City meets country: Moo

When I was growing up, I lived on a farm. I know now how lucky I was. Back then, living on a farm just meant chores, and bad smells. We had everything: cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, a pony—and our cousins and friends from the city loved to come visit. They thought it was a great excursion—especially when our grandparents lived there with us and they could visit Grandma and Grandpa Miller and also pet kitties, the sheep, “pick eggs” as they called it (we called it gathering eggs, and it was a chore, not something fun to do).

(Me dealing with stacks and stacks of eggs back on the Indiana farm.)

So I was farm, they were city. They were in, I felt backwards. Now I know the truth of how fortunate we were growing up with that country wealth.

So how fun it was to flip the tables recently and take my city-born grandson to visit the nearby farmette of the Murch family, of Jennifer Murch blogging fame. Before I got into blogging, she was the first blogger I knew and followed and have watched their little ones grow up—mostly online but occasionally face to face as they’ve cared for our pets a couple times, traded vegetables, things like that. I would have loved to take both of my two-and-a-half-year old grandsons to visit but that will have to come another time. So this is about Sam’s Visit to the Farm. Never mind that the farm is only five acres. Jennifer’s two youngest kids seemed happy to show us the animals—and we lucked out showing them a turtle we discovered as we drove in their lane! A bonus score!

When Sam visited at Easter, we got a kick out of how everywhere we drove with him, he exclaimed over the “Moo cows” he saw all over the countryside. “Moo cow!” he’d yell. And also a line from a book, “How now, brown cow?” So when Jennifer announced recently they’d added two cows to their farmette, I knew a visit would be the thing to try. She called her post “moo.”

Sam was fun to watch, never quite sure if these large, picture-book-friends-come-to-life were his friends, or if he needed to be a little bit wary. Smart boy in that—yes and yes. Friends, but cautious when it comes to little kids and big mammals, as zookeepers know.

Sam wears a slightly citified hat because it is such a beautiful sunny day.

Arriving, we move a turtle who looked like he (she?) was about to cross the road. The youngest Murch boy is there in the middle of things.

Cautiously, Sam pokes the turtle for a half second, supervised by his doting daddy, Jon.

The youngest Murch daughter, and Sam’s mommy, Tanya, introduce Sam to one of the cats.

Now we get to the big stuff: Velvet. Sam thinks it is so cool that the horse has the same name as our dog Velvet and says “Velvet Horse” again and again.

But he’s not sure if he wants to pet her. Even with a bite guard on her mouth.

He loves the sheep, but they don’t stay close for long.

And of course the chickens look small and friendly.

The cows keep their distance and that’s actually fine by Sam.

It’s a storybook come to life.

Sam talks to himself all about his visit as he tries to fall to sleep that night. We hear him naming the different animals from his little monitor. Soon he is in dreamland.

What a gift the Murches have given their children on their five acre homestead.

I didn’t know it then, but I grew up living the dream.

 Our Indiana farm.

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What gifts do you recognize now, that perhaps you didn’t as a child–or a teen?

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Do you have farm stories to share? 

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Or, join the Facebook group, I Grew Up Country, just for fun and connections.

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Visit Jennifer’s blog for the most awesome list of recipes ever. All Jennifer tested.