The Freedman Farm

As a child growing up on a big 'ol dairy farm, I thought that's how everyone lived. It was in the country on lots of acres with creeks, small ponds, large ponds and hay barns full of square bales stacked to the ceiling. Adventure was everywhere you looked and major decisions were required with each new sunrise.

I spent my 'little girl' years (until age 7) on what we called Dairy #1. The only requirement I had through all of the farm years was to be happy, have fun, stay out of the tanks (because until age 8, I didn't know how to swim) and throw a rubber ball against our big house about a thousand times a day. How my mother stood the 'kaaa thunk, kaaa thunk, kaaa thunk' against the side of the house was puzzling to me. And, when I needed a change, I threw the ball on top of the huge tin roof and let it roll down to me. The tin roof caused the ball to 'bounce' and roll in a rythm to the edge where it finally fell to earth! In other words, I had musical talents at an early age with different kinds of sound!!
Our yards were huge and cousins came often. We'd play croquet, chase, Red Rover/Red Rover, hide 'n seek and a bunch of other games. When that became boring, we'd sprint to the hay barn where the older boy cousins and my brother would build a tunnel maze up on the top of the huge stack. In order to play, you had to climb from the floor to the roof and be alive at the top!
Someone always had to go through first...through the dark opening, on hands and knees, straining to see in the dark, feeling your way through until saw daylight at the end of the tunnel!! Remember, it was a maze, meaning you could crawl your guts out and suddenly bump into a 'dead end'!! That meant crawl backwards and take the right, dark turn this time.
Now I never really understood the purpose of being the 'guinea pig' mazer and the first through. As a 6 year old, I wanted to be special and crawl FIRST!! The purpose, you ask? To see if there were any snakes, possums or skunks bedded down in there! YIPES! Had I known the real reason I probably would not have participated at all!
Something else we did in the hay barn was to rake the loose hay on the floor into a gigantic pile. From the highest point (the top) we jumped and bounced our way from the top of the stack to the floor. The hay barn housed about a thousand bales...it was huge and very tall! That was fun until the day...my brother jumped and missed the bulk of the stack! His sprained ankle caused our mother to 'catch us' doing that DANGEROUS thing! Rats! That about ended the free sail into a soft nest at the bottom of a very hard, dirt floor!
Also on Dairy #1, we had a great, winding creek that coursed through the lower pasture and the Pecan Meadow. It snaked left and right, shallow in most parts but deep enough in one or two spots to drown someone who didn't know how to swim! I never challenged the swimming hole in the creek because I was afraid of snakes!! Hey, I was only 6 or 7 and yes, I roamed all over the farm 'at will' but water meant snakes! But, my brother, our cousin Eddie and their friend, Tommy did sneak off to the hole on Sunday afternoons.
We'd go to church and always brought friends/cousins home for the afternoon. That was back in the day where we were active kids all day till bedtime. Television was 'new' to the scene and our imaginations for stuff to do far exceeded a small, black and white screen! And computers? Not even a twinkle in our eye back then, no clue...early 1950's...baby boomer kids running around with the wind blowing in our face!
Back to the swimming hole in the creek. Our farmhouse was a huge, old house. You ran in the back door on the back porch to turn sharply to the left and land in the tiny kitchen. A big, white pot sat on the cabinet with a good sized ladle bobbing in it...WATER!!! How good on a hot afternoon. On this particular Sunday afternoon, Jimmy, Eddie and Tommy ran to get a drink...mother said, "stay out of that creek, do you understand?"
As all good boys do, they agreed with a yes ma'am and a head shake. And, off they went..STRAIGHT TO THE SWIMMING HOLE. On one particular day, one of them ( I think it was Eddie ) slipped from the slanted, shallows into the deep water and got caught in the middle of the hole. The story goes that he began yelling for help and Jimmy and Tommy panicked. They didn't know how to swim and save anyone so they grabbed a pair of blue jeans and began lunging the 'leg' out towards Eddie. It took a couple of times, one too many, and he finally was able to grab and hold on for dear life! He had gone under twice and was headed down for the third time. Tragedy was avoided for Eddie in the swimming hole, but nothing avoided in the kitchen! The jig was up...they 'wuz' caught red-handed!! Two offenses, breaking their word of honor with mother and almost drowning!!! Whew, glad I was a good girl!! lolol All I did was sneak down to the creek and watch them shimmy their shirts and jeans off...they swam in their tighty whities!!
I think of the great childhood days we had in the country, the fun, the laughter, the games, the animals and all the rest. Those thoughts bring me back to focus on life today. Wow, yes, it has changed a million times over the years, but because of our parents love, a strong foundation and their success in instilling strong character in us, both of us have been successful in life.
The challenges have been many. Did I make the best decisions every time, NOT. Have I learned strong life lessons from the past, DEFINITELY. Do I have what it takes to 'stand and deliver' in this most recent big challenge/life changing quest? YES. And on any given day when I have time to let the mind roam, I visit the country days...for they were some of the best days of my life!!!
Who knows? Following the Lap Band surgery and weight loss, my life will probably take one more directional change...less pounds, better breathing and able to do more of what I used to enjoy.
Life is a symphony. Sometimes we sit 'first chair' and sometimes we barely maintain a spot in the orchestra. I hope to get back to the FIRST ROW!!!
When you hit a low spot in your busy day, hesitate and take yourself back to the past. Let it be one of those 'magical places and times' that reminds you where you've been and recognize the inner strength to continue!