Did I ever tell you that my mom and dad were homesteaders?
Simply put, they lived off the land.
I was about 4 or 5.
My brother was 9 or 10 and my sister was a baby.
We had an outhouse and no running water, but this was by choice.
Not our choice, but still by choice.
I think I remember a lot about the farm but I'm not sure how much of it is reality and how much was conjured up in the mind of a five-year-old or remembered through pictures.
We had a pond.
I remember being afraid to get in it because the ground was muddy. It slid up between your toes and felt like it was going to suck you under.
And fish nibbled at your legs.
We had chickens.
I collected the eggs (at least occasionally).
I was afraid of the rooster.
He was mean.
One day I was trying to get an egg out from under a hen.
She wouldn't move and then she pecked me right under the eye.
I was more cautious about digging under hens from that day forth.
We had a well right outside the back door.
I remember pumping it vigorously (I think this is called priming) and waiting to feel the familiar jolt of the handle becoming harder to pull as the water made its way up the pipe.
Then the water came out into the bucket in heaves.
It was cold.
It was cold.
I remember walking down the lane with my brother to wait for the school bus.
I'm guessing it was about a half mile lane but it was probably more like an eighth of a mile.
I was in kindergarten. I had short legs.
I remember eating peanut butter that you had to stir up before you could eat it.
It was thick and tasted more like peanuts blended in oil than peanut butter.
I remember when we moved in to the house.
It was cold.
Really cold.
I laid on the couch under a blanket.
As dad and a man that I can't place brought in the large pieces of furniture they threw the blankets that had been protecting the furniture on top of me to keep me warm (and probably because I was yelling, "Throw the blankets on me!")
I was piled high with blankets.
Like a reverse princess and the pea.
Only less princess-y.
B
You can see the rest of this session here under "Cash Cureton Duckworth".
3 comments:
These are obviously the best you have ever done! Because to quote someone looking over my shoulder "they look like a perfect little family" and they do. We have decided we are going to have to have copies and do a montage of Cash on our wall here at work to get us through the day:)
Oh my gosh! There's nothing cuter than a baby except a baby cowboy in lil baby boots in a lil baby saddle!! What a cutie! Just curious as to why your parents decided to live off the land and how long it lasted??
I am also curious about your land dwelling days. And I really want to pinch that adorable boys cheeks!!! Amy S.
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