header-photo

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Memories of my Grandparents' farm

I remember every summer
down on my grandpa's farm.
Finding fun to fill our days
wasn't very hard.
Learning to drive that old red truck
when we were just kids
Filling jars with lightning bugs
and poking holes in the lids
Walking on the rocks 'round that big oak tree
Going to town to buy ice cream
Cutting pictures out of magazines
Remember

I remember every morning
eating biscuits, bacon and eggs.
Grandma would sneak back to our rooms
and make up all the beds.
We'd take a walk across the fields
and drink from the natural spring.
On the way back we'd stop for awhile
to play on the tire swing.
Sliding down the hay bales in the barn
Playing in the dirt with matchbox cars
Watermelon feasts out in the yard
Remember

I remember eating cornbread
and shelling purple hull peas.
We'd shuck corn and we'd snap beans
and put them in the big deep freeze.
Going with grandpa to see the pigs
and give them something to eat.
We rode on the tailgate of the truck
and let the grass tickle our feet.
Drawing pictures on butcher paper
Then hanging them on the refrigerator
Oh the games that we would play there
Remember

We would make pea-shooters out of sticks and rubber bands
Drive the tractor in the fields to give grandpa a hand
Going to pick blackberries
and ending up with poison ivy
Watching Andy Griffith on tv
Remember

Playing Dukes of Hazzard in the truck
Roscoe was always out of luck
'cause we were never giving up
Remember

Eating lots of chocolate pie
Papa played his fiddle most every night
We were tired and we'd sleep tight
Remember

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do remember! How did you see my childhood so easily? Where did you grow up, the next farm over?

This post got to my heart... thanks for reminding me!

Natalie said...

thanks. i wrote that several years ago, but for some reason i was thinking about the farm today. as far as location goes...their farm was in pine grove, arkansas. it was a little community (and i use that term loosely) outside sparkman, ark which had a population of less than 1000 people at the time. i actually lived in louisiana and texas and just visited during summers and holidays. i miss it. they sold the farm when they got too old to work it...sometime in the mid-80's i think. (wow...i can't believe it's been 20 years. again...wow. i still see it very vividly.) my grandfather died right after we moved to turkey and my grandmother now lives with my parents.

Tamara said...

This is very sweet, Natalie. In my mind, I hear Rascal Flatts singing it!

Natalie said...

tamara - thanks! when i wrote it i had a tune and everything in my head. unfortunately i am not a singer so that is where it stayed. i don't really remember it, but i would love to hear it as a song one day.

Heather said...

boy, that brought back loads of memories for me. Before my dad's father died, we'd visit the farm and spend long, summer nights doing the very things you wrote about.

Some of my favorite memories revolve around catching (and killing, unfortunately) fireflied; feeding kittens in the barn; looking for snapping turtles in the pond and running from my grandfather whenever he started screaming because we left the sliding glass door open.

thanks for taking me back :)

Natalie said...

wishful - you are welcome! i love these memories. i hope my kids have something just as strong that they can hold onto one day. they are really special!