I am hoping no crisis occurs today (it has been an entire week in crisis mode it seems) to stop Liz, Alan and me from getting at the heifer pasture fence today. The boss is going bargain hunting over at McFadden's spring auction today so he won't be here. Wish he was handy with the camera so he could take some pics of the marvel that is that sale. It is one amazing farm machinery auction with hundreds of tractors and implements and probably thousands of people. Quite a sight to see, although not at all my cup of tea.
And I was wondering and pondering this morning as I made my first cup of coffee and looked into Grandpa Lachmayer's eyes in his photo by the stove.....do he and Grandma and Great Aunt Lulu and Uncle Mack play pinochle in Heaven? Do they sit around a small, square table, laughing and slapping cards together and talking about the huge McGivern/Lachmayer clan? They used to get a real bang out of playing cards at camp when we were kids. Although the game still makes no sense at all to me and certainly didn't then, we felt secure hanging around under the card table with our toys or petting Great Aunt Lulu's funny little Boston terriers and pugs. Can you remember back when somebody else was the grown up and you could rely on them to take care of the hard decisions for you? And make lunch (even if you hated egg salad)? And keep an eye that you didn't go astray? I can remember always being desperate to get outside and catch frogs in the tiny rivulet that flowed across in front of the camp.....they must have hated to see me coming.
Sometimes I miss that sense of being cared for.
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14 comments:
Crisis? Uhmmm tooo late...
what happened this time?
Paints, yeah, didn't take long did it? lol
Anon, well, the tanker was late and somebody has to stay to close the gate behind him....sooooo.......the kids decided to clean the stable and calf stalls in the morning instead of waiting for the boss to get home. Since we had to be there anyhow and all. Well, I was in the milkhouse working on the floor (new milk inspector=lots of extra cleaning) and all of a sudden Liz ran in.
The stable cleaner chain broke and ran about four cows worth of itself into the kinda fullish spreader. If you are a farmer you know what came next.
Yuck!
Is McFadden's a consignment auction? Those are pretty cool.
Scott Auction is probably the biggest (click for aerial view) in this area. They hold it over a three day period twice a year - the last one was about three weeks ago. Auction days find the shoulders of the road full of parked vehicles of the attendees.
Loved your thoughts in this post-especially the image of your grandparents playing cards with you running around them. I have the same memories-except the grown up were all making music or talking-or both!
Yes I miss being cared for too-someone to wash and put away your clothes, to pack your lunch, to get you up, someone to drop you off and pick you up! You never know how good you have it till it's gone-thats what I tell my girls.
My grandmas house. Dominos, not cards. Tons of relatives. Matresses on the floor for all the kids/cousins to sleep on. Climbing the huge china berry tree. Spinning tops on the concrete floor.
Went back to the house long after grandmother died. I wondered how in the hell so many people fit into that now tiny house. But as a kiddo it seemed huge!
Lots of memories. Thanks.
*sigh* I miss Farm Side!
J.W.
Jeffro, yuck indeed!!! I was glad I wasn't the one to have to fix it!
The boss has actually heard of Scott's Auction and wants to see the pics you linked to (it was too late by the time we got in last night)
I think McFadden has a combination of consignments and his own stuff, as he is a huge used machinery dealer.
Tipper, exactly! I don't often think of it, having had many years to become accustomed to being the grownup, but it just crossed my mind yesterday.
JW, they lived amazing lives those families of ours...so capable and grateful for what they had. My grandma's house only exists in our minds any more, but I often reconstruct the floor plan in my mind, so at least it stays there with all the memories.
Sorry about the Farm Side. I was having so much fun sharing it with Northview readers!
As I grow older and older, having all those who took care of me dying and then leaving me here to be the old, responsible one, I really do miss being a kid again.
If I were a kid again I would do it differenly-
I would sit on more laps and let powdery faces with sticky red lipstick kiss my check and forehead WHEN EVER THEY WANTED TO!
I would pay more attention to all the family stories and I would learn to write and spell at age three so I could record them as they were told to me.
I would take photos as soon as I was born, so I could remember the ranch it it's full glory, the pecan orchards and the swing on the front porch in VIVID detail.
I would go EVERYTIME my Daddy asked me to go with him in the truck or on the tractor instead of staying home to read a book.
I would let my Momma comb my hair more often.
I wouldn't be a trial and a problem.
I would be better.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/
I just found out about MacFaddens auction today (I hibernate here too much). Darn and sorry I missed it. I need a hay bale elevator. Next time.
I'm sure you're grandparents are doing everything warm and wonderful in Heaven.
I loved this blog. Thanks and sorry about the crises.
Linda, you have the right of it. I was an irritable little thing, hated to be touched and cuddled...what I wouldn't give now! I miss them, every day and wish so much that my kids could have known them.....
Teri, I will try and make sure you know about it next time, which Ralph says will be in June. It is an amazing phenomenon! I mean, people get there at 6 AM to find parking! The boss left milking early and still had to park way down the road!
I love when you get to remembering and pondering. Something we should all do more frequently.
IslaG, thanks, sometimes I wonder if I should publish those thoughts....whether anyone is interested in such thoughts. However, I think a lot about the folks I grew up with. They wouldn't recognize the world today, just a few short years after they left it...and it seems the lessons they learned and passed along are now forgotten....
Oh, honey,
Even at 62 - I remember.
Yes, we carry those memories of safe harbor, of steadfast love -
My brother just emailed me that our mother said that 'her' (long dead) mother has been coming to her for the last few nights.
No matter our age . . our hearts remember.
This was a lovely post.
Cathy, sweet memories indeed. It is funny. This post was just a passing thought in a way, but it is something I think about a lot. I was surprised and truly comforted that others feel the same thing....it was nice...
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