Thursday, July 21, 2022

Thursday Ramble : Going Back To There


How did I end up growing up surrounded by farms?  During World War II, my grandfather was carpooling to work a Ford, one morning one of the guys he was riding with said, "Red, I am settling an estate and I have a farm to sell, you should buy it."  My grandfather was being ticketed by the city for too many bees, and my great grandmother insisting on keeping chickens running loose in the backyard, so he bought the farm. He moved the bees out to the farm, moved his parents and the chickens out to the farmhouse. After my great grandparents died, in the middle 1950's my father was unemployed one winter, he sold his house in the city and moved out to the farm.  When things picked up, he built a second house on the farm, shortly after that my grandparents moved to the farm. And that was it.  

Farming has changed.  50 years ago every section* had at least one dairy herd, in my recent visit I saw one dairy farm in the entire township.  Farmers are growing more beans - mostly soy.  I was pleased to see a fair amount of wheat.  Corn is the dominant crop.  There are few beef herds around.  Many of the old farmhouses are gone, or have undergone massive renovations.  There are more and much more modern grain elevators around.  The railroad tracks are gone, the station is gone. 

There are still a lot of vegetable gardens, some of them massive.  That was always a summer joy when I was growing up. Goodies fresh from the gardens. 

There are a few more paved road, though the house I grew up is still a mile and half from the nearest paved road.  The house I grew up in has long had new owners, who have made some changes, but also allowed the forest to engulf the property.  Where I spent summers digging out the underbrush in the ditch line across the front, they have let it grow to the point that you almost can't see the house from the road.  

The old farmhouse that my grandparents lived in, has been remodeled and a second story added.  A couple of new barns have been added.  And again nature has reclaimed the front lawn, obscuring the house from the road.  My grandfather would not be pleased.  

The Bar and Grill moved down the street a few doors, to much larger and much nicer space.  And the menu has expanded from hot dogs and burgers, to a wide variety of very good food.  There are only a couple of restaurants in town, my sister assures me it is the best. 

So what took me back there?  My sister is living there.  Her husband has terminal cancer.  I had not been there for a couple of years.  His condition is much worse.  They needed someone to talk with, someone to listen.  It was a hard trip, I am glad I made it.  

Everytime we say goodbye to someone, there is a risk it may be the last time.  At times that risk is greater, and harder to take.   


* A section is one mile, by one mile. There are 640 acres in a section, divided into quarters and the quarters divided into half, an 80 acre farm is 1/8th of a section, if it is square it is 1/4 mile by 1/2 miles.  There are 43,560 sq. ft. in an acre.  

13 comments:

  1. So glad you were able to spend time with your sister. What a difficult visit that must have been. Thanks for sharing the bar sign. Very clever.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7/21/2022

    Now I know what a section is, and I will promptly forget the finer detail although a mile by a mile isn't difficult to remember. The sign is way cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That part of the country was surveyed with square lines, older parts of the country, like where I live now, were surveyed based on natural boundaries like trees, and rocks, and rivers, and there is hardly a square corner the state.

      Delete
  3. Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law but good that you were there to listen, which is sometimes the greatest gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He was ready to talk and needed someone to listen

      Delete
  4. Glad you were able to provide comfort and emotional support to your sister and brother-in-law. They are facing tough times indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes I try to be conscious constantly today/this encounter could be the last one, so act so and make it well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A reason always be find, to always close with love

      Delete
  6. I lost my sister in February of this year so I understand perfectly what you are saying. I am glad we got to visit a few times this last winter. (I love that sign in your photo.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, this is the first of my generation. Pete is only 2-3 years older than I am.

      Delete
  7. I'm really glad you got to visit. It breaks my heart to know he is suffering.

    I always wanted to work on a farm when I was younger. I loved animals and thought if I worked on a farm, all that exercise and hard work would make me muscular like all those men I fantasized about. I know I'm romanticizing it, but I would have jumped at the chance to work on one

    ReplyDelete