America, July 6, 2004
Back to The Farm I Go
Now Green Acres this ain't
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This is an odd farm to me. While its definitely in family stories and such, my Mom never lived here. No, she grew up in the woodlands near Houston, not on this bald hilltop in near Dallas. Still, this is where her folks came to retire and to raise Mom's younger siblings, Tom and John, free from the temptations of the big city. They and her other brother Bill still live on or near 'the Farm' as its called. And it is a real, live, working farm. Tom gets up each day and tends to the wheat, cows, and machines that always need some loving. In good years, he lives nicely off his labors on the family land and acreage he rents from others, but in bad years. Well, this wet one he lost $30,000 in wheat alone when the fields were too wet for him to harvest them in time. The other two brothers earned their keep in non-farm jobs, driving trucks or running businesses and the three girls split as soon as they could. Mom eloped with dad and traveled the world, convincing Sue to wander down to Australia. That's how Stud Cuz Sean came to be an Aussie. Bess didn't get as far, only moving to McKinney, but she's done fine for herself, finding Charles who shares her passion for gambling trips to Vegas and little white Attila Attack dogs. Now I am here, trying to reconnect with them all in between triathlons and Tex/Mex relatives, and I have my work cut out for me. Tom is a quiet one, with a paragraph being verbose. Bill is a little more talkative, but he still is private relative to my outgoing nature. John wasn't even around to chat, though I did hang out with his wife and daughters. Together with Bess, we went to Subway, which was a rare treat for me. I usually avoid fast-food like the plague, but after George starved me into submission to a Whataburger I can't help myself. I'll try though, cuz Bess is making a good Texas dinner and I don't wanna miss out. |
