Across the Fence #572
This column will be a conglomeration of several ideas.
Recently I wrote a column about grandma’s apron. Since I wrote that column I had some other ideas on what aprons would be today if every grandmother and mother had an apron. One thing I thought about was that things have changed a lot since those days. Everybody's carrying a cell phone now. I think the first thing we have to do with that apron is to install a small pocket that could hold grandma’s cell phone. Then instead of waving the apron when it was time to come and eat, she would just get out her cell phone and call whoever was out in the field and tell them it was time to come and eat. It’s not as primitive as waving an apron or towel and trying to get someone’s attention. I still prefer the old way of waving an apron. It just seems more personal. Not only that, but it means that if you ‘re out in the field doing something, you don’t have to carry your cell phone with you and anybody can get in touch with you anytime they want to. I thought it was nice to be out in the field alone, either driving on the tractor doing something like cultivating corn or tobacco. I loved operating the tractor on a field far from the farm buildings. It was about the only time you could be alone with your thoughts. I didn’t want to be interrupted by phone calls, and we didn’t have to worry about that out in the field where there were no phones. Although I don’t know who would have called me. I was never overburdened with phone calls from girls, or even my friends. We didn’t do a lot of phone calling, and if we did, we had to stand by the wall phone in the kitchen. Thinking back to those days, cell phones would have made it easier to have private conversations. Maybe we would have used a cell phone to call somebody then.
Sean looking for a pumpkin.
Another subject that I’d like to touch on at the end of this Halloween season. A lot of pumpkins are sitting around the countryside still waiting for someone to come along and choose them. Pumpkins of every size wait patiently for someone to come along and transform them into Halloween jack-o-lanterns. Carving pumpkins has been a tradition in our family since the kids were young. We always had four pumpkins of varying sizes… larger ones for Linda and me, and smaller ones for our children, Erik and Amy. Later, I had to carve one for our dog, Toby, too. Erik and Amy would help with deciding what kind of face they wanted carved on their pumpkins. They also helped pull the brains (insides) out of the pumpkins. It’s OK, Halloween is supposed to be a little scary and gross. A pumpkin is just a pumpkin until you carve a face into it. Then it takes on a personality of its own, depending on the type of face you carve, friendly and inviting, or scary and menacing. But, a pumpkin doesn’t really come alive until you put a candle inside and let the light shine from within. It’s the same with stained glass windows, and people too.
I imagine most of the candy has been consumed by now, although some kids get enough to last until next season.
Petting the animals.
During the Halloween and Thanksgiving season many of the farm produce places decorate their farms with all kinds of things for young children to have fun on. We've gone with Amy, Tim, and our grandson, Sean, to Peck’s Farm Market near Spring Green. They have everything you can imagine There’s a petting zoo with all kinds of animals to feed. There are old tractors to climb up and sit on. I think Sean sat on every tractor in the place. It’s a great place for kids to enjoy the outdoors and get acquainted with animals.
I know Sean is also looking forward to their Halloween party at Day Care. They get to dress up, have a party, and have a parade around the block. Hopefully it will be a nice day. That evening they have Trick or Treat time. The prediction is rain and cold. Pretty much the same weather we often had for Halloween when Erik and Amy were young. Whatever the weather, they are making memories that they can write and tell about in the future.
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