Moment number two for me is really about what it was like growing up on a farm, and just how different I may be without this experience. Below you will find out what life was like on the farm from my perspective. What I realized is that I really have an abundance of farm stories I could tell, and I will but on other pages. I will need to round up some pictures from this time in my life before I tackle these stories, but it will be very fun to do.
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I grew up on a farm in Oro Grande, California. The town was in the dusty desert, full of tumbleweeds, dirt roads, and the Mojave river.
The farm was owned by my Grandma and Grandpa Fox, and there were two houses on the farm; a yellow house at one end, and a faded light 70’s green rambler at the other.
In between the two farm houses were several barns and lots of pens for animals, primarily pigs, but sometimes cattle and goats. Of course we had a coop full of chickens, a few ducks and an extremely mean goose we called George.
There was a tire swing at one end of the farm near the yellow house, haystacks everywhere and acre after acre of pasture land.
I remember dreaming of having horses at the farm. It never happened, but I had relatives who did live on farms with horses, although
I am not sure who they are. I do know the lovely lady with the horse here is from the Gentile side of my family, so I guess one could say it seems perfectly obvious that I would spend a large portion of my life on a farm.
The farm was the Fox family gathering place. Everyone lived there in one home, or the other over a period of time. And every aunt, uncle and cousin would be there each weekend cooking, working and playing together.
Growing up on a farm allowed me time to explore and run free in a way that most kids today do not get to. I would climb tall haystacks and jump from one stack of hay to another. I would gather my cousins together and direct performances on the back of large flatbed tractor trailers. I would collect chicken eggs, and help feed the calves when we had them. My cousins and I would walk down a long dirt road past the pastures and into the woods to play, pan for fools gold at the river, and just have grand adventures. On the way home we would always stop and pick grapes from the vines that grew during the summer months. I was truly able to experience life out on the farm, and I loved it there.
The railway tracks were right next to the dirt road that led to the farm, and I remember walking down the dirt road often on the way home from school. There rarely was snow in southern California, so it seems so funny that most of the photos I have from the farm are of the snow and the major train crash that happened right next to the farm when my Grandma Irma came to visit us one winter.
Living on this farm and spending so many years close to the Fox family is a moment in my life that I treasure. This time period is one where I gained independence, began to understand how families step up to help each other, and always provide a place for you to come home to. This time in my life helped mold me and I have many memories and stories from my life that happened while on the Fox Family Farm.
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So, a challenge and Write it Wednesday prompt:
Write a story from your life that shares why you are grateful for growing up with a specific experience. Mine of course is living on the farm. I know there are other experiences I am grateful for as well. Write your story and when you have time illustrate it. This might be a page you can add to your 100 life changing moments or simply a page about you to add to your albums...either is good, and what a piece of you to share with others!
