Memory Lane Monday!

Being chased by a bull!!! Have you ever experienced this? It is very exciting lol. I was very little when this happened. We were visiting my Grandmother! She lives beside the house that she grew up in. Her brother (who has since passed away) lived across the street and still worked the farm. He had both cows that he would umm send to be slaughtered, I think. And he also grew crops. We used to go roam around on the farm and look at the cows and probably harass the cows (although I have never been cow tippin). Our favorite thing to do was walk along the trails and look for arrowheads. My cousin that lived there used to find them ALL the time. I think my brother might have found one or two.

Anyway, I am getting distracted lol. This one particular day, I am guessing it was summer. The sun was shining bright and it was hot. It was me, my brother that was 3 years older than me and my cousin that is probably 3 years older than my brother (well maybe a little more, I don't really know lol). We were walking around in the pasture and we always knew not to mess with the bull cause he was MEAN! I don't know what we did to tick him off but boy something set him off. I was little like maybe 4 years old or something. I have super short legs and always have so imagine this big ole bull and lil ole me lol. My cousin had me by the hand and I swear she dragged me all the way to the gate where we had to climb under it to get away from the bull. I think I might have even pooped in my pants I was so scared. It was very traumatic!

There are so many memories that I have on that farm. Picking watermelons, riding on the tractor bed and hitting a bump and flying up in the air at least 5 feet and landing in the exact position I started in, swimming in the pond and getting nibbled on by fish, collecting eggs from under the chickens and all sorts of other stuff. When I was little I never thought these were spectacular. They were just a part of going to see Grandma, now if I could go back in time I think that I would go back to one of those visits and enjoy it a little bit more. Maybe take more time to get to know Grandma better and help her more. Maybe just pay more attention to the details going on around me. I need to go visit my Grandma soon. She isn't doing so great any more and it upsets me to visit because she isn't the same lady. I believe she turned 90 this year. You can believe that the next time I am there I will be paying more attention to the details!

Lets see next week what should I talk about? Dancing in the streets with my friends or swim parties or summer camp?

Our time in the country!

We had a great trip. We ended up leaving Wednesday instead of Thursday because the weather was going down hill. So we headed out at lunch time and Anna slept for a good portion of the trip. That was nice! When she did wake up she sat in the seat and played and chatted with me so we didn't even stop. It was a 3.5 hour trip!

We got there and she was all shy with Grandma but she was quickly won over when Grandma let her go in and out the screen door through the screen (it was already broken). She was playing with the puppies well sorta lol. She was a little scared of them. Her dog is huge and old and these little tiny pups were playful and energetic. She finally adjusted to them and didn't freak out unless they nipped at her or jumped on her. She loved having freedom to come in and out without assistance. I sat inside in the door and watched her playing. She was content to just roam around and discover the world that she was in. She figured out pretty quickly how to climb in and out of the rail at Grandma's ramp so she did that a lot. She played in the (play) car in the yard and ran around with the puppies. After she was growing tired of that we decided to broaden her world a little more and went for a walk to see the cows. She LOVED the cows. They would moo and she would squeal and cheer. No wonder the cows would run from us lol. Through the course of the rest of the week I did teach her to be quiet so that we could get closer. We also saw and climbed on the tractor and the hay bales. She had so much fun I guess some things are passed down in the genes.

Things she didn't like: the noise of the house when it was full to bursting. The crowd at the reunion we went to because she didn't know hardly anyone there. Not being able to stay outside ALL the time lol. That is all I can think of that she didn't enjoy.

I enjoyed reliving a part of my youth. Walking down by the pasture. Taking a ride through the pasture on the back of a truck. Granite it was at night and Anna was a little freaked at first but it was fun. Picking pecans from my Great Grandma's tree and eating them. Visiting with cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Mostly visiting with Grandma! Letting her get to know Anna and learning more about her past as well. It was a joy to be with her and I hope that we can do it again.

Great Grandma's House!

This is the site of what used to be my Great-Grandma's house. You can't really tell a lot by the pictures but it held many happy memories for my Grandma and my Dad too. It had 2 fireplaces and 3 porches. I don't know how many bedrooms but enough for them to live cozily with I think 5 children. Maybe 6 I am not sure. The front porch had one door that opened up onto it and the other room didn't have a door onto it. The side porch was used for the washing machine and later a bathroom was added to it taking up most of the porch. My Grandma and her family only lived there during the summer for most of her life and spent the rest of the year in town over the jail house because her Daddy was the Sherriff in town. During the summer though he worked the farm on many - many acres of land. My Grandma was actually born in the jail house. How funny is that. She said that she delivered quite a few of her children in the house that was her parents. She was telling me about the trees they had; pecan trees that are still there and producing. She said they also had 2 pomegranate trees and a pear tree. They are still there but they are dead. They had pigs and chickens and cows. My Grandma's chore was milking the cows (her and one of her siblings). Her Mom would always get the eggs from the chickens. My Grandma now lives across the street from her childhood home. She has been there since 1959 and loves being so close to where she grew up. She likes being able to look out and see the trees that can bring back her childhood memories. I wish the house were still standing. I walked through it when I was a child before it became totally unstable. I would give anything to walk through and take photos and be able to record the past on film. Instead I have to write this up so that next week when I have forgotten all of this it will be here. I will be able to look it up at any time and Anna will be able to visualize her long ago ancestors. Anna is named for her Great Grandma and she was named after her mother so there is a long line of family tied into Anna's life. If any of my family reads this and wants to add something leave me a comment and I will take care of it. I love journaling true history!