Country Roads

There was a country western song a while back called “I was raised on Country Sunshine.” That’s the way I was raised. Born a country farm girl, I liked the simple things in life. The playgrounds were adventure trips down into the pasture, where there were pond waters, ditches, forts in trees that had fallen down and catching the crawdads in a vegetable can. Rides were taken on horses. There was no bigger thrill then getting chased by a rooster or a hog.

Walking on the dirt driveway after a spring rain, barefooted into the mud and feeling it rise up between my toes gave a super feeling. If a water puddle was found, it was fun running through it and feeling the water splash all over my legs, arms and into my face. Mud pies were often created and mud was hand molded into a bowl and left to dry.

There were challenges that had to be taken, such as climbing over a high pasture fence, or trying to slide under the low barbed wire fence to reach a needed goal, without ripping my pants or shirt. There was bringing in Mom’s jersey milk cow from the pasture to the milk barn. In the warm summer, Dad would hand out a tool and I would walk the milo fields and cut out the feed stalks and weeds.

Fun was chasing a rainbow to try to reach its end, making a playhouse in the shelterbelt trees, running down the pasture trying to out run the dog, playing “cowboys and Indians,” and getting to go with Grandad and Granny when they went fishing.

A family singalong either outdoors in the yard when the weather was warm or inside when it was cold, was such fun. Dad would play the guitar or banjo, and we daughters would sing our favorite songs. Dad would suggest some of his favorites and if we didn’t know them, he’d do a great solo, with Mom cheering us on.

Neighbors and our uncles would often stop to visit for a spell. Even the mailman would pull his Jeep in for a quick “shoot the breeze.” Lending a hand was done on the farm by friends and neighbors. The country roads were busy with tractors and machinery slowly passing by, a loaded grain truck hurrying by, or a pick up or car honking as they passed by on their way to town or field.

Sometimes bicycles were ridden in the smooth driveway but the Mexican sandburs found the tires, eventually leaving them flat. Running through the sprinkler was the popular entertainment during the summer months. When we’d get thirsty, we’d disconnect the sprinkler and drink out of the hose.

A no-no but still done once in a while, was running in and out of the bed sheets that Mom had hanging on the clothesline. Hiding in the milk barn was fun. We’d snuggle in the small bales trying not to be found. It was fun to stand by the concrete livestock watering tank and watch the goldfish Grandad had placed in the tank, swimming around. My sister and I never could figure out why the cattle didn’t eat the fish while getting their drink. We had many pets close by, cattle, hogs, horses, dogs, cats and bunny rabbits when caught.

Such fun was had on the Boyles farm growing up a Country Farm Girl. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.