More Memories

Leaving you with Cheese & Catsup sandwiches was not being very considerate of your palates but then consider this. As I said before my father lived by old world standards. Butchering a steer or a pig or a chicken meant eating all parts. Head cheese, tongue sandwiches, brains, pigs feet and chicken feet plus mom rendered fat to make soap. I liked tongue and chicken feet but not the other stuff. Mom would scramble eggs and brains together to trick my brother and me into eating it. It didn't work! The winter weather was also a factor growing up on the farm. I remember one time when dad tied a rope to the back door and trudged through the storm to the barn and corral, located about 100 yards from the house. He did this so he could find his way back to the house when he was finished feeding and watering. Milking cows early in the morning when it was cold was no fun. Mom would milk 3 and I would milk 2. All the cows were named by my mom but I can only remember Bessie. Bessie was pretty tame but more than once she would put her hind leg in the bucket after I had filled it about 1/2 full. I was always afraid I would get in trouble but mom was always very understanding. We separated cream from the milk by a hand cranked separator. There was a reservoir on top to pour the milk. The raw milk ran through discs and cream came out one spigot and milk out of another. How it worked I don't know but I do know how much I hated washing all the parts of that separator.