Memories

It was good for us and for Roger's aunt that we visited her yesterday. On the way home, we drove through the town where Roger's father's farm is. His dad sold the farm prior to enlisting to serve during World War II and moved the family to Minneapolis.

Through the years, we have driven by the farm just to see it; however, not as frequently since the old farmhouse was demolished and replaced with a new house. Yesterday seemed like a good day to drive by and take pictures.

The only original buildings in the picture are the barn which is directly to the right of the house and slightly hidden by the house and the garage which is a gray cement block building between the red barn and the long red shed. I am not certain if the silos, one of which is hidden by the large tree are original or not.

The second picture is of the ravine on the farm. The ravine is the main feature in one of the family stories of life on the farm. It has been excavated and is not the same as it was as it was then but it is still the ravine.

One evening, one of the cows did not return to the barn for milking. That could mean only one thing, she had given birth to her calf while the cows were out in the field. True to form, she selected a remote and secluded place, the ravine. Roger's parents had to go out to find her and bring the calf to the barn. Obviously, the calf was not going to climb out of the ravine on its own. They put the calf in a sling made of a bedspread. Roger's dad walked in front; Roger's mom walked in back; and the cow followed them. It was a task to carry the calf in the bedspread out of the ravine. With every upward step, the cow would moo and nudge Roger's mom from behind. It was hard enough to climb out of the ravine with the calf but they were laughing so hard they could hardly take a step.