Monday, August 2, 2010

The Need for Mud Pies...

I love to take a trip over to Chickens in the Road to get my "farm fix." I have a deeply rooted need to see chickens scratching in the dirt or milk being separated to make butter. Nothing makes me happier than quarts of tomato juice all lined up on the kitchen counter waiting to hear the familiar "ping" that says they are sealed!
My fascination with farm life began as a child when I would visit Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. They had cows and pigs, chickens and ducks, horses and hay. From the minute you woke up at their houses, the day was filled with things that I loved. It’s hard to define exactly what makes farm life so unique. To this day, I remember fond childhood memories that shaped who I was as a child and remain in my heart!

My parents were farm kids, "salt of the earth people", who rose early and worked hard. They just decided to live in a city instead of on a farm. They tried very hard to instill in us that hard work, responsibility and the importance of "helping our neighbors" was the secret to a happy life. I learned to appreciate the simple things in life, braiding dandelion necklaces, chasing after lightning bugs or making mud pies. The life we lived was barely "middle America" but we had enough. In fact we were rich in the really important things like togetherness and love for life.
Even though we live in the country, my life doesn't include cows or chickens, pigs or mud. That's not to say I don't crave a trip to the feed store to keep me sane! I line my tomatoes up on the windowsill and drink in the deliciousness of childhood summers....

6 comments:

  1. I'm in the opposite! I'm not fond in farm life at all. hehe... My hubby's little nephews love going home cause they wanted to play chicken hunting at the backyard of my in-law's place. haha.... KIDS! Hope you're enjoying your day, Joycee.

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  2. I was sort of a farm girl, myself. We lived outside the city limits of Camden, next door to my grandparents on one side and an aunt and uncle on the other. Another aunt and uncle lived on the other side of my grandparents. Our "backyard," my grandfather's pasture, had black angus cattle grazing as well as horses for all of us grandchildren. We had a pond where we could go fishing and lots of room for dogs to run. No chickens, though, but we did have pigs at one time.

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  3. Joycee...I see the deer didn't get all of your tomatoes they look amazing! I bought tomatoes over the weekend at the Farmers Market. They taste like a tomato is supposed too. I admire farmers they work very hard to produce what we eat and drink. Have a great week!

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  4. Although we lived in town we always had plenty of animals around. Dogs and cats but some not so "normal" animals for in town. At one time or another we had a squirrel, a raccoon, a crow, a lamb (until it grew into a sheep and we had to take it to my grandma's for her keeping), rabbits, chicks until they grew into roosters - every last one of them! and then they went to live at a cousin's house. We even had a monkey once. Today my husband and I have 20 acres and 4 dogs. Go figure!

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  5. Oh, I want a LINK to Chickens in the Road - - - or did I just miss it?

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  6. Those are great memories. Love the photo. I too have wonderful memories of life on the farm with my mothers people when I was young.

    Go ahead and take a trip to your local feed store and have some fun strolling around looking at stuff. Maybe you can visit with some chicks or ducklings. I love the smell of alfalfa, and the different animal feeds. Have fun!

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