Friday, February 22, 2013

Friday Favorites

My favorite place in all the world for many years was the farm I grew up on.  The house in the photo above was my very first home.  This house burned down when I was 9 years old.  In this photo, you're really looking at the back of the houseThe little house you see to the right of the photo was a guest house.  When my parents owned this farm, the guest house was used for storage.  The yard was filled with jonquils and peonies and lilac bushes blooming in the spring.  In summer, there were roses and hollyhocks.   

A couple of years after the house burned my parents had a modest ranch-style home built.  My dad, who loved the Ozarks and the rock that many used for siding in that area, had rock delivered to side our house with.  I didn't like it, but he didn't ask for my opinion!  You can see a closer look at the house in this post.   It was always referred to as The Rock House.


Here is an aerial view of part of the farm.  It covered over 550 acres and had 5 nice ponds, one of which isn't seen in this photo.  A creek ran through part of the acreage.  I posted a photo of an old barn that was on this farm a few weeks ago.  A metal building, which you can see behind the pond nearest the house, was put up very near where the old barn had stood.  The building to the right of the house is a long machine shed where tractors and such were parked.  The bare looking spot in front of the house is where a large garden was.  I don't remember what year this photo was taken, I believe I was in high school at the time.

See the trees in front of a pond below the back of the house near the middle of the photo?  That is where the house in the first photo that burned used to stand.  You can still see the guest house between the garage and some grain bins.  Those buildings weren't as close together as it appears to be in this photo.

I have so many wonderful memories of living on this farm, although it could be a bit lonely at times during summers when I rarely saw any other kids except my 2 brothers.  My brothers were helping on the farm as soon as they were old enough, so after my chores were done I was often left to my own devices.  A lot of time was spent horseback riding and fishing or playing with the pets.  When the boys weren't busy in the summer, we would go swimming in one of the ponds...usually the one nearest the house.    

Very often, I could be found looking through the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogs daydreaming and many hours were whiled away playing on the piano I talked about last Friday.  I loved music and reading, but I also loved the great outdoors and enjoyed each of the 4 seasons.  It was during those years on the farm that I became a birdwatcher.

We had a utility pole with a transformer just behind the house at the end of the white plank fence.  I don't think you can see it in the photo above.  Anyway, we had a mockingbird that just loved to sit atop the pole and sing his little heart out.  I loved to watch him because while he was singing, he would fly straight up in the air and turn a few flip flops before landing back on top of the pole.  He was quite entertaining!   He also was a bit of a nuisance and tripped a loop several times on the pole which knocked out our powerIt seemed to happen 2 or 3 times every summer!

I have so many stories I could tell about growing up on the farm, but I'll save some of those for another time.  When my dad eventually sold this farm, it was a sad day for me.  Even though I was married and had my own home by then, I left a piece of my heart behind there on the farm.  It will always remain a favorite and cherished memory.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Friday!

Until next time...

34 comments:

  1. Fabulous post, Cheryl. Reminds me of my life on our farm. I know how you felt when your parents sold the farm. Hold your memories close. I know they are dear to your heart.

    Susannah

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks like a GREAT place to grow up. I miss my old homestead and think of it often.

    At least you have some wonderful memories to share.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved this post, Cheryl. Just loved it. Reminds me of many of the things I loved about growing up on a farm, too. You are so lucky to have those photos. I enjoyed seeing them and reading about your growing up there. blessings ~ tanna

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post. I love walks down memory lane. Happy times stick to us like glue. Thanks for sharing......beautiful farm.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved this post.What a nice looking farm. As a kid, I used to beg my friends who lived on farms for sleep overs. I really envied the life, especially all their animals. What a great life.

    ReplyDelete
  6. your childhood sounds like what i wished for when i was growing up... looks fantastic to me and also sounds great...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Morning Cheryl, that was a very enjoyable post.....great pictures and love reading the history.....Your old picture is so clear, I have trouble putting old pictures on my post........Happy Weekend Francine.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sweet Sweet post Cheryl. Those are some memories that make us smile. Your description of life on the farm reminds me of the summers I spent on my GrandDad's farm. Great pictures and I have to tell you I love the rock houses.. :)But your original home on the farm is what I think about when I think Missouri farms and homes. I could be very happy there! On a side note Cheryl, thank you so much for the Name/URL option to leave a comment on your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  9. And thank you, for sharing this wonderful memory, with us!!!

    Hugs...

    “We have, as human beings, a storytelling problem.
    We're a bit too quick to come up with explanations
    for things we don't really have an explanation for.”

    ReplyDelete
  10. loved this. made me sigh...

    the aerial photo looks so much like one the company i worked for would have taken (and quite possibly could have been as they worked the midwest a lot).

    i also have videotaped a mockingbird doing that very 'dance' at the top of our power pole here and posted it on my blog about 2 yrs. ago. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. You could tell all the stories you wished about this wonderful farm...you're right, the Stone House didn't have quite the charm of the first home...but the land was still the same. And it's all about the land, isn't it, Scarlett? You made me chuckle telling about the mockingbird and his antics.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a sweet and thoughtful entry. Sounds like a great place to grow up! Thanks for sharing these beautiful memories with us!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I really enjoyed this post Cheryl. It's nice to see where you grew up and hear how much you loved it there. Have a blessed weekend. Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  14. I so enjoyed this Cheryl - you have so much wonderful history in your past. I love it. sandie

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a heart- felt post! I felt much the same way about my grandfather's house when it was sold. We lived next door for many years, and his house was my house...and I loved him dearly.

    Mockingbirds can be a pain, for sure. Here, we get them where they will sing all night long. We can't sleep because of their singing at times.

    I didn't have any little girls to play with while growing up...just boys in our neighborhood, and even though there were lots of times I just joined in and was one of the boys, there were times I also sat and looked through those catalogs and dreamed. They got me through a lot of dull, rainy days!

    ReplyDelete
  16. You have a good memory! Your house burning down must have been terrible! But growing up on a farm sounds so wonderful to me, who grew up in a small town.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I certainly enjoyed your post! Nothing like growing up in Missouri. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's always fun to learn more about a friend. I really enjoyed reading this post and I can certainly understand how important that time in your was to you....I'll look forward to more stories from the farm...

    Have a great weekend...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great post! I loved growing up on our farm also. And my grandfather's farm was across the road, so that was a lot of acres to roam in Ohio. I can imagine all your stories and I'm looking forward to more!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Cheryl,
    I just loved every bit of this. What a nice story.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I can tell from your description that you did indeed love it there. What a wonderful place to grow up. All those ponds would be heaven! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. What wonderful memories. Sounds lie you had a fun childhood.
    Hugs,
    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for your memories; it stirred up a few of mine. Although I didn't live on a farm; my father had land that he farmed. I loved going out there. I would play for hours cowboy and Indians. I would make my own bow and arrow out of string and a couple of sticks. Also, when we harvested the potatoes I would help with this. My Dad would hire some Navaho Native Americans to help. So many memories of my youth. I loved that you shared yours and stirred mine. I love the pictures and
    explanations of your farm.
    Blessings for a fun post!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I can feel the joy in your words. :) Thanks for sharing such fun times!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Love this post... I always love hearing my blog friends talk about their past. Your experience on the farm was AWESOME. Wish I had have had an experience like that --but I was raised a 'city' gal --although we lived in a small town. My Dad worked for the railroad.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  26. Aw....that must have been so sad to endure a house fire....
    It looks like a lovely place to grow up, and I'm sure your memories could fill a book!

    ReplyDelete
  27. It sounds wonderful to me. While I'm from a small town, and my grandfather did have cattle and a large garden, I still wish I had been exposed to a real farm. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I like the older house better too! That kind of place is still what appeals to me the most...except for the old two-story farmhouses; I love those.

    Our rambling old place with all the outbuildings is similar.

    ReplyDelete
  29. A wonderful Post, Cheryl, Oh how this brought back wonderful memories for me, spending precious time at my grandparents home, my favorite magazine was Progressive Farmer. I would spend hours on the Kid's page, reading the jokes and working the cross word puzzle. I hope you share more stories of your life on the far, so precious. Thanks for sharing and for the memory.
    Hugs,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is a wonderful read! I grew up on a farm, too...

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh Cheryl, how wonderful it must have been. You have wonderful memories that will never die! I didn't grow up on a farm, but when my parents sold our home to move I cried and cried. I was married too, but I hated losing that home!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi Cheryl!

    I love the story of the farm - what great memories you must have had! I was a city kid, for half of my growing up years, but I loved my grandparent's farm!

    I remember the Montgomery Ward! We used to have one here, and it was my favorite place to shop. I haven't thought about it for years!

    Can't wait for more stories!

    Hugs,
    Barb

    ReplyDelete
  33. what a wonderful post, cheryl!

    looks and sounds like the perfect place for one to grow up.
    such wonderful memories you're sharing here. sounds like you had a wonderful, fun childhood, too.

    wishing a great rest of your weekend~

    ReplyDelete
  34. What a beautiful post! And a beautiful farm. I enjoyed reading about your memories on the farm growing up.. and how wonderful to have some nice pictures of this place! I would have been quite sad also when it sold. -Tammy

    ReplyDelete