The Chicken. Farm Life and the Flip Flops

Still working on this and yes that is me by the car we had then.

Years ago We lived on the back of a farm.  The owners were getting up in their years and didn't want to care for much of it anymore.  I don't remember how large it was but there were people who did own some land and a few built houses on it.  We were one of those people.  We owned an acre of land and we did not have a Home Owners or restrictions as to what we could have on that land.  It was a nice lot and had a slope in the back to a level piece of land. It was very wooded and partly wooded at the top of the land. The top was also level and flat as well.  Kind of nice if you ask me.  The only thing that we had problems with was the clay soil and lots of it.  We had a large garden (40 x 80 feet) that we painstakenley dug the rocks from and did get to rototill it and put compste in it. It was on the slope and we were getting vegetables from it for a family of four.  We even had a Goat whose name was Claire and she was a French Alpin.  We had chickens and ducks and rabbits and dogs and cats..  It was our mini farm and I loved it.

We had neighbors who lived across the street and they had two children named Brad and Stacy.  The mom was Gloria and I forget what the husband's name was but I think it was Joh.  Anyway they invited us over to kill one chicken for our dinner.  We said sure and we wlked over there which was about 1/4 mile.  It was summer and hot and I wore my new 1 inch Flip Flops.

Gloria and I sat drinking Ice Tea as the guys and Brad were killing the chicken in the area surrounded by tall grasses.  Stacy was around somewhere as were my girls, Missy and angie.

We heard lots of noise coming from the area where the guys were.  Gloria had done this many times and my husband and I did not.  It was our first time!  It is funny now thinking about it but at the time it was a little horrific.

James came out from the grasses and I swear to you he was green in the face.  I didn't think it would affect him that much but we had to go home so that I could de-feather it quick before it went bad. Let me tell you even way back then fresh does not tasted anything like the chickens you buy in the stores.  Gamier is what I would call it.  I don't remember ever doing that again nor wanting too.  Funny!  So we did get our taste of what it was like to actually live off the land.

Done except for the Shutters.  House was Yellow and Shutter were  Red. In the front left we had a Tulip Garden with Black (deep Purpple or Blue) tulips.

Finally the noise stopped and James, the girls, and  and I were walking up there rocky rustic, country driveway when my foot slipped on a big rock that I failed to see.  My ancle decided to press outwards instead on inwards and I fell down and could not get back up.  That night I did not sleep at all and my husband did not believe me how much it hurt.  I was finally taken toe the ER and they told me that I had twisted my ankle and tore my ligament in the Achilles Tendon.  I was put in a soft cast and told not to go up stairs.  Ha!! I had to go up and down stairs.  My house was a split foyer.  3 Bedrooms and Bath upstairs and basement under that and on the right was the Living Room, Kitchen and Dining Room.  So I had to travel up those steps to get food and to go to the bathroom.  Geesh!  I did manage going up and down on my behind.  Took longer but I did it.  I was in that cast for 6 weeks.  I never wore Flip Flops again and will not now.

We also worked for a Jehovah's Witness preacher (Mr. Terrell) on the weekends.  He sold computers and did lots of work with them.  I helped proofread and my husband did some programming for him. He also had a huge farm full of corn and a few cows for his family. I got all the corn we could ever want and I was taught how to milk a cow.  That was interesting and did help us out very much.  I would fill my freezer half full of corn.  I learned how to make butter too from my goats named Claire.  I tell you there is nothing like fresh butter and you cannot buy it from the grocery store. That was one of the Best of Times for me.

Ge-od What a time!  Funny now but it wasn't then.