All hands on deck, so to speak. I was summoned to the barn, where my horse awaited. Tractor emergency, unable to carry round (hay) bales to the cattle, the weather’s getting cold and it just started to mist, then rain and I was dressed for weather in the mid-seventies.
Ok, I don’t have a horse, that was just wishful thinking on my part, dear reader. The last time I was on our neighbor’s sly evil pony Pickles he galloped (not trotted as my neighbor/riding teacher instructed me to do) across a field and stopped short with all four legs and tossed me overhead into the sandbox. I was eight years old and that’s the last time I’ve ever been on a horse. Only injury was to my pride, as when Pickles showed up at home 1/4 mile away so proud of himself, their dinner party stopped mid-forkful and headed down our long driveway to see what damage he’d done.
The other day my transportation was actually a John Deere Gator that I had to drive back, after a herd check of several large pastures with creeks/tree lines that make counting cattle difficult, with the goal of getting to another tractorfor hay pickups and disbursements. Interesting landscape, as my fingers started to freeze and my glasses to fog.
So, this city mouse got to be a country mouse for a morning and do some farm chores. Mostly opening and closing gates as an eight year-old might do for Dad. It made up for the other day when I drove my father-in-law to the tractor mechanic to pick up the broken tractor and the shop owner looked inside my old Acura MDX and asked what was the interesting contraption in back. The back third of our SUV contains a cargo net to separate from the back leather seats, a 4″ orthopedic dog mattress and tub with emergency supplies for humans and dogs.
What interesting farm equipment was behind the cargo net? I replied, “Oh, that’s for the dog.” He rolled his eyes at the city girl whose dog even has a double fan in her posh, panoramic travel bubble. Sheesh. Not only do I speak New York in the hinterlands of Texas, I’ve an indoor prissy Mini Aussie who’s what you might deem in a person “book smart” but not “street smart.” About a half hour ago, several neighborhood dogs were commingling and when my husband took Miss Lulu out, the neighbor’s dog bolted and Lulu ran after him down the fast-moving state highway into traffic and almost killed herself. My husband was scared to death, and it didn’t faze her a bit. “Just out playing with my buds!”
I passed the first “cowgirl” test, braving the weather et al without incident or complaint, as farm “kids” are taught to do. I remember the 25 acres my folks bought when I was in grade school and they thought they were really out in the country living a farm existence. Not hardly. We did get a rescue pup for a bit but that was the extent of our animal husbandry, that and occasionally helping with the neighbors’ horses, dogs and cats. Oh, and we adopted baby mice from the back seat of Mom’s car. They only lasted a day.
Again at age eight I was taught to drive a Toro lawn mower with 3′ blade because my father wanted the entire 1/4 mile to the highway mowed. A fools’ errand, but my sister and I switched off segments every weekend, the large section took three hours, the smaller one two.
Back then we had no cell phones, and only three networks to watch (plus PBS sometimes) so aside from sledding and building snow forts winters were cold and luckily the library in town had some childrens’ books to lend. In summer we were outdoors all day every day after chores. I remember it being a wonderful time that introduced me to the pleasures of country life without milking cows or any real childhood responsibility.
As it is now, I appreciate both my city and country worlds and the opportunity to have learned much from both. Toughest part for me is not being able to run (walk) out to the store if I’m short cream for a dessert or an egg or two for breakfast. In the country, one makes do. Cheers! Dee
Cooking with Dee 