays, we had family dinners, we fixed broken things and planted a garden and raised pigs for 4-H.  We worked hard and my kids learned to do many chores, which I don't think they really enjoyed that much. But it taught them many skills I know they've used as adults. Raising a family and teaching school kept me so busy I really didn't have time to be depressed after losing my Dad. Life had to go on for all of us. I think that's why I think of him so much today, in the quiet times as I watch the seasons change.  I know he's in Heaven and I know he'd be happy and proud of the life I've made with Brent on the farm.

I know I'll see him again. I feel him with me always and my heart is full.  We don't know how long we have on this earth.  Today may be the last day.  I choose to smile at the changes in the seasons and the changes in my life.  I know that's what my Dad would want me to do. ~Toni~ :)

The Day the Sky Turned Black

It was just another day on that September evening in 2010.  September 16, 2010 around 6:40PM seems to stick in my mind.  I was glad to be home after I'd been called in to teach Kindergarten that day and we had just eaten supper.  I walked in the living room and as I glanced out the window the sky was black. I said to Brent, "Hey, look at the sky!  Are there storm warnings out?"  He said. "Yea, I think so." The windows had been opened due to the cool pleasant weather we'd been having so I thought it was a good idea to shut them. The wind seemed to pick up suddenly as I hurried through the house securing the windows and as I got to the kitchen, Brent yelled, "Hit the floor!"  As I did that sound you hear about when a tornado hits, happened to us.  I couldn't believe this was happening right here on our little farm. I got up on my knees and looked out the storm door of the kitchen and debris was flying by sideways. Brent yelled, "There goes the front porch!" With the wind howling and everything whizzing by, suddenly all I could think about was my son, Brian.  Had he walked out in the woods?  Even though he was 26 years old I was in a panic wondering where he was. After several minutes he came running in the door asking if everyone was OK and luckily he'd been in the garage and watched the whole thing take place.  Thank God, because the garage stayed together and only suffered a little damage to the roof.  I was so relieved to see his face as I got up from the floor and just grabbed and hugged him around the neck. When we walked outside I saw total destruction of most everything except the chicken coop.  The roof on the barn and the Little House where Dorothy, my Mother-in-law lived, was partially to completely gone. We were relieved she wasn't there during the storm. Trees were broken in half with limbs and leaves covering the ground.  Porch roofs were gone and anything that used to be in our yard had disappeared.  Huge tree limbs were now inside our house sticking through the broken windows. Our chimney was on the ground but thankfully the roof to our house was still there. It actually reminded me of what a war zone may look like, or at least the ones I've seen in movies.  There was a silence in the air as we walked around the farm and the dark clouds in the sky were brightening as the storm passed by.  It's one of those things you think will never happen to you.  A tornado in Ohio in September, how could that be?  We really didn't have a clue what to do next.  I went back inside the house and started picking up leaves, tree limbs and broken glass.  During this ordeal I never cried until look after it was over.  After seeing Brian's face and knowing he was fine nothing else mattered to me.  It was something we could fix, replace and deal with. If he'd been in the woods where the storm went by, well, I don't want to think what could have happened.  We found things in the woods months later that had been picked up by the wind and taken into the woods. The months it took to pick up, estimate, get insurance claims figured out, tear down, and rebuild was stressful and at times frustrating.  But we did it and two years later we tore down the Little House due to the extensive damage. Thanksgiving Day of 2012 was bittersweet. We had our Thanksgiving dinner and then I watched as Brian and Brent tore the house down that had brought so much joy to so many people on many Thanksgiving Days.  Even though so much of the damage has been cleaned up, I can still see trees broken in half on the fence line when I look out my kitchen door.  Maybe it's still there as a reminder to make the most of each day because you just never know what will happen when the sky turns black.

I Want My Mommy

Anyone who's been around kids knows that when things are quiet you'll get that feeling that something just isn't right.  Well it's the same with calves when they've been separated from their mothers for weaning.  The noise level is a constant irritating sound of mooing back and forth for days.  When Brent left for work in the middle of the afternoon I noticed a silence outside and got that feeling that something just wasn't right.  And sure enough, the claves had escaped from the shed. As I looked out at the pasture I saw the calves with their mothers and couldn't help smile as a mother cow licked her calf contently. I guess I don't blame them for wanting to be in the pond pasture with their mothers.   Even though the shed had everything to meet their needs all they wanted was their mother.  All the mother wanted was her calf. Sound familiar? Just like the bond we have with our babies, the mother cow feels the same for her calf.  She'll do whatever she has to do to get to her calf and I'm wondering if one of them was able to lick the chain until it came loose.  Brent didn't have a spring clip on the chain so that's definitely a lesson learned.  I was laughing to myself thinking that we may have a MacGyver in the group who plotted the escape in the night and executed the plan in the late morning hours.  I really never thought cows were too intelligent but when I saw that gate open wide I thought differently.  Don't underestimate the instinct of a mother to care for its young.  It's not a pleasant thing to have to do when it's time to let your kids be on their own. When it's time to let go it's stressful to all involved.  The time comes quickly for the mother weaning her toddler and grinning and bearing it when it's tune to take her baby to a sitter.  The time comes to send her baby off to school as tears stream down her cheeks and then she says it's OK to let her baby stay overnight with the grandparents. It's the same for the mother cow when that time comes to let go of her calf.  She's naturally upset but she'll have to surrender to the fact that her calf  is going out on its own. Growing up is a challenge for all living things. Guess it's back to the drawing board for Brent.  Maybe MacGyver can give him some ideas on how to keep the calves in the shed.  LOL :)

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

                   

Living on a farm is sometimes not always a bed of roses. There are many things that have to be done that no one looks forward to, like weaning the calves.  It's difficult to separate calves from their mothers but it has to be done, whether or not your wintering the mothers or not.  The calves are five months old and yesterday was the day Brent decided they would be weaned.  They were in the shed getting a drink and were away from their mothers and Brent simply shut the gate.  It's usually not that easy but this time it just turned out that way and well, it seemed like the perfect time. If he had planned to do it at that moment, of course, it would've been next to impossible to separate them.  All was good & the calves seemed settled with their hay & water in the shed and the mothers standing outside the shed watching intently at their babies.  Brent and I left to visit his Mom at Kindred Care and get a bite to eat.  When we returned the bawling and mooing had already begun and it's still going on as I write this.  I feel so bad for the mother cows and the calves but I also feel bad for our neighbors.  Every year we do this and I know they can't stand the noise for days on end.  It usually takes a week for things to quiet down  but it's a very long week for everyone.  So, to my neighbors, I'm so sorry you have to be bothered with the noise and I hope you'll forgive us once again.  Thank goodness our neighbors are 4-Hers and have raised calves, pigs, goats, lambs, rabbits, chickens and horses. In other words, they're country people too and I think they understand the reasons we have to wean the claves.  Anyway, I hope so.  This to shall pass just as everything does living on a farm.  Soon, Brent will choose which ones will be sold to make a manageable herd for the Winter.  The calves will be weaned and won't be bawling for their Moms and the Fall days will be peaceful and quiet once again.

Something New

                               

Since I've retired from teaching I've pondered the thought of writing a blog about country living. Today is day I decided to do it.  I've written this once, deleted it by mistake and it's a shot in the dark if I'll ever figure it out.  If you happen upon this page I hope you'll enjoy a small slice of country life living on a farm.  It's a peaceful life and as I grow older I find I appreciate the little things that this life has to offer. The morning sun glistening on the dew clinging to the grass and the cool wind as it brushes across my face.  The Summer days are quickly giving in to the Fall temperatures of coolness as it settles in for the night.  So much to do on a farm to get ready for Winter, but some days I choose to relax and take it all in.  Something I could never do when I was young and raising two sons plus teaching school full time. My second shift in those days always seemed busier than the first. The ability to choose what you want to do each day is a gift after working so hard for forty years. As I slow down I find myself being watchful of the life around me and being thankful for my small slice of life in the country.