Living on a farm, one does not take many vacations, especially in the summer time. So when we did get to go on a vacation, it was a special event. Sometimes we got to leave the farm for a day or two, but one year we got to go on a much longer vacation. I am not certain how long we were gone, but I am guessing about a week. This was the trip to Colorado and Wyoming. To the best of my memory, I was about 10 years old.
I do not remember where we spent our first night. It could have been in New Mexico, but it could have been in Canon City or Colorado Springs. I know we went to the Royal Gorge close to Canon City. This was an impressive place. I don't believe I had ever seen a canyon that deep. There was a wooden bridge that cars could drive over. We did not drive across the bridge, but we did get out and and look down at the gorge from the bridge. It was kind of a scary feeling especially since I did not and still don't like heights. We also went to the state prison in Canon City. Why we did this I do not have a clue. It does seem a very odd place to visit. They actually had tours to go through the prison. I can't remember if my dad went in with us or not. He must have as I do recall my dad having trouble getting through the security gate. He had crutches and those caused the alarm to go off. The crutches were wooden, but they had metal screws. We saw prisoners in their cells, saw some of the inmates making license plates (at least that is my memory ) They were making something. I am pretty sure we saw either a gas chamber or electric chair. We might have seen both. If nothing else, we learned from our visit that this was a place we did not want to end up.
Another thing we did on this vacation was to go to Seven Falls. This park is in Colorado Springs. I barely remember the falls, but I do remember all the steps we went up. It seemed they would never end. I never made it to the top, but my brothers did. I must have been a wimp. I am sure my grandkids could make it, and they are not even 10 years old. When we started down the steps, my legs would shake.
On another day we rode the Pikes Peak railroad cog up to the top of the Peak. My dad did not go, just my mom and us kids. There were so many of the activities that we did that he could not participate in because of his being on crutches. He did not seem to mind. He would find people to talk to and visit with them. When we got on the train at the bottom, it was very hot. By the time we reached the top it was sleeting. Because of the clouds we could not see anything from the Peak. I was very glad to get back down to the warm sunshine.
I do not know if we went to Garden of the Gods or not. Another place we might have gone by was the Broadmoor Hotel. These were both places my mom had gone to visit when she went on her Senior trip after graduating high school. I am sure she would have wanted to see these places again. If we did go to these areas, we probably just drove by without stopping.
The next place we visited was Denver. We went to the Capitol Building. I guess my parents wanted us to see the historic sites, plus this was free. We went inside and looked around. I do not think we got to go up to the dome. I don't remember anything else we did in Denver. From there we went to Wyoming.
Our next stop was Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming. We were going to go see the Capitol Building there, but it was already closed. I do not think we missed a thing. Once you have seen one capitol building, you have pretty much seen them all. I remember staying in a motel in Cheyenne that had a kitchen. I suppose that we had stayed in motels the entire way that had kitchens as that would have been the cheaper way to eat. The motel was managed by a Japanese couple, and there was a garden. The plants were some I did not recognize. Why I remember this piece of trivia, I've no idea.
I am pretty sure after we spent the night in Wyoming, we made our way back home.
My mom took photos of our vacation, and if I could look at them, likely I would have a much better recollection of what actually took place. It was a fun trip, and I was thankful we got to visit Colorado. I never dreamed that I would one day live in the city we had visited on vacation so long ago.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
THE GARDEN
When growing up, we always had a summer garden. I cannot remember a summer that we did not have a garden. It was source of food for us for during the winter months. My parents always had a garden when they were growing up and guess they continued the tradition. My mom still has a garden each summer, though my brother does all the planting and watering, and most of the gathering now.
At first the garden was located just north of our house. Later it was moved to the east side of the driveway on the north side of our house. Then it was located east of the barn, and later moved to various places in the field east and south of the house.
Each spring we would have to prepare the soil. At first this was done with a shovel. I remember my mom and Eldon spading, and I am sure Weldon did some though I cannot remember it. I never did as I was too little and could not get the shovel all the way into the ground. Then we got a rototiller which was much faster than spading. I loved the way the fresh tilled dirt smelled and loved the way the soil felt, soft and moist.
Next rows had to be made. Eldon and Weldon did most of this, though my dad did his fare share even with having to wear crutches. Next we got out all the seeds. At first I usually just walked with bare feet on top of the seeds in the top of the rows. That was an easy way to get the seeds pressed down into the dirt. Later I got to drop in the seeds and cover them. Eldon always loved to play in the water, so he was usually the one that took care of getting the garden watered. At first we used a garden hose, then when the garden was moved to the field, Eldon used the irrigation water. My mom and dad would also water the garden when needed.
We all had to pull and hoe weeds and gather the ripe produce. We all had to take part in snapping beans, shelling peas, shucking and silking corn, gathering cucumbers, squash, okra, tomatoes, and melons. There is nothing like the taste of fresh vegetables and we looked forward to the first crops every year.
After I got married and had kids, we had a garden in a few places we lived. The best gardens were in Reserve and Bloomfield, New Mexico. Our kids seemed to enjoy having a garden as much as I did, especially planting the seeds. I don't think hoeing and pulling weeds were favorite tasks, nor at times did they care to gather the vegetables. As the girls got older, they actually liked to help weed the garden, to gather ripe veggies, and to can or freeze the produce. Ethan was never a fan of the garden activities, but he did enjoy partaking of some of the fresh vegetables.
Some of the vegetables we grew were corn, blackeyed peas, green beans, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, green chilies, jalapenos, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, beets, okra, squash, and pumpkin. Along with the vegetables, the girls liked to plant flowers and bulbs.
I am hoping that some day I will again have a place and an opportunity to have a garden.
At first the garden was located just north of our house. Later it was moved to the east side of the driveway on the north side of our house. Then it was located east of the barn, and later moved to various places in the field east and south of the house.
Each spring we would have to prepare the soil. At first this was done with a shovel. I remember my mom and Eldon spading, and I am sure Weldon did some though I cannot remember it. I never did as I was too little and could not get the shovel all the way into the ground. Then we got a rototiller which was much faster than spading. I loved the way the fresh tilled dirt smelled and loved the way the soil felt, soft and moist.
Next rows had to be made. Eldon and Weldon did most of this, though my dad did his fare share even with having to wear crutches. Next we got out all the seeds. At first I usually just walked with bare feet on top of the seeds in the top of the rows. That was an easy way to get the seeds pressed down into the dirt. Later I got to drop in the seeds and cover them. Eldon always loved to play in the water, so he was usually the one that took care of getting the garden watered. At first we used a garden hose, then when the garden was moved to the field, Eldon used the irrigation water. My mom and dad would also water the garden when needed.
We all had to pull and hoe weeds and gather the ripe produce. We all had to take part in snapping beans, shelling peas, shucking and silking corn, gathering cucumbers, squash, okra, tomatoes, and melons. There is nothing like the taste of fresh vegetables and we looked forward to the first crops every year.
After I got married and had kids, we had a garden in a few places we lived. The best gardens were in Reserve and Bloomfield, New Mexico. Our kids seemed to enjoy having a garden as much as I did, especially planting the seeds. I don't think hoeing and pulling weeds were favorite tasks, nor at times did they care to gather the vegetables. As the girls got older, they actually liked to help weed the garden, to gather ripe veggies, and to can or freeze the produce. Ethan was never a fan of the garden activities, but he did enjoy partaking of some of the fresh vegetables.
Some of the vegetables we grew were corn, blackeyed peas, green beans, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, green chilies, jalapenos, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, beets, okra, squash, and pumpkin. Along with the vegetables, the girls liked to plant flowers and bulbs.
I am hoping that some day I will again have a place and an opportunity to have a garden.
Monday, September 12, 2016
GOING TO WORK WITH MY DAD
Due to the physical disability that my dad had which was a fusing of the joints, he could not longer do the farming. He had to rent the farm out, and so took other jobs to bring in more income. One of those jobs was working at a cotton gin keeping books. The gin was called Clays Corner Gin, which was where the gin was located. Once in a while, usually around the Thanksgiving holiday, I would get to go and spend the day at the gin with my dad. I looked forward to going and was excited to "help" him with different jobs in the office.
My first task was to be my dad's eyes. He was able to still drive, a 3-speed on the column no less, which I found amazing in later years. At the time, I did not think much of it. We would get to the highway, and he would ask me if anyone was coming. If he were by himself, he would just point the pickup toward the east and then look in the rear view mirror to see if anyone was coming from the west. There were two other stop signs on the way to the gin, Again, I would be asked if there were any cars coming.
Once we got to the gin, our first job was to go in and make coffee. Then we would take a broom and sweep the concrete floors. There were three rooms to sweep, a main office, a smaller office which was my dad's, and a bathroom. To keep the dust down, there was some sort of saw dust that we would sprinkle on the floors, Then we would take the broom and clean up the place.
After this, my dad usually had some sort of bookkeeping duties. I never really understood what he did. I loved the adding machine, and some time during the course of the day, he would let me play with it. My dad's fingers would fly on the 10 key machine. I was truly in awe of how he never looked at the keys and entered numbers.
There were cards that were attached to a wire that went on the cotton trailers to identify who the cotton belonged to. Those cards would eventually be wired to the cotton bale.
Sometimes we would sort those and some other type of cards, matching numbers. There was a scale to weigh the cotton trailers, and my dad would write weights in a book or ledger. The trailer was weighed with the cotton on it,and then again when the trailer was empty to see how much the cotton actually weighed.
Sometimes we counted the change, which was kept in an old muffin tin. Each hole was used for separating quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies. If there was enough change, we would put the coins into coin wrappers. If the coke machine was low on sodas, we would put the more into the machine.
At lunch time, we would get out the lunch pail. It was an old metal pail that was gray and dented. Sometimes we took sandwiches, and sometimes we had Thanksgiving leftovers. I guess we did not worry about food poisoning or warming the food. There was not a refrigerator that I can remember nor a way to warm up food. We sat out our meal and then my dad would let me get a dime from the muffin tin and go get a "coke". That was the term for all soda's in West Texas.
After lunch, I usually just had to find things to keep entertained. I am not sure what all I did, but I kept busy. I think there was scratch paper to draw on, I could go outside and wonder around, and farmers would come in and talk to my dad. I often listened. The farmers all wanted to buy me a soft drink. There was one occasion that several bought me a soda, and I think I was not very hungry for lunch. My dad was not aware of how many cokes I had drank. Fortunately some of the bottles were 8 oz bottles, I did not get that much.
Another thing I liked to do was get the sugar cubes and suck on them. My dad was pretty careful to not let me have too many of those. There were also raw peanuts in a big bag. I could shell and eat some of those too, but not too many, or it would cause a stomach ache.
Sometimes the gin office would get super smoky. Almost every farmer smoked cigarettes in that time era. It would get so smoky that you could barely see people. At those times, I would go outside and get some fresh air.
In the afternoons, when it got really quiet, I would get so sleepy and would lay down on a couch they had in the main office and take a nap.
I remember the gin manager was a man by the name of Mr. Scott. He had a wooden leg. He would often take me and set me on his lap and talk to me. His wooden leg always felt odd. That leg was hard and stiff.
Quitting time was 5:00. I was usually ready to leave and go home. I had done all I could think of to do, and was tired and bored by that time.
I love all the memories I have of going to the gin with my dad. Those were special days.
My first task was to be my dad's eyes. He was able to still drive, a 3-speed on the column no less, which I found amazing in later years. At the time, I did not think much of it. We would get to the highway, and he would ask me if anyone was coming. If he were by himself, he would just point the pickup toward the east and then look in the rear view mirror to see if anyone was coming from the west. There were two other stop signs on the way to the gin, Again, I would be asked if there were any cars coming.
Once we got to the gin, our first job was to go in and make coffee. Then we would take a broom and sweep the concrete floors. There were three rooms to sweep, a main office, a smaller office which was my dad's, and a bathroom. To keep the dust down, there was some sort of saw dust that we would sprinkle on the floors, Then we would take the broom and clean up the place.
After this, my dad usually had some sort of bookkeeping duties. I never really understood what he did. I loved the adding machine, and some time during the course of the day, he would let me play with it. My dad's fingers would fly on the 10 key machine. I was truly in awe of how he never looked at the keys and entered numbers.
There were cards that were attached to a wire that went on the cotton trailers to identify who the cotton belonged to. Those cards would eventually be wired to the cotton bale.
Sometimes we would sort those and some other type of cards, matching numbers. There was a scale to weigh the cotton trailers, and my dad would write weights in a book or ledger. The trailer was weighed with the cotton on it,and then again when the trailer was empty to see how much the cotton actually weighed.
Sometimes we counted the change, which was kept in an old muffin tin. Each hole was used for separating quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies. If there was enough change, we would put the coins into coin wrappers. If the coke machine was low on sodas, we would put the more into the machine.
At lunch time, we would get out the lunch pail. It was an old metal pail that was gray and dented. Sometimes we took sandwiches, and sometimes we had Thanksgiving leftovers. I guess we did not worry about food poisoning or warming the food. There was not a refrigerator that I can remember nor a way to warm up food. We sat out our meal and then my dad would let me get a dime from the muffin tin and go get a "coke". That was the term for all soda's in West Texas.
After lunch, I usually just had to find things to keep entertained. I am not sure what all I did, but I kept busy. I think there was scratch paper to draw on, I could go outside and wonder around, and farmers would come in and talk to my dad. I often listened. The farmers all wanted to buy me a soft drink. There was one occasion that several bought me a soda, and I think I was not very hungry for lunch. My dad was not aware of how many cokes I had drank. Fortunately some of the bottles were 8 oz bottles, I did not get that much.
Another thing I liked to do was get the sugar cubes and suck on them. My dad was pretty careful to not let me have too many of those. There were also raw peanuts in a big bag. I could shell and eat some of those too, but not too many, or it would cause a stomach ache.
Sometimes the gin office would get super smoky. Almost every farmer smoked cigarettes in that time era. It would get so smoky that you could barely see people. At those times, I would go outside and get some fresh air.
In the afternoons, when it got really quiet, I would get so sleepy and would lay down on a couch they had in the main office and take a nap.
I remember the gin manager was a man by the name of Mr. Scott. He had a wooden leg. He would often take me and set me on his lap and talk to me. His wooden leg always felt odd. That leg was hard and stiff.
Quitting time was 5:00. I was usually ready to leave and go home. I had done all I could think of to do, and was tired and bored by that time.
I love all the memories I have of going to the gin with my dad. Those were special days.
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