MY MOM, A FARM WOMAN

Hello neighbor, Glad you stopped by.

When my grandfather bought a farm outside the small town of North Wayne, Maine, my father and mother, along with me,(a baby), and my mother's brother, all moved with them. They had lived in a larger town and so living on 140  acres of land was quite different.

My mother took to the farm naturally it seems. She loved having cows and milking them. Mom would say how peaceful it was to sit on a milk stool with her head resting on the side of the cow and just relaxing as she milked the cow, listening to the chewing of the cow's cuds as they ate their hay, watching the barn cats as they sat around waiting for some fresh milk in their dishes.

My mother also loved hens and chickens, not one of my favorites, but they supplied eggs and meat.
Mighty handy to have around a farm when money was short. Watching hens set on their eggs and waiting for the little peep peeps as the little chicks pecked their way out of the egg.

Gardening was a big part of farm work. Growing most of our vegetables added much to our meals. Mom also went strawberry and blackberry picking.My mother sure loved that farm. Growing vegetables was a necessity, but my Mom loved growing flowers. My Dad built her a small hot house so she would have a place to plant and grow her flowers. She especially liked planting little Geranium seeds. She like seeing the seeds begin to grow and get little curly leaves. She thought they looked so cute. My Mom would use anything she found no matter how small it was to use as a planter. As long as you could get some dirt in it for a seed it was usable.

So for many years my folks lived off the farm and the wood land. Then came the day my father passed away at 89 and that changed farming on the farm. My mother wanted to stay on the farm
for a few years, so we said "OK" as along as all goes well. Came the time when my mother had to leave the farm. it sure wad not a fun time for her. But that's life.

When we moved to Virginia, my mother ended up at Fairmont, a care place just about five minutes from our place. You can take the woman out of the farm, but not the farm out of the woman. She still would find a little container that something came in, maybe a dressing, etc.. and show it to me and say "You  could plant something in this". There was is a great group of women who would come in with loads of flowers and each resident could put together a bouquet for their room. My mother always loved her bouquet of flowers.

My Mom sure loved her corn on the cob. Everyone got a kick out of how her eyes would light up when she was handed an ear of corn.  They would have a big crate of corn and everyone pitched in to shuck the ears.  Quite often I would buy an ear of corn and cook it up and wrap it in  wax paper with butter and take it up to her.  Boy it was better then a million dollars to see her chomp on that ear of corn with her worn out teeth from all her years of eating.

That special farm woman celebrated her 102nd birthday on Oct. 14. But Mom had already decided that she had lived long enough and it was time for her to go see Jesus. So mom went to bed and did not get up again. She slept through her birthday party that we had. She just kept waiting for Jesus to come. Three days later, as she lay peacefully sleeping, Jesus came and took her home to that big farm in the sky.  I was so glad that God was so good to take her so soon and that she no longer has to sit in that wheel chair. I am happy now knowing that she has gone to a better place.

Maybe you will stop by again for another chat.