Remember When?

Memories With Siblings on the Farm

Remember when we would roll down the hill in the big 55-gallon barrel and get dizzy? Remember when all of us “mountain goats” would run away from the “mountain lion” at the old Mountain Lion Place? Remember when we would determinedly say we were going to sleep outside all night, but come inside shortly after hearing the first coyotes or any haunting sound? Remember when we would throw rocks at the biggest wasp nest we could find while we stood in readiness, waiting with badminton racket and whiffle ball bats in hand for what may come. Remember walking a distance behind the manure spreader with the metal garbage can lid as a shield and a fiberglass fence post as a sword?

Remember tying our bicycle handlebars to the back of the hay wagon with the longest piece of spare twine we could find, and being pulled along as the haybales got loaded? Remember when we had to be tied together to a sibling, hands or feet, with a handkerchief when we did not cooperate over a matter? Remember when we forgot to close up the chickens and had to do it in the dark? Remember going to the outhouse and finding there to be a racoon, squirrel, or ‘possum taking refuge inside? Remember when we dressed up and made homemade movies?

Remember when we would spend hours playing by putting a ball of mud from the ravine on the end of a stick and launching the mud ball clear to the barn roof? Remember when we would put old cans or sticks by the spokes of our bicycle tires to make the “engines” louder than the loudest? Remember when Sukie, the pot-bellied pig, chewed the tires of the old tricycles that could race around the playground with more than one child piled on top of it? 

Remember when Mr. Goose would scare and keep all of us kids away from Dad while we were trying to work outside? Remember when we would play ice-hockey on the frozen Frog Pond, Rams against Butterflies? Remember when we would splash water down the boardwalk on those 0°F days and ice skate on it when it froze over? Remember the hours we spent swinging round and round on the tire go round? Remember when we would get our rubber boots stuck in the mud “on accident?” Remember when we would build “houses” by the creek out of anything we could, visiting them every day, always remodeling and improving them? 

Remember when siblings would drag us around on the blankets all over the wood floor in our house? Remember the speeds we would get up to while sled riding down the ice packed driveway, so slick you could hardly make the curve unless you hit it just right? Remember when we would jump all over the big round bales as Dad brought them in one by one from the field and our length of track grew with every new bale? 

Remember hiding out in the truck while a swarm of bees showed us their fury at that their home being shaken by the hay baling? Remember catching crawdads in the creek and building little homes for them only to find that they escaped by the time we brought back the next whopper to keep the other one company? Remember when we would make a harness and hook up an untrained goat or a miniature donkey to a sled and hang on tight for a wild ride through the snow? 

Remember when we would roll down the hill inside of the old tractor tire? Remember when we would all slip and slide around the freshly waxed wood floor in our slippers that Mama made? Remember throwing small rocks up in the night sky and watching the bats come seemingly out of nowhere and swoop after the rocks? Remember when?

~Jayla

Lessons From the Little Creatures

As I was hiking through the woods one day looking for mushrooms, I saw a big mound of dirt. I slowly moved to the pile not knowing what it was. As I got nearer, I saw to my astonishment, ants going in and out of the mound! That mass of dirt was their dwelling place.

I stood there looking over the hill. I watched the ants disappear inside of it and return carrying a little bit of dirt, stick or leaf. As I stood there watching the ants work, I thought about how that big heap of dirt was carried out of the ground crumble by crumble, one at a time by each ant.

While settled there watching the ants work, I thought about how the Bible talks about them in Proverbs 30: 24. It says, “the ant is not a strong people. But they prepare their food in the summer;” I watched an ant drag a leaf away from the entrance of the nest. The leaf was twice its size! The ant was having a little trouble carrying it, but that did not stop the little insect. It drove on till the job was completed.

Then looking down, I saw an ant dragging something. I bent over to get a closer look and saw that it was a seed. I watched it lug the seed to the nest and disappear into the hole. Then I saw another ant carrying a little spider into the nest, too. They were preparing their food in the summer. While watching the ants deliver their food, I thought how no one was making them gather rations. Neither were there any ants standing around doing nothing. That reminded me of what it says in Proverbs 6:6-8. “Go to the ant O sluggard, see her ways and be wise, which having no chief officer or ruler prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.”

As I stood observing the ants, I thought about how amazing they were, and how I picked up a few lessons from those fantastic little creatures. I had an incredibly entertaining time watching them.

Getting a little hungry, I looked at my watch and it was five minutes till one. Seeing that it was dinner time, I parted with my new little friends, and set out toward the house. I already had a plan to come back and maybe learn a little more about these marvelous ants.

~Jonah

A Salute To Sparky

An excited bunch of youngsters jumped out of the car as we pulled into the gravel drive of Mr. Llama Man. Their contagious enthusiasm was displayed as we all eagerly headed toward the fence to see the camel cousins roaming in his field. One elusive white fella was the one that we would bring home with us this day. But this account is not about Ollie or his adventures, but about one of his trusty field mates.

In Mr. Llama Man’s field, the most adorable miniature donkeys, mules, and horses stood browsing. The small equine elicited such emotion! Observing such small-scale creatures firsthand, we were smitten. The sly salesman perceived the greenhorn in us, as well as the excitement of our children. Unable to refuse his offer, the deal was sealed.

We arrived home that day in September of 2005 with not only the llama, Ollie, that we had gone for, but Dolly, a miniature horse, Minnie, her mule foal, Rusty, a dun male donkey, Buddy, a jack, and Sparky, an unusually marked paint mule. The long ride home with horse trailer in tow was sparked with delight. Everyone was elated as we pulled into Providence Prairie.

Excellent guard animals, mules, donkeys, and llamas are very protective. Loveable and intelligent, our equine have been a perennial favorite with our children and grandchildren. Through the years, each of these various animals have been loved and adored for their individual characteristics and mannerisms. Dolly, an eternal favorite, was favored for her gentle demeanor and saddle habit, although she was a bit greedy when it came to food. Minnie, unruly and spunky, always managed to find trouble. Rusty, loveable and gentle natured, was always willing to share a cute, cuddly hug. Buddy was constantly large and in charge, despite his small stature. 

  

Sparky was so handsome to look at with his unique spotted coloration. While most donkeys and mules are gray and brown, his genetic mix gave him a distinct flashiness. Nevertheless, he led a somewhat quiet life until more children and grandchildren came along! The hardy little creature was in for a surprise!

Jeremiah and Jayla took an interest in him and spent hours trying to get him to let them ride. 

As Samuel grew, he was determined to show the equine some manners, and Sparky slowly became somewhat more cooperative. Isaac and Unique took up the job of keeping him in good shape. 

Eventually, grandchildren matured and enjoyed Sparky as much as he enjoyed them. Moriah bathed him with attention when she came to visit, and soon after, Sparky found Edwin and Gideon showering him with love as well.

 

Growing old, this past winter took its toll on the small, much-loved fella. One late winter day, after morning feeding, the children bolted up to the house to inform us that Sparky had died. It was such a tender moment as we all reflected on the pleasurable memories that he had given so many young lives in our family. Sparky was a beloved novelty, and he will be missed.

~Rhonda

Mushrooms Are Everywhere

A couple of days ago Samuel, Jonah and I were walking through the woods looking for mushrooms. We usually wait until the first of April to start looking. We had found three or four. We wanted to find enough to have with our dinner.

I came to a creek where I had to jump over to prevent soaking my shoes! There were a couple dead trees. I jumped over the creek and was about to jump over the dead trees when on the ground I saw two mushrooms right beside each other! I looked around to see if there were any more near that area. There I saw three more. Morels grow best in part shade but may be found growing in sunnier spots earlier in the season.

I called Jonah and Samuel who were looking for them too. Then I picked the five mushrooms that were close together. When they got to me, we started looking for more mushrooms. We found forty-nine of them all around the same stretch.

Mushrooms grow best in cool, moist weather, when the temperature is around 60 to 70 degrees, and the nights are in the low 40s. When the season is dry and hot, morels quickly wither away, but if the climate is just right, they will get to ripeness and be ready to be harvested by 10-15 days.

Most of the mushrooms that we picked were small but there were a few of them that were pretty big. Jonah found one that was ten inches long. One of the biggest mushrooms ever found was 15 inches tall, after being cut. It was 14 inches around, and 1.9 pounds!

After we found all the mushrooms, we brought them up to the house to cut them all in half. Then we put them in a container with salt water, to kill the bugs. We stuck them in the refrigerator to keep cool for a couple of days. After we knew that all the bugs were dead, we took them out and drained the salt water. Then we got out the skillet to fry them in. Morel mushrooms are high in both fiber and iron and contain a considerable amount of manganese which helps weak bones. We started to fry them. They smelled super good.

I am glad that we found enough to have with our dinner. I probably would not have found those mushrooms if I had not jumped over the creek. I am looking forward to next year when we hunt for more. I will make sure that I look in the same spot where we found the mess of mushrooms.

~Isaac

My Favorite Locations

My first favorite place in our house is our table, on which delicious food is placed and drinks are poured. Before eating, we bow our heads, giving thanks for the food before us and praying for all those who are in need. I enjoy being at the table with my family.

  

Then I sure do like the couch. It is a nice relaxing place to sit down, and read a book or watch a movie, or just talk. Sometimes, we listen to Mom read an exciting book and then have to wait till tomorrow for the next thrilling chapter!

My third desired spot in our cozy little house is my bed. It is a nice little place to retreat to after a long hard day’s work. I wake up to the new day, wondering what would happen in the next few hours.

I like our piano room. Its delightful sound comes from the black and white keys. And hidden underneath the wooden bench you sit on, you can find more strings and other instruments.

I love our laundry room too, although the sound the dryer makes when it is finished isn’t that exciting. But folding clean fresh clothing is just fun. It always smells so good!

Our library is just so rewarding. All I have to do is go over and pick out a book and sit down in our library seat. Then I read about wonderful adventures.

Going to the pantry and seeing rows of jars lined up is to my liking. Stepping on farther, I see two freezers, one is full of meat and the other full of fruits and vegetables. I find this exciting.

There’s just something satisfying about my favorite places and how glad they make me feel. I am so pleased we have our house, and I am so thankful for my favorite locations in it. They make me at ease.

~Unique

The Question Box

What makes people sleepwalk? How do you teach a chipmunk tricks? What are the ten most expensive cars? Who invented the guitar? All throughout the week questions like these pop into my mind and the minds of my five siblings living here at home. Why do people hiccup? Who was the fastest runner? What does a hissing spider sound like? What was the hottest day ever recorded? When they do, we write them down on a small slip of paper and drop them into a basket, which we call the Question Box.

Sometimes, there are lots of questions, like the time Mama looked up the answers to thirty-six questions that Jonah, Samuel, Isaac, Justus, and Gideon had written down! Other times there may be only six, but no matter the number, every Sunday evening finds us gathered in the living room anxious to find out the answers.

Since we usually don’t know any of the questions but our own, it is exciting to see what sort of videos end up on our watchlist. Mama takes care of searching our questions and finding short explanatory videos that best answer what we asked. Sometimes, the videos, usually in a time range of about five to ten minutes, can only skim the surface of a question. In that case, we dig for further information using books on the subject we get either from our own library or the local one.

Our questions have been a fun and educational way to learn many new, old, fascinating, and sometimes wild facts about our world! Did you know… In just a couple of hours, we’ve covered a wide range of subjects. 

History: Who were William and Ellen Craft? How did the Dogs for Defense program work? What was Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica like? 

Zoology: How do Slave-maker ants live? Why is a group of sharks called a shiver? What makes locusts swarm? 

Medicine: Who discovered vaccinations and how do they work? What are the differences between bacteria and a virus? How does a person recover from a coma? 

Astronomy: Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet? What makes telescopes so expensive? How can they know what the sun is made of if no one can even get close to it? 

Geography: If there is a New Zealand, where is Old Zealand? What does Pitcairn Island look like today? Where is the tallest mountain? 

Business: What are the most profitable insects to farm and produce? What does the average day of an actor look like? Who is the richest person in the world? 

Technology: How does CGI (computer generated imagery) work? What is computer language?

We’ve learned and are learning so much from the many slips of paper that appear throughout the week in our Question Box. Each Sunday evening is looked forward to with anticipation. What was life in a Medieval city like? I’ll find out Sunday night!

~Halayah