Unexpected company

Company was a part of life at The Old Farm

Neighbors might stop by to say hi. 

Strangers sometimes stopped to ask if they could

pick the daffodils that grew wild across the road. 

And sometimes relatives arrived unannounced.

Communication was not what it is now. 

Yes the Old Farmer had a phone.
But "long distance" cost $$$. 

And people used long distance pretty much only for emergencies. 

So you might get a postcard in the mail

that says we'll be there tomorrow for the weekend.
Or you might not, the cousins might just show up! 

Company was always welcomed with warmth.
Coffee? tea? Let us take your coats and bags....

The girls will sleep in together and you can have their room. 

And once in a while one of us girls would get invited

to go back from whence they came for a visit and sightseeing. 

And that would be an excuse for another visit

when The Old Farmer and the rest of the family
came to pick us up!

Family Reunion

Every August we had the big family reunion.

Most of the relatives lived within an easy drive.

It was held at the park on the lake.

This reunion wasn't a complicated affair.

Everyone knew to come that particular Sunday in August.

Everyone brought a dish to pass.

Everyone chipped in on the meats, sodas and beer.

Ice in big galvanized tubs.

The men grilled the hot dogs and hamburgers.

Drank beer and played horseshoes.

The children ran around and played tag...or jarts. 

The women sat and visited. 
Sounds kindof normal, doesn't it? 

But now families live so far from each other this is not so common.

The picnic was set up next to the big open area in the back of the park.

That field was for the big move up baseball game.

When the Old Farmer got up to bat everyone moved way way back.

He would put it the whole length of that field between the roads.

All the cousins yelled, uh oh, move back, move back, back to the road!

The town had amusement parks with nickelodeons and rides.
Some of the kids would sneak away to play before eating,
or after eating. Sometimes we forgot the time and got in trouble.

The BIG Eclipse

 

We are eagerly anticipating the great solar eclipse of 2017!

It is crossing the whole of mainland USA. 

Will it be clear? Will it be cloudy :  ( ?

This is a big event for children and should be a family event.

With at least one parent involved.
The children will remember it their whole lives!
I promise. 

I still rememeber a solar eclipse when I was young.
The Old Farmer and his brother were very excited

to share this event with me.

We were at Grandma's house in the garage.
The Old Farmer's brother was "smoking" glasses
to make them "safe" to view the eclipse.
Actually this technique is not recommended now! LOL

Another case of  "how did we survive the 50s" 

But the event came to pass, we all took turns looking
and it is a memory that will last forever. 

If planning to view this year 

please invest in eclipse safe glasses.
Or use a pinhole camera, quite effective. 

Put a pinhole in a
piece of paper and shine the sun 

through it onto another

smooth surface/paper. 

Adjust distance to focus.
You may want to practice

 this before the eclipse so you are ready! 

Here is a great page with time, location information.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2017-august-21

ghosts in the house

The Old Farmer's house was a big old farmhouse.
The original part where the kitchen was was pre civil war.
A later huge addition was added in the late 1800s. 

 The original house was largely unrestored by the Old Farmer.
This is where his son slept. He had a big old bedroom
with low ceilings and low windows.
There was a door in the back going into a storage area

and the ladder to the attic space. (setting the mood)

 
As a child
this Old Farmer's Daughter 
often heard footsteps and creaking 
noises back there. 
When no one was home 
that should have been there. 

The back stairs were narrow 
and turned at the top.
There was an unfinished room at the top

with floorboards missing. 
And a small nook closet with no door
and an old racoon coat!

Another time when taking a bath 
someone made noises outside the bathroom window! 
I think I know the culprit altho at first 
I was a bit concerned.
That one we can chalk up to real people!

We learned to live with the noises of an old house
as nothing untoward ever happened. 
The spirits were benign...