See the pretty flowers...

My parents, by brother and I would come to reside at the farm after a new home was constructed for my father's parents just down the hill. My grandmother had planted lots of roses and perennials at the farm. My mother continued to care for the gardens as my grandmother had. Her flower beds were the envy of the neighborhood, there was always something blooming.
The dress I'm wearing was made by my mother. I'm not sure when she found the time to sew. I guess when you like to do something that much you make the time. I also think it was a way to make the few dollars a farmer makes to go a little further.

Reminded of my graduation.

Our daughter is graduating this year from high school on June 13th. It just doesn't seem possible.
It was just yesterday that I was a wise 18 year old, smarter than my parents and ready for everything....well actually 28 years ago, YIKES!!@@#!@$#

Graduation Day 1981

My steers were named Clyde & Derrick after grandfathers. That's me with Derrick on the day I graduated from high school. I had to wrangle him before getting dressed for the big event. They were big and gentle and could lean their way through any fence meant to keep them in. They never wandered far. After graduating I worked for a year at Idlenot Dairy in the office doing accounting. Merlin the CEO told me I needed to go to college...so I applied to NH College the next fall and we sold Clyde and Derrick to help with tuition.

Saturday Morning Breakfast with Grammy & Grampa

I don't remember how old I was or how it started exactly. Elementary school I guess. Saturday mornings I would get up before six and try to get to the old barn where the young stock were before my father did. I'd start the chores; cleaning the manger and water bowls, feeding the young cows & calves grain, hoeing the manure out from under each one and putting fresh sawdust back in. Dad would come from the Big barn with buckets of warm water if we needed to feed really young calves milk replacer. Once everything was in order, the best part...I would get into the farm car with my father and my uncle and we would go down the hill to my Grandparents for Breakfast. Grammy would make tons of food. Oatmeal, Johnny cake, eggs, bacon or sausage, homemade donuts or toast, Coffee, Tea, OJ, milk, homemade butter and yes, we always had lots of Maple syrup to put on or into anything that needed sweetening. We would sit around their oval table and my father to my left, my uncle and Grampa to my right and Grammy across from me. After breakfast a quick catnap or for me some cartoon watching and then back up to the farm to do more chores.