Animals, Crops and Chores

Farm Report

I wasn't going to blog about our Farm Theme last week. I've done this theme before.  But the little stories and the things I learned keep nagging at my brain.  It's as if I worry that I'll forget these sweet stories... so I'll share.

Farm Kids

So many of my folks in all 4 groups grew up in or around farms.  I love hearing about the things they loved best. Sometimes it's not the obvious memories like farm pets or the taste of fresh tomatoes.  This little windmill brought up lots of talk about windmills and well water!  "If there was no wind, you just had to pump!  But oh, that well water was so cold. It was sooo good!"  It made me want to drink some straight from a bucket!

Chores

Quite a few talked about having to feed the chickens or gather the eggs.  In the past I've had to sit through some stories of chopping heads off chickens.  No one brought it up this time.  A few had the job of milking the cow and it made me wish I still had my big stuffed cow I owned as a child. That thing had a clinking bell as well as a plastic udder!  It would have made a good tool for the few who kept trying to show me their techniques with their fingers!

Farm and Barn Music

Mary was eager to know what music I brought, before I even unpacked my stuff.  But, I wanted to hear their own tunes before I dragged out the I-pod and speaker.  After a few Farmer in the Dells and Old McDonalds, we wondered why there were so many kid farm songs.  Animals of course.  That seems pretty simple.

My recorded music got a few up and dosey-doeing like a barn dance. A few had fiddle players in their families.   

It was the bluesy music that changed the tone of the group a bit.  Some liked the foot stomping tunes better, but Dorothy wanted to hear Bo Carter singing, "The Country Farm Blues" over and over.  Maybe Dorothy felt connected to the music since both she and Bo were from Mississippi.  

Music Eases the Pain

I had at least 4 people in each group who had stories of cotton picking. In past gatherings, I've heard grueling stories, so this time I challenged the groups to think of something positive that could happen while doing this backbreaking chore. "Getting paid!" was the first answer I got.  Then Robert remembered singing in the fields.

He could remember his parents singing "Cotton Eyed Joe", which was a surprise to me. I associate that song with cowboy dance halls. But after getting home I researched the history of the song and learned it was first sung (with very different lyrics) by African Americans in before the Civil War.  

Tiny Props

I tossed in a few tiny things that could spur on a memory.  The washing board wasn't really a farm tool, but many remembered clothes being washed with one on the farm.  Ramona even remembered washing the clothes in the river. I had an apron to help us think of typical "farm woman" chores back in the day. I had no overalls, but Robert recalled in fine detail about all the pockets and loops on his overalls.  I wish I had a small tractor in my prop collection, but we needed no props for tractor memories. I heard from men and women who could tell me all about driving those symbolic machines!

Animals

A few Currier and Ives calendar images reminded us of our favorite farm animals.  I always loved the cow, but Dot couldn't be swayed. 

She loved her little sheep that followed her every where.  "Like Mary!" I laughed and she agreed.  She was giddy with the memory of that sweet lamb.  

Crops

Some who had no farm history, had stories of vegetable gardens.  And we all had a good laugh about living in Sugar Land, Texas.  There was a lot of sugar cane growing around here, back in the day.  Not when I moved here 17 years ago, but the Imperial Sugar Factory hadn't down closed yet.  Dot didn't grow up in Sugar Land, but in Mississippi, her family grew sugar cane.  She remembers big vats of sugar syrup being stirred for days at the end of the season!

Corn 

Corn was the most popular crop in all groups.  Dot had to demonstrate some shucking for us!  And Ramona told us about her mother making corn silk tea.  "She burned it just a little, then boiled it in water.  It was good for the stomach problems!"  Robert piped in about "husk tea" which sounded a bit worse. I looked up corn silk tea later and found many recipes. I should try it!

Dairy...

The empty milk bottle brought up discussions of dairy farms and lots of milk memories.  As a boy, Ken had a job helping to deliver the milk bottles to the houses.  Many of us remembered milk boxes on the porch and the filled bottles with thick cream on top.  Irene lived in the city, but the milkman came up the stairs to her apartment, ..."and if no one answered the door he walked right in and put it in the ice box!"

What Did I Learn?

Mostly that I never grow tired of farm talk. Why is that? 

I did at least learn some intriguing bits of

info about silk tea and the song Cotton Eyed Joe and well water.  I think I need to drive out southwest of Sugar Land and see a little of that cotton, before the season's over!