Last weekend, Grampa and I were at the farm. We took a walk thru "Francie's mowing." The goldenrod and brown-eyed Susans waved to us in the breeze. There are lots of taller trees now and the road to the pheasants is filling in. There are no more pheasants. We went over to see if the man had cleaned it up.
Grampa said, "Let's take a shortcut home. There is a path." Well, into the woods we went, over stone walls, over fallen logs, around barbed wire fences - but nary a path. But there was a nice big rock, Grampa carried it on his shoulder. With a rock on his shoulder and a walking stick in his other hand - resting every once in a while - we finally made it home.
We weighed the rock. It was 39 lbs and is now sitting on our patio.
Rowen Farm in Cavendish, Vermont, was a very special place for Gram and our family. It belonged to her sister and brother-in-law, Gertrude and Allan Hoey. Gram visited the farm many times every year, often bringing some of her kids and grandkids with her. The farm was tucked away around the bend in a dirt road. A drive led up to a big, old farmhouse and a few outbuildings (including an outhouse that was put to good use during the warmer months!). There was a flower garden out back, and several fields spilling over hills and down to dark woods.
The fields were called "mowings" by our family, and one in particular was named for Gram: "Francie's Mowing." Gram's mother christened it with the name. It was slightly further from the house, down the road a bit, framed by birch trees and hills in the background. Blackberry bushes were nestled along one path. In later years, part of it was leased to a man who raised pheasants there.
Gram & Grampa loved to be outdoors. This little story always makes me smile, especially now that I have children. When I take my children for walks in the woods, they love trying to make their own paths and collecting little stones, leaves, acorns, and such. That same sense of wonder and contentment in being outside was never lost for my grandparents.
Thankfully, though, I don't think my kids could take home a 39 pound rock!
Jessica-
ReplyDeleteI can tell by your first post that your stories are gonna make me both laugh and cry at the same time- but that's a good thing! I always saw that rock but never thought to ask where it came from- you know Grampa- he could have gotten it from anywhere...lol! love you and keep up the good work!
Jen