The Farm

I've been going to The Farm for 36 years now. I think I was 15 the first time I went.
The Farm is now the home of Jo and Sid...(aka my in-laws). Before it was their home, it was the home of Ron's grandparents, and before them, it was the home of Ron's great-grandparents! So you can see, there's a lot of family history at The Farm.

Back when we were in high school, when Ron's grandparents lived on The Farm, there was only cold water in the kitchen and only hot water in the bathroom. (Or was it the other way around?)Um? A slight dilemma! Not too much of a problem...somehow Meme still made unbelievable meals in that cold-water kitchen. She was an awesome cook! Grandpa would sit in that kitchen and stir MOUNDS of sugar into his ice tea. He lived to be...I think it was 96? Sugar must be good for you!

The Farm gets HOT! Thank goodness for the trees, lots of pecan trees. Of course, there are other trees there too, but I love the pecan trees. I love pecans! Sid use to sit out in the garage, with the oscillating fan blowing and the transistor radio playing, and 'pick pecans'....I loved being the recipient of Sid's Picked Pecans! He doesn't pick them as much anymore. Jo loves to cook with Sid's Picked Pecans. I love to eat what Jo cooks with them, of course, we all do. Jo's a great cook too! (Especially barbequed brisket...and my favorite - BLACK EYED PEAS! They taste best with one of Sid's onions!)

The Farm has always been a place of great fun for the kids! Joshua and Gabrial use to ride the tractor all over The Farm...one time they shot Sid's mail box with bb's (Sid wasn't thrilled with that one!)..and there's the creek - Onion Creek ("crick"). Sometimes it has water and sometimes it doesn't. Doesn't make any difference, the kids always loved going down there.

The Garden...oh my, what a garden! Ron remembers eating cantelope and corn on the cobb practically every day for every meal (a slight exaggeration!) for months at a time because there was so much of it in The Garden. My favorite, of course, are the BLACK EYED PEAS! Everytime we're at The Farm, Sid sends me back to my mom's with whatever is in season. Saddy loves to be a recipient of The Garden! One summer, I think it must have been in 2003, Sid took me to a HUGE black eyed pea patch (the "Pea Patch") and he and I picked black eyed peas. Sid, at 80 years old, outpicked me. It was a pretty hot day, and there was a small breeze blowing the plants and the grasshoppers were jumping everywhere....oh, I loved doing that.

Cousins...another reason to love The Farm! Larry's girls - Brenda, Lissette, and Ashley - and our kids - Joshua, Gabrial and Lindsey - grew up having fun together at The Farm. They're really close in age which added to the fun. Joshua is 30, Brenda is 29, Gabrial is 27, Lissette is 26, Lindsey is 25, and then 'Baby Ashley' is 20. Many games have been played around the kitchen table and just a lot of general farm fun. Now their spouses are joining the bunch.

Then there is Paul's Barn. It's just an old barn that you can't believe is still standing, but it is. I've painted a picture of it and we all take pictures of it. It sits on part of the property that belongs to Paul's family. Paul was Sid's younger brother who died about 8-10 years ago (I'll have to ask Jo). Paul's family lives in California, but it's still Paul's Barn. The cats like it.

Cats at the farm have unique names. There's Yellow Kitty and Grey Kitty. Um? Guess that's not too unique, but then again, how many people name their cats by their color?

The Farm...