Sunday, April 5

Memories of the Farm in Spring

I remember the farm in spring. It was a time of rebirth. The hens would sit on their nests and defy you to come near to try and fetch the eggs. More than once, I was sent to bring in the eggs and would be attacked by a pecking, scratching hen that had decided it was time to nest.

Besides the baby chicks, there were many other births in springtime. The geese and the gander were never more contankerous than when they were nesting. That old gander chased me to the house one day, wings beating the air behind me and yes, I could feel the wind from those wings. He was honking his head off and I was emitting blood curdling screams. Grandma dashed out of the house, slamming the screendoor and waving her apron at the gander. I wrapped my arms around her, pressing my cheek against her bosom and sobbing in fright.

Calves and foals arrived in the spring. I loved watching the foals as they stood on spindly, shaking legs. We usually had about six baby calves in the calf pen during this time of year and each one was beautiful. I always had a favorite and quite often it had a white face and big brown eyes. Those eyes were liquid and seemed to peer right into my soul. One of my favorite things was feeding those calves milk after they'd been weaned. They slurped the milk and then, when it was gone, butted the pail with their heads, hoping for more, just as they had when they were drinking from their mama's teat.

Across the road, baby lambs frolicked on the hillside. Our neighbor raised sheep and the lambs were precious. The lambs would run, kicking and jumping, making games of their own to pass the day. The ewes would keep a careful eye on them, allowing them to enjoy a bit of freedom, but bleating when the lambs strayed too far.

Springtime on the farm also meant that there were many species of wildlife that gave birth. Baby raccoons, squirrels, red fox and a wide variety of bird fledglings were all part of a normal spring day. My favorites were the eastern bluebirds that always visited the farm, along with robins, meadowlarks, killdeer, Baltimore orioles and a wide host of others. I also enjoyed the killdeers that built their nests along the side of the road. When my siblings and I would approach, they would swoop away from the nest, floundering in a false act of injury. They wanted to lure us away from the nest. Of course, Dad had taught us that we should never disturb any wild creature. A lesson that I still abide to till this day.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons. It is a time of rebirth for the Earth. Babies are born, flowers come out of their state of dormancy and the world comes alive with color after the drab winter months. It's a wonderful time of the year.

What changes occur in spring in your part of the country and what is your favorite thing about spring?

Today would have been Aunt May's birthday. It was also the day of Grandma's funeral. So with the joy of spring comes a hint of saddness that neither of these great ladies are with us any longer. However, there is joy because they have been reunited after 35 years of being separated. Grandma has been gone since April 1974. Aunt May passed in November 2008. Mother and daughter, together again.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks to all that have asked about and prayed for, Michelle. The surgery went fine and she was home by 4pm. Today she is getting up and about a little, but resting lots. ~Blessings, Mary~

17 comments:

  1. Oh girl, you make me homesick for the past........ Grandma's would buy 100 baby chicks in the spring and put them in the well house. We would feed them and in several weeks she would tell us which ones were hens and which ones were roosters.. We would put the hens in the chicken yard and wring the necks of all the roosters except on.... good eating! I loved Grandma's fried chicken. hahahah We did not have many other animals just the chickens and old cow that we milked......

    Spring ..... Warm days with the flowers peeking from the dirt.... Birds nesting and garden centers full of STUFF!! I have the FEVER....

    I remember simpler days..... Carefree.... Running with my brothers to the creek........ I was young and full of it..... I am now old and FULL of it! hahah

    Have a blessed Sunday my friend.. I will be going over to Jeans.. Take her some flowers and read to her from the Bible....

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  2. I so loved this post. Ypur words made me feel as though I were there. Have a great weekend...m.

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  3. I'm glad Michelle did ok, the farm sounds like a lovely place to grow up :-)

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  4. Such a wonderful post my friend.

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  5. I love baby animals too, and have a lot of the same memories from my childhood.

    Glad to hear Michelle is doing well after her surgery.

    Hope you have a blessed Sunday, my friend. :o)

    Love and hugs,

    Diane

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  6. I came in through Internet Explorer and still I can see the comment link...can you?

    I remember so well my grandparents' farm. This wass on my mom's side...my other grandparents, on my dad's side owned a butcher shop.

    Thanks for bringing back such fond memories.

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  7. I always dreamed of living on a farm or acreage when I was growing up. I would have had all kinds of animals if it were up to me.

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  8. THings budding, the grass getting greener, the ground, softer, as if showing it wanted to be plowed and tilled up for gardening. Glad to hear all went well with Michelle's surgery too.
    Peace -and have a beautiful Palm Sunday!

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  9. Little ones of all types are so darn cute.

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  10. I love the bright sunshine, blossoming trees, babies of all kinds, the sounds of the frogs. God made all things bright and beautiful!

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  11. Mary
    Once again, I got to travel down memory lane as you wrote about Spring.
    Spring to me is "TA DA". Everything comes alive with jest and color.
    Peace

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  12. Your post so reminded me of my youth growing up next to my grandparents farm with all the animals that you mentioned. It was such a great place to grow up and witness all of the events on the farm. I loved the smell of the freshly cut hay in early summer. Too bad they couldn't bottle that fragrance! Great post!

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  13. I always enjoy your posts that give us a glimpse back in time. Springtime on the farm sounds glorious and full of the promise of new life.
    Glad to hear Michelle is doing so well.
    xo

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  14. Today, though we have snow predicted for tomorrow, I thoroughly enjoyed the beginnings of spring. I cleaned out our flower gardens & delighted in all of the green, all of the new beginnings of my perennials. And what a delight to see the finches coming into their glorious gold bright colors. I love all of the signs of rebirth!

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  15. I love this post, Mary! Being a farmgirl myself, I can really relate to your stories. I've been chased countless times by that mean old gander! Sometimes we couldn't even pull up in the drive without a goose honking and running at you. Silly old things!

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  16. It's when I read your memories of the farm that I think how wonderful it must have been to be raised on a farm as a child;-) You experienced so many things that us city kids didn't!!

    I just found out about Michelle having to go back for surgery and I'm so glad that it's now done and over with and that she's now home recovering. Please know my prayers are with her!! xoxo

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  17. I just had to read one more....ha-ha Couldn't resist this one!!

    What a wonderful post!!! Mary, you should write a book about your life! My children, as well as their parents, loved Laura Ingalls Wilder books, which told of how hard people had it back in those days, but they never lost their faith. Just so many great stories that dear lady wrote. You could do it, too!!!

    I remember Springs past when I was a child....the fun days of growing up! Spring is my favorite season!

    ((( HUGS )))

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