FARM KIDS MAKING THEIR OWN FUN.
We ended up with a huge truck load of clothes from the rummage sale that didn't sell.
Lots of fun dress-up clothes that were functional too.

My Father with His Father in "New" Milk barn

My mother told me about my father being drafted into the Army after he graduated from High School in 1951. He was given an extension to allow him to help finish building the new milk barn. This picture must have been taken before he left for his time at Fort Benning, Georgia were he was a tank mechanic. My mother hadn't met my father yet. She would meet him when he came home to visit on leave. I'm told it was a hard thing for my father to leave that new barn and the new milk system in order to serve in the Army.

Story of the pond.

The story of the pond is part what I was told years ago and what I remember from my childhood.
The pond was a swampy area. The water flows into this area from the brooks above that start at the base of Mount Ephraim. My father used a bulldozer to create a fire pond and recreation area. There is a fire hydrant next to the pine tree you see and the local fire department comes and makes sure that it is still in working order every year. There was only one time that it had to be used for a house fire in the neighborhood.
The pond was a gathering place in the summers for the whole neighborhood. Which when I was a very young child included most of my father's siblings families. We would spend many hours splashing in the water and catching frogs. The slide was an addition that my father added later on. Next to the slide used to be a dock. There was also a very large weeping willow tree that we would swing off of and drop into the water. There was a raft that was anchored in the middle of the pond and there were many games that we created to fill our spare time.
The pond is not used much today and cattails have started to fill-in the the inlet area. Left unchecked nature will reclaim this area some day.

Wash Rags....the things that jog your memory.

This past weekend I was on my hands and knees wiping the fine dust off the wood floors we had just sanded. It was the cheap, fairly thin, cotton rags I was using that reminded me of my childhood on the farm. So I was temporary transported back in time to the milk barn.

Cows are ready to "let-down" their milk at the same time twice a day.
The first step in milking is to clean the cow's teats with a wash rag kept in a pail with warm water and bleach or iodine solution. This is to wash off any dirt and manure before attaching the milking machine. But wait, you can only wash as many cows as you have milking machines. Washing relaxes the cow and she is now ready to give her precious cargo. If you get too far ahead (which an eager youngster is apt to do) the cow's milk will start leaking onto the floor.

Milking Time

I was reminded by a post Straight From The Teat at Making Love in the Kitchen that drinking raw milk is something the not everyone gets to experience. We drank raw milk from our Jersey cows and skimmed the cream off to make butter and whipped cream. We drank it skimmed in order to use all the cream. It tastes just like any good pasteurized milk. I love cold milk. I think there is nothing more refreshing. I recently read that milk has more electrolytes that sports drinks. WOW!
The picture above is of my father at the end of the day's milking. He is pour milk out of a "bucket Milker" This process of getting the milk into the bulk tank to cool was modern in it time. Shortly after this photo was taken we installed a stainless vacuum pipeline system.

Photo from Surge Web site.

Summer Days

My cousins and I are getting to know my grandfather's colt.

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.