Spending summer vacations in the country for us kids wasn't all "running through the cool grass or the raindrops when it rained." We had chores to do, too. They came first. The cows HAD to be milked twice a day. The animals HAD to be fed.
First: We helped the grown-ups tend to and feed the animals:
hay for the horses,
mash for the cows,
slop for the pigs and
dried cracked corn for the chickens who ran free in the barnyard
We gathered eggs from the henhouse
The cats and dogs got leftovers from the table - probably because there was no refrigeration as we know it today.
We had a real ice box that held a big block of ice to keep food cold (cool would be more like it). It was used mostly to keep crocks of fresh milk and prepared foods cool until meal time. We made our own butter, taking turns churning it. I ate the butter, but couldn't bring myself to drink that fresh milk. And I never learned to milk a cow; tried … couldn't get the hang of it. (No pun intended. I'll just stop there with that train of thought. ^.^)
Second: We tended to the gardening
Chores also meant weeding or picking fruits and vegetables as they came in season. We hated weeding. We didn't mind picking strawberries until our backs got tired. Blackberries were a stand-up chore. We gathered the fallen peaches and early apples and picked the ripening ones from the trees. The grown-ups made the pies (must have been about 10 of them) for the week and kept them in the cool parlor on a table covered with a linen cloth.
We grabbed grapes from the vines as we ran by and ate tomatoes fresh off the vine without washing them (we rubbed the dust off on our clothes) … hoping we wouldn't get caught eating the pickings or soiling our clothes.
After the chores were done, we could play.
In Part IV we'll tackle the process of canning, pickling, and smoking (meat, that is).
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Comment
1.
Funny you should mention that about horses. I had a similar experience at my step-grandmother's farm not far from where we spent our summers. I remember riding on the back of a horse with my little arms wrapped around my skinny step-uncle's waist holding on for dear life while he trotted the horse until I thought I would get sick right then and there or fall off. I prayed he would stop that horse soon and never rode one again. Like you I think they're beautiful. I've even fed them from my hands and rubbed their noses (with a fence separating us), but that's as close as I'll ever get to a horse.
My older daughter rode until she was thrown a few years ago (unharmed). My grand-daughter (her daughter) is quite the horseman (or woman at soon-to-be 18). She does dressage, barrel racing, jumping, training and a few other classifications that I don't know the names of. On her 16th birthday she was allowed to spend the night in the barn where the horse was boarded. It was the thrill of her life - to date. She wants to be a trainer and have her on stables. She starts college in Montana in the fall majoring in business in preparation for that endeavor.
Thanks again, Anika, for leaving a comment. I really do appreciate it.
I sat on a horse once......until it moved. Then I cried until my mother pulled me off it (I was pretty young). That is about the end of my relationship with horses, besides the occasional glimps of them at fairs.
I think they are beautiful though and one day hope to meet one that is fairly calm so I can attempt to ride it. Better be calm though, I can't imagine riding a running horse or a problimatic one. I'd probably even fall off the calm one. lol. ^.~
Spending summer vacations in the country for us kids wasn't all "running through the cool grass or the raindrops when it rained." We had chores to do, too. They came first. The cows HAD to be milked twice a day. The animals HAD to be fed.
We had a real ice box that held a big block of ice to keep food cold (cool would be more like it). It was used mostly to keep crocks of fresh milk and prepared foods cool until meal time. We made our own butter, taking turns churning it. I ate the butter, but couldn't bring myself to drink that fresh milk. And I never learned to milk a cow; tried … couldn't get the hang of it. (No pun intended. I'll just stop there with that train of thought. ^.^)
We grabbed grapes from the vines as we ran by and ate tomatoes fresh off the vine without washing them (we rubbed the dust off on our clothes) … hoping we wouldn't get caught eating the pickings or soiling our clothes.
