Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Farm Girl

I was raised on a small farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  It wasn't an easy life.  We were poor by today's standards.  But some parts of that rural life were wonderful.
Yep, that's me, feeding a bummer lamb.  My cousin sent me this photo last week.  There aren't a lot of photos of me at this age, about four or five years old.  

Every spring we would get a bummer lamb from a nearby farm.  A bummer is a lamb that is raised away from its mother, because she had triplets and could only feed two, or because she had twins and as an old ewe she could only feed one.  

We bottle fed the lambs until they were old enough to be weaned.  They were cute and fun when they were little, but by the time they got too big to handle they became lamb chops and leg of lamb for Easter dinner.  No, we didn't romanticize farm life.  We were realistic.  A pet today is meat tomorrow.

We had milk cows and chickens and sometimes a pig or two, maybe a runt also raised by hand.  Every summer we had a big vegetable garden. as well as fruit trees.  Berries were easy to come by from nearby farms, where we spent summers working to harvest strawberries and raspberries and beans.  We had maybe a week off to get ready to go back to school.  And yet, strangely, I loved summer.  I still do.

I left the farm at age 18 and came to Seattle to attend school at Seattle Pacific College, now University.  I spent summers back on the farm, working in crops or in the cannery. It was by then always a relief to get back to Seattle and my college dorm in September.

From college on I have been a city girl, never longing for that old country life.  And yet, you can't take the country completely out of that girl.  I still love long walks, bird song, drives through rural areas, exploring country roads and  identifying crops in fields.

And I still plant things.  I guess that's why I am a gardener. 

18 comments:

  1. What a lovely post, Linda! And a lovely photo as well! Thank you for sharing a look back in time with you. Hope your week is going well!

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  2. How fun to get that picture. I never actually lived on a farm. Our little town's population was about 300. Those times are fun to remember but Most people have no desire to repeat them.

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  3. So that's where you get your expertise for growing things! Linda, I just saw something in the news about a horrendous landslide at Whidbey Island. I hope it doesn't affect you.

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  4. Our Whidbey Island property is a long way down island from the massive slides going on there. Our cabin is safe.

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  5. Aww, what a pair of cuties. I always envied my friends who lived on farms except for the eating of the animals part. I much prefer my food in nice styrofoam packages. I do get attached.

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  6. I used to own and raise 3 pet chickens during high school. My dad liked to garden and harvest veggies and fruits from his yard. But that was the extent of our rural ways in suburban Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.

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  7. fun to learn more of your background-cute photo!

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  8. How could I know so much about you and not know that part? What an interesting childhood! And yes, it does make sense that you have that wonderful garden, because seeing things grow never gets old! Glad to hear your cabin is safe, Linda. :-)

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  9. Linda, that is a sweet picture. Thanks for sharing it with us. I think the country life gets in your blood. Was a city girl myself, but spent the summers on my uncle's farm in Mississippi... and loved it. IMO being close to nature changes something in your soul.

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  10. I enjoyed this post very much, Linda. Thank you for sharing! I'll take country life over city life any day of the week!

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  11. That picture is precious. I did not grow up on a farm, but had friends who did. It always disconcerted me somehow when dinner was referred to by name.

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  12. This is so interesting Didn't know that about 'bummer'.

    We will be visitng Willamette Valley in May. I understand it is not pronounced as it's spelled. True?

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  13. the photo of you as a child is a treasure!

    I saw some news about landslides on Whidbey Island and I'm hoping your place there is safe

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  15. This photo is priceless! As I say about other photos from time to time, this one deserves to be in a frame. I love the legacy that such a glimpse into your life captures. I think the farm girl in you does indeed shine through in so many ways. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. This photo is priceless! As I say about other photos from time to time, this one deserves to be in a frame. I love the legacy that such a glimpse into your life captures. I think the farm girl in you does indeed shine through in so many ways. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. What a nice history! Growing up on a farm and learning all about nature, then transitioning into the city life but maintaining a love for growing things.

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