Crossover

"Whoa!!!!"

How things have changed around here in the past few years......we used to the know the name of the owner of every farm around. Knew their kids and their wives, and sometimes even their farm dogs. Knew them to talk to at auctions and meetings, or were even good friends and good neighbors.

"Whew, got 'em stopped just in time

We knew how long they had farmed their land.

And who farmed it before them.

Must be a campfire

That is all done now.

Everything has changed. Everything. Almost every dairy farm has gone out of business...there are barely any left. Some have been replaced by small Amish farms, but all the folks we used to know have left the industry, left the area, left the land.....or even died, all too often untimely.

All new people now....all different, all changed. We know a few of them.....have hired them to do some construction, bought a few things, chased away particularly persistent elders who wanted to buy the place whether we wanted to sell it or not, which can be generally pretty aggravating. 

Still, I'm sure glad someone is farming this ground...plus reopening other land that had been grown up to brush and weeds....

On a ride around last night though, we could barely recognize places we have known for all our lives..... and I sure do miss the old neighbors.