A Rare Find

Bank barns dotted the rural landscape in my childhood years. Family farms consisted
of a bank barn, house, small shed/workshop and 100 acres of land. Over the years farming
has changed. The need for bank barns has decreased. Most barns have not been
maintained and have fallen down or have been taken down. 

I was blessed to tour the inside of this barn. Over the years the owners
replaced beams, walls and floors with new lumber. This allowed the barn to remain
structurally sound and usable today. The previous owners were hobby farmers. They
boarded a few horses on the bottom level and stored hay and straw in the upper level.
The new owner is undecided on the use of the barn as he is a cash crop farmer with
full time employment off the farm.

I treasure the time I spent inside this barn. The rope swing and  wooden ladders reminded
me of a time gone by. Loose doors banged against their frame each time the wind blew.
The smell of hay and straw tickled  my nose. Fresh air filled my lungs. My toes grew cold
inside my insulated boots. Precious memories flooded my mind. A single tear ran down
my cheek. A tear for a past life. A smile for  new beginnings and what the future holds
for this rare find.

                                                          Who Would Have Thought


I never dreamed that gravity wagons would be the highlight of my blog posts. I drove by the field
that had the gravity wagons in it from a previous blog.There was one lonely wagon in
the middle of the field. It may have a flat tire or may be just wasn't needed this past harvest.
It got me thinking about how much I miss seeing those wagons.

This morning as I gaze out my kitchen window at the farm next door I realize there is a row
of gravity wagons lined up by the shed. How could I possibly have missed them? Maybe it was
the poor visibility due to blowing snow or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. There they are
all lined up in a row.

I put on my insulated coveralls, big green boots, heavy mittens and toque. With my
camera in my pocket I climb threw the snowdrifts on my country property to the fence
line. Even though my camera is small I manage to get a photo. Its a cold walk back to
the warmth of my house but the sunshine is beautiful.

                                  

                                                                My New Ride (I Wish)


I really enjoy seeing any type of farm machinery in my daily travels. Whether its in the
fields, on the road or parked like this one in a horse and buggy parking space in Elmira.
I was fumbling with my flip phone trying to get a picture of the tractor and
didn't even notice my daughter get out of her vehicle and walk up to me. I was so
into the tractor as MF is my favourite tractor. Its a common occurrence to see tractors
parked in Elmira. I wanted a photo of this one to post on my Facebook page.
"Muther, you didn't even notice me did you?" my daughter questioned.
I had to admit to her I didn't. She knows how technologically impaired I am so she
whips out her I-phone, takes a photo and tells me she'll send it to me. She's on her
way back to work so I thank her and say I'll talk to her later.
My mind gets one crazy thought going threw it.  I would love to own a
tractor like this and drive it to town to do my banking, eat a quick lunch and go back
to my farm and work for the rest of the day. What a wonderful thought and maybe, just
maybe, some day that will happen.

  
                                                    Keep Me Going

I snapped this photo last summer on my daily bike ride. I love the fact that there are
more than one or two gravity wagons in one place. The wagons are on a hill. That's
why the picture looks like it is tipped. I knew  the wagons wouldn't be there
for long as harvest time was just around the corner.

Each day I looked for the wagons as the summer progressed. By mid August they
were gone. Out in the fields being loaded with wheat and hauled to the farm or
feed mill for storage or sale.  My bike ride wasn't the same after that but I
had the pleasure of watching the combine harvest the soybean field in this
photo. My farmer's heart was happy for one more day.

 As I pass by this area on my commute from work I enjoy the winter season
 with its snow covered fields- a time of rest. I equally enjoy spring with its
 new beginnings, summer with crops growth and fall with the harvest season.

Its the little things in life that count. The ones I look forward to every day.
The things that keep me going.



                      

Ag More Than Ever

                                                   Ag More Than Ever


In the fall of 2013 I attended the Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario. I try to avoid the
sales pitch of most of the vendors. But, one of the vendors caught my eye and I was drawn into their booth.

Ag More Than Ever's booth was not eye catching, nor were they handing out freebies. THEY WERE
SELLING T SHIRTS FOR $5. That was enough to drag me off the main concourse into their booth. Now don't misunderstand me. There was nothing wrong with their booth and there may have been freebies but being the frugal person that I am, all I noticed was the t-shirts. How could I not get drawn in by farm t-shirts at that price.

Now was my chance to get myself another t-shirt that would promote agriculture.( My passion for agriculture is not a secret) The lady behind the tables was my kind of person. She didn't give me a sales pitch or push anything. She simply told me about Ag More Than Ever. Promotion of agriculture was their objective. I asked how they could possibly sell t-shirts for such a reasonable price. She said their purpose was to promote agriculture not to make money. The more she talked, the more I liked what she had to say.

I bought two t-shirts. One for my grandson and one for myself. I don't know if he will farm but its up to me to make him aware of where his food comes from. I wear my t-shirt proudly and am willing to
promote agriculture any way that I am able.

If you ate today, thank a farmer.

Website-AgMoreThanEver.ca

Clawfoot Bathtub

                                             Clawfoot Bathtub
                  (just felt like writing from my heart)

My son recently bought a house that was a rental property. The tenants stayed for a few months, then
decided to move out. They left a lot of belongings hidden behind the shed. Not a pretty sight for
anyone to see. In amongst the gardening supplies, wood, cement blocks and basic junk was an
old cast iron bathtub with clawed feet. Three of the feet were intact but the claw of the fourth was missing. The interior and exterior were in pretty amazing shape considering the bathtub had been
left outside. Being one not liking to see usable things thrown in the garbage, I offered to sell the tub
for my son.
I placed a few ads on two local auction sites but got no buyers. The next step was Kijiji. I had
responses from a few people but nothing serious until a few days ago. I got an email from a gentleman asking if he could come and see the tub. We arranged for tonight at 6. He arrived
on time, shook my hand and began to tell me his story. He owned a company that made mobile
airships (blimps). He had just contracted a job with a major beer company to build a blimp. He went into great detail about blimps and their design. The bathtub was to be used as a mold for the bottom
of the blimp. When his company was done with it I would probably see it back on Kijiji for sale again.
I told him I was an author and there was a story in the making. He backed his van up to the tub.
His wife and I lifted one side and he lifted the other. The lift went fairly smooth and was over in a few moments. The dollar amount we agreed on was placed in my hand and he was off on another
adventure to pick up a plastic turtle sandbox that he had seen a few miles back.
I called my son who was working the land and told him that the tub was sold. He was busy and had
to be reminded to be thankful. Funny how things like that get forgotten. Especially on this thanksgiving weekend.
You just never know who you are going to meet in a day and what fascinating things you are going
to learn. I will be checking out his website for photos. It will be exciting to see this blimp when it is finished. An old bathtub discarded behind a shed became useful again

Elmdale Farm

                      
                                                       Elmdale Farm

     Life was wonderful on Elmdale farm. Every morning the cock crowed at sunrise. The
sun shed its warmth,most days. Rain came when needed and dampened the soil. Seeds were planted
producing bountiful alfalfa fields. Corn stalks grew tall. Wheat heads bowed to the ground ready to be combined. Ewes lambed, cows calved, horses foaled, and pigs birthed large litters of piglets. Chickens laid eggs, cats had kittens and dogs had puppies. Farmer Brown and his wife, Lila, and their
five children were content.
     One sunny day as Farmer Brown was changing a belt on his combine a dark cloud rolled in.
     "Mmmmm funny. Weatherman didn't call for rain. Better get this done before it starts," he said.
     Distracted by the potential for rain, Farmer Brown didn't see the groundhog in his alfalfa field.
Greedy Groundhog had been digging holes in the field making a comfortable home for himself.
As he popped his head above the grass he snickered and thought to himself. That old farmer is too busy with his broken down old combine. Soon he'll be combining wheat. He'll never see me. I can
have a hey day(no pun intended) in this field. By the time he comes for a third cut of hay I'll have most of my tunnels made. He really gets ticked at me when I leave large mounds of dirt all over the field. You should hear him curse every time the hay wagon hits one of my dirt mounds. I can hear it
as plain as day down in my hole. Hehehehehe.
     Farmer Brown continued on with his work, checked the weather forecast on his computer, and started combining. Greedy Groundhog continued digging tunnels and building mounds of dirt. During one of his breaks he popped his head out of a hole to check on Farmer Brown.
    "I'm in the process of creating a masterpiece in this field," Greedy said.
     Time went by and the last days of summer turned to fall. Greedy stopped digging and started to
prepare for winter. Farmer Brown finished combining wheat and turned his focus to his alfalfa
fields. He expected their to be groundhog damage to the fields. Much to his surprise as he walked to
the hay fields he discovered more than minimal damage. He spent more time dodging ground hog
holes and tripping over mounds of soil, than he did checking his crop.
     Normally, Farmer Brown was slow to anger and pretty much took  everyday life in stride.
After his trip through the alfalfa fields, his attitude changed. He was furious. He stomped back to
the farm house, grabbed his rifle and bullets and set out to revenge the groundhog. Meanwhile, Greedy Groundhog, exhausted after all his work, rested in his hole. Just as he nodded off to sleep, he
heard yelling above ground. The sound of gun shots made him jump, hitting his head on the dirt
ceiling.
     "Oh no, Farmer Brown is after me. I'd better lay low for a few days, " Greedy said.
     Farmer Brown searched the fields until dusk. As he wandered back home, a peace came over him
from his head to his toes. He realized the way he had been acting wasn't going to solve anything. He
had work to do the next day and he needed a good nights sleep.
     Greedy Groundhog settled in his hole for the night. He knew he could possibly face the
wrath of Farmer Brown in the morning so he had better be prepared. With his head on his pillow
Farmer Brown's thoughts turned to all the blessings in his life. He prayed with thankfulness in his words and thoughts. As his eyes closed he whispered to Greedy out in the alfalfa field.
     "I'll get you tomorrow."