He and Grandma had lived on their farm for 63 years. My Grandpa raised MANY kinds of animals, and was a crop farmer as well.
He was a HARD worker. And a man who knew A LOT about everything.
I loved him dearly.
My Grandparents made plans before he died. He wanted my Grandma to move off the farm, because it is too big for one person to handle. They bought a house right in town, with easy access to everything.
So, the other night, we went over and took one more walk through of the farm.
It made me remember so many things.
The times I was with Grandpa in his workshop (he made beautiful things out of wood), and the cats were swarming around our feet.
The times I played with my sister and cousins from Virginia (city kids! :-) )out in the back shed. We climbed for HOURS and had the best time. Not caring how dirty or covered with spiderwebs we were.
The time my Grandpa rigged up a towing line to his tractor so me and my sister and cousins could sled down the hill to the pond, and be pulled back up.
The two doberman dogs he kept that scared me so badly, I would fly from the car to the house everytime we visited, even though they were kept behind a fence. (I just KNEW they were coming for me every time I went.)
And even when I would ride with him in the cab of his tractor and he would pop out his false teeth whenever I asked him to, just so I could scream everytime.
I drive past this farm every week when I go to get groceries.
It will forever be a part of my childhood.
It really is a beautiful setting, my Grandparent's farm...
We had to keep pulling Brent away from all the equipment. He kept exclaming, "Do you KNOW what this IS?" Frankly darling, I don't, and I'm not sure that I care....
At the time when I was a kid, I never knew any different, living on a farm was what I knew. Visiting my Grandparents was just another HUGE yard for me to run around in. The buildings were a place to explore. When I got married, I wanted to move away from country living. I wanted to be more worldly.
Little did I know, kids would change everything. I wanted them to experience the freedom of being outside in a HUGE place like I had as a kid.
I'm glad that kind of life was instilled in me, or I probably would've never come back to it.
It was nice remembering the other night.
How wonderful to have memories like that of a place you call home! I'm sure it will be bittersweet to drive by it now. I hope whoever buys it loves it as much as your family has.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful farm packed with awesome memories. Who could ask for more?!
ReplyDeleteMy your kids are growing!! And that memory of false teeth brought make memories of my grandpa too and made me smile. : )
A lovely tribute, Lorie. So sweetly said.
ReplyDeleteI'm teary! Your Grandpa's farm is lovely. So is your post! I see your Grandpa's and can easiiy imagine the fullness and family of it all...Empty n quiet just seems so wrong. I hope another family is blessed to grow there soon (?). I don't want to ever leave our farm. I hope my own kids appreciate it. But I guess it's *my* dream come true, not theirs. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you all,
Leslie
ps - tell Brent he sounds just like me ! <3
It is difficult to let go and close the door to this chapter of life....It is where I grew up, introduced my children & grandchildren to the joy of farm life. Even with all the sweat and labor that goes into daily chores, it is the best life to live. There is a memory in every step I take as we downsize and clean away the past and begin to move to a new beginning for mom. The sounds of a squeaking barn door, a rusty door handle, an old tractor, a crackling fire, old chains that rattle on gates, wind blowing through a broken window pane, the sounds of shovels moving across old uneven cement barn lots, a squeal from time to time when barn mice quickly run out to spook you, Water dripping from an old hydrant hitting the bottom of a bucket, the sounds & sights of one last harvest coming to an end, and the changing colors of Fall are all reminders of change and the familiar sounds becoming silent. In all reality life is all about changes, growing older & wiser for what we have experienced in our life journey, seeing God's hand of protection and guidance all along the way...Feeling blessed to have been raised in a simpler time when life was lived at a slower pace with less material things to take our attention away from each other. I will forever cherish the love and life on this farm and those who made it a wonderful place to grow up & grow older gracefully.......What a joy that my dad lived out his final days here where his heart was until he entered his eternal home in heaven. It will be difficult as we lock the door one final time and move on, but will faithfully drive by and see new life breathed into every acre and corner of this place I will always call HOME...God will guide our path forward as we establish a comfortable new dwelling for mom to call home and bring some of their good memories along for comfort and new beginnings..........the memories of our past, present and future are a huge part of what builds our character of who we are today........
ReplyDeleteGORGEOUS! Thank you so much for sharing! My grandparents had a farm in Utah. It reminds me a lot of your grandparents. I would dearly love to get back out there, and drive by it. I was only 12 when my grandpa died, and 22 when my grandmother passed. So many things in my life, I pattern after them. So happy that you have wonderful grandparents too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! My husband would have been all over that place! I'm lucky that my parents live in my grandparent's house, the one my dad was born in. It would be a sad day if it left our family... I have similar memories from spring breaks and summer vacations spent there, although my grandparent's farm was much smaller.
ReplyDelete~Chris