OT:Farmboy memories before TV-long?

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IA Leo

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Memory Lane: A farm boy before TV

1. Cleaning kerosene lamp chimneys of soot because the hands were smaller than an adults.
2. Stepping in a fresh cow-pizza while running down the cow path.
3. Suffering a severe sunburn on the back because he forgot to put his shirt back on while hunched over the steering wheel of the old Case watching baby corn plants passing through the cultivator shields at 1 mile per hour.
4. Climbing the wooden silo chute trapping frantic sparrows at the top.
5. Walking hand over hand on the manure carrier track out of the barn and dropping down onto a frozen manure mountain.
6. Carrying my dog home 1/2 mile because of a partially severed foot when it came up behind me playfully jumping on the wave of falling hay over the sickle-bar mower.
7. Being a 12 year old “man” on the other end of the cross cut saw with my father.
8. Trying to get the harness over a horse as tall as my head.
9. Big bowls of fresh strawberries with real cream.
10. Listening to the hog feeder flap doors banging in the middle of the night with the windows open on a summer’s night.

 

SweetFeet

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

IA Leo,
Really neat memories. Thanks for sharing.

 

M

mb58

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Working in the garden with my Granddaddy.
Having to take a nap after dinner. (lunch for u Yankees)
Waiting for the telephone party-line to clear.
Using the outdoor toilet.
Packing in firewood.
Fishing from the lake bank. (nobody used a boat)
Camping out in the backyard with my cousins and counting falling stars.

 

O

oldtanker

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

I'm not that old so some of that is pretty cool to hear about.

I was telling one of my kids about watching the 1st US maned space shot, the Cuban missle crisis unfold on the nightly news, the Viet Nam war grow and then end, the first moon landing and the president getting murdered in Dallas all in black and white.

Rick

 

6

60 acre hillside

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

At 16 sitting in family '51 GMC pickup literally shaking at the knees wondering if she would turn her head so that I could kiss her on the lips. Her older sister teasing her about having a boyfriend. The summer of '53 was quite an adventure. I married her oldest sister's daughter.

 

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Richard G.

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Watching 'Howdy Doody' on tv in about 1955 and we only got one channel.
Richard

 

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knightguy

New User

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

#6 hit home for me...not just one leg, but all four, of our young white German Shepard; sad day for a young boy when the vet couldn't save her. I remember #10 as well. Also, the upstairs window in the old farm house that went nearly to the floor so that lying in bed at night, looking out and being amazed by how bright it was with a full moon shining on a blanket of snow.

 

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Greg1959

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

What was the name of Sky Kings airplane?

 

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knightguy

New User

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Sorry, couldn't help myself, so I cheated and looked it up. Won't spoil it for others, but there were three different names...

 

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thurlow

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Penny????????

 

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Nancy Howell

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Songbird and there were at least two different models.

If you google Sky King and go to the website, you can watch the episodes on your computer.

 

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Nancy Howell

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Penny was his niece. Can't remember her brother's name, but he wasn't in many episodes.

 

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Glen SW Wi

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Driving a team of horses with a wagon up to the thrashing machine.

Eating the great noon meal at another farm when working with the thrashing crew. All the different pies.

Telling the little kids that the mice we killed as they ran from the shocks that that is what they used to make mincemeat pie. They didn't want any after that.

Jumping into the river after a day in the hot sun and dust of the day.

 

G

Glen SW Wi

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Driving a team of horses with a wagon up to the thrashing machine.

Eating the great noon meal at another farm when working with the thrashing crew. All the different pies.

Telling the little kids that the mice we killed as they ran from the shocks that that is what they used to make mincemeat pie. They didn't want any after that.

Jumping into the river after a day in the hot sun and dust of the day.

 

G

Greg1959

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

More tidbits:

What was the name of Tonto's horse?

 

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thurlow

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Git-em-up-Scout??????? :>)

 

J

JerryS

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Before TV there was radio, and it was pretty dang good. Saturday and Sunday night milking chores in our dairy were not so bad because of the great radio lineup: Johnny Dollar, Gunsmoke, Gene Autry, Our Miss Brooks, Corliss Archer, Red Skelton, Jack Benny, Amos 'N Andy, Louisiana Hayride, plus others I'm forgetting. During the week there was Beulah, Fred Allen, George and Gracie, Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid ("Cisco! The sheriff he is getting closer!" "This way, Pancho! Follow!"); Mr. Keene, Tracer of Lost Persons, Hartstone of the Death Squad, FBI in Peace and War (featuring the weekly "10 Most Wanted" list, usually headed by elusive bank robber Willie "The Actor" Sutton. Radio was great in a work environment because you didn't have to focus your eyes on anything.

The other things I remember best about rural/farm life were: the annual pond-seignings, when pretty much the entire community would gather at some landowner's pond with seigning nets. A big fishfry ensued. Hog-killing day; here again, a big gathering of family and neighbors to help put away a pen of hogs. And last, sitting out on the front porch in the cool of the evening with parents, relatives or neighbors, shelling peas or beans and listening to the adults talk. There might have even been a churn of hand-cranked ice cream involved.

 

A

agpilot

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Hi Jerry: Your 2ed to last comment was: And last, sitting out on the front porch in the cool of the evening with parents, relatives or neighbors, shelling peas or beans and listening to the adults talk. Unquote...
That was a huge difference between Back-then compare to now... People "visited" each other and quite often They could and would really talk things over. At least 2 or 3 times a week the evening was spent talking to sombody else WITHOUT some modern electronic what-cha-callit..
People knew how to talk things over... It just is not the same now... Now many have to have some public event to gather together. Back then it was enough to just have each other.. Big difference... This is a good topic.. ag

 

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Bill(Wis)

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

"OUT OF THE PATHS OF YESTERYEAR COME THE THUNDERING HOOFBEATS OF THE GREAT HORSE SILVER. THE LONE RANGER RIDES AGAIN!" "HIYO SILVER!" "gitum up scout". (;>))

 

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thurlow

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

Next you'll be trying to tell me that Matt Dillon was actually protrayed by William Conrad...........

 

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Greg1959

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

What was the Lone Rangers last name?

 

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led

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

"Songbird"

 

L

led

Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

"Clipper"

 

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Dick

Well-known Member

• Aug 16, 2012

• #1

After milking would return to grandmas house and go to the basement and split wood. Then carry loads to the kitchen to the cookstove. The big kitchen was the only heated room in the 5 bedroom house. The dinning room and living room were closed off and a fire was only started in the heating stove if company came. No indoor toilet and had to walk about 150' to the outhouse. At night had a bucket handy. Only listened to the radio in the evening. Would go to bed early and get up early to do the milking and other barn chores.
Isn't it something how we survived in those days, working all day out in the hot sun, harvesting or making hay. Then milking morning and night plus the other barn chores. Then return to the house with no air conditioning. Imagine that..
It was hard work but you know,,, I never remember suffering.

 

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Bill(Wis)

Well-known Member

• Aug 17, 2012

• #1

Well.....now that you mention it...(;>))

 

I

IndianaRed

Member

• Aug 18, 2012

• #1

That hog feeder flap thing really brought it back for me. Funny how that could be soothing, like rain on a tin roof. Kind of let you know all was right with the world.