Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1.  Have you ever spent time on a farm? Tell us a little bit about it. Have you ever grown your own pumpkin? Been on a hayride? Driven a tractor? Milked a cow?

The first seven years of marriage we lived on a farm. It was a lot of work, but I loved it.

I used to grow our own pumpkins. Even planting only one hill, I always ended up with more than we needed and would share the excess with our neighbors.

I've never been on an official "hayride" but I have had plenty of rides on wagons piled with hay.

I learned how to milk a cow by hand when I was thirteen. It became my evening chore from then until one of my brothers learned how several years later. We'd take turns after that because we both really enjoyed it.

After marrying a farmer I got to help milk a herd of cows twice a day, every day until we sold them and moved. We used mechanical milkers, but my ability to milk by hand came in useful whenever we had a cow that was being treated with medication and we didn't want its milk contaminating our milking equipment.
 

2. What's something younger you would like about you now? 

Younger me would be thrilled to know how happy I am now.
 

3. What are three things you'd like to do more often? Three things you'd like to do less often?
More often:
1) Read. I still love reading, I just don't get to sit down and read like I used to be able to.
2) Sew. I also still love sewing, but my sewing machine remains untouched for long periods of time.
3) Bake. I love baking, but hardly ever get a chance to actually bake anything, because the girls and their love of baking have taken over that area of the food preparation.

Less often:
1) Dusting. We live in an ancient farmhouse and it seems to be a pro at producing dust.
2) Sleep. Not that I want to go with less sleep, I just wish it wasn't necessary to sleep every night.
3) Pay bills. Need I say more about the subject?

4. What's on your nachos?

Occasionally I'll make nachos for Sunday evening. I use plenty of cheese, chili, green onions, and olives on them.

5. What's the most random thing in your purse or wallet? Does it need to stay there?

The most random thing in my purse at the moment is probably a pack of stationery. I usually carry a small notebook or two, but I had taken them out to write some of their contents in my "idea books" and in my desperation to have some type of writing paper available I grabbed a pack of stationery and shoved it into my purse as we headed out the door early Sunday morning.

It won't be staying there. I want my usual little notebooks instead.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

The reason we were leaving the house at 2 A.M. Sunday morning, was to travel out to Missouri for the funeral of LV's eleven year old nephew. We're still in shock that he died. He was a healthy, happy young boy, a friend to everyone he met, so full of life and energy. Without warning he died in his sleep.