So here's a big shout-out to the people who work hard to make sure we have so many of life's essentials, whether it's food or the clothes on our backs.
The Paco clan (on my father's side) were farmers going back to the early 18th century, when the first Paco was "transported" to the shores of this great country as an indentured servant (probably stole a silver spoon or a cow or something back in Old Blighty). For the last few generations, at least, the Pacos were primarily cotton farmers. My grandmother maintained what she called her "garden", which was, in reality, several acres planted in corn, melons, green beans and tomatoes, much of which she canned for her extended family. I have a cousin who raised cows and pigs before going into the lumber business, and there are others who lived from farming various cash crops.
Some of the happiest moments of my life were spent on grandma Paco's little vegetable farm, picking corn and green beans. We'd sit in the shade of her giant pecan trees in the late afternoon, snapping beans and shucking corn, and we'd drink cold apple cider that my Uncle Otha made using his apple press. Then, in the evening, we'd go inside for a supper of pot roast or picnic shoulder, and sides of rice and black-eyed peas (and green beans, of course) and hot, fresh, homemade yeast rolls - followed up with slices of yellow cake with milk-chocolate icing, and gallons of sweet iced tea. I still recollect the overwhelming sense of peace and contentment from those visits to the farm, and the genuine love we all felt for one another. My idea of heaven.
I was born and raised on a farm owned by my grandmother, dad, and uncle. All of my other grandparent's and their families were farmers. And I have a tractor just like the one in the picture (Farmall C) that I first drove when I was 6 or 7 years old. Spent countless hours on it and a couple other tractors as I grew up.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say, farming has been a big part of my life.
Do you still have opportunities for using the tractor?
DeleteBtw, Farmall has an interesting history.
DeleteNot a lot. It doesn't have a front loader or three-point hitch, which limits its usefullness for non-farming DIY jobs like I do. I've been looking for a newer small tractor with a loader, but they're expensive because of high demand.
DeleteThe Wiki article talks about cultivating for weed control, and that is what I did the most with our C tractor. Two rows at a time makes for long days, and I had a lot of'em.
My family stopped being farmers about the time my maternal grandfather retired -- but he was a very busy farmer!
ReplyDeleteHe had a turkey ranch, and was involved in distributing turkeys nationwide -- the family has a scrapbook of all the conventions he and Grandma went to. Made a lot of money there, he did!
And he had a truck farm, and not a small one, where he raised fruits and vegetables to sell locally. He loved cantaloupe, which was always in the house whenever we visited.
Alas, the farm was sold, and eventually became a vineyard with an expensive home built on it. Which floods regularly -- it's why Grandpa farmed it, the river renewed the land every few years.
And I forgot to mention my paternal grandfather -- he was a farmer. Of sorts.
DeleteHe was in the Army, with the official occupation of horse shoer (I have a copy of his military records). Really, he was a blacksmith, assigned to horse cavalry units. He retired from the Army in 1936, as mounted troops switched from horses to internal combustion engines.
But one of his main duties was farming. The records don't say what sort of crops he grew, but as he was assigned to a remount center, I expect hay was a major effort. Given that this was during the depression, I've little doubt that there were crops for human consumption as well.
Sweet! I once saw an ad for a mule shoer in Grand Canyon National Park. I was trapped in a boring banking job at the time, and I swear if I had possessed the skills, I would've applied.
DeleteYou know, I am willing to bet that Ancestral Paco stole a silver cow creamer. What else could be so heinous as to warrant transportation to the blighted hellscape of Georgia or wherever?
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, an ancestor of Sir Watkyn Bassett was responsible.
DeleteRebeccaH
ReplyDeleteUntil WWII my people were all farmers as well, cotton in the Deep South, corn in Appalachia. My maternal grandfather decided he could make a better living selling insurance and farm equipment. One of my uncles remained a farmer in the Texas panhandle to the end of his days, and another uncle was an actual cowboy who became a deputy sheriff and afterwards turned to raising goats and chickens. After the war, my dad went to the oil fields and eventually became a small town cop. It’s a background to be proud of.
ReplyDeleteThat's the most American story I've heard this week.
Delete