Heartbeats

You might think it's lonely being by myself  in the big farm house on a cold, dark night. I have two companions . First is the mantle clock. It's been in the family for several generation. It's like part of the family. It has a steady tick tick like a heart beat. My second companion is the furnace in the cellar. When it comes on, it rumbles like a purr. It too is like a companionable heart beat. I know that the furnace is on it's last leg. It will have to be replaced with something new and more efficient but probably quieter. I will miss it. The house seems like a living being.  In the winter, I dream that it is calling to me, that it is cold, lonely and misses me. I feel that it is happy when I am here.  Picture of the cellar.

Haven

When I arrived on the farm in the middle of October, the weather was cold and rainy. That night the wind and rain howled around the farm house. Actually, I liked it. The brick farm house is solid. It's warm and cosy. The fields have been harvested and are dark and bare. I like to think of the farm house as a haven in the cold darkness. I like to think that a person driving by would see it as a light in the darkness.

Evans Family Reunion

Sunday was our 76th family reunion. My father's cousin was Bob Evans of the restaurant chain. We still have the reunion at his farm even though he has passed away.  He loved the reunion. He used to say, "It's a sin to miss your family reunion."  I made baked beans, three bean salad and brought fried chicken, sliced tomatoes, a peach pie and an apple crumb pie with cheese.  Our ancestors came there from Wales. When I was young and my grandparents were alive, we sang the Welsh Nation anthem in Welsh. The older generation is gone, so we no longer sing. The reunion was always one of the highlights of the summer. We used to have over one hundred people, but attendance has dwindled over the years. Cousins have become more distant in relationship and in geography. This year we looked around and there were less than twenty of us. Lowell made his family's traditional crock of lemonade and led the meeting. We announce new births, deaths and family achievements. We ask who is the oldest and who is the youngest. We ask who traveled the farthest, We have a president, secretary and treasurer who passes the hat for donations to pay our expenses. Under new business we discussed whether we could keep going with so few people.  My heart sank even to think of it. I remembered all the dear faces I had loved to see. Grandparents, parents,  aunts, uncles - all gone. I never want to lose my extended family. It brings tears to my eyes now, as I think of it. I would travel from the ends of the earth to be there. We decided to meet again next year and see how it goes. Here is a photo of the Evans family for whom the reunion was created.

Farm Auctions,

I

I have been on the farm for six days. Mostly, I've been doing house cleaning and yard work. On Friday I took a break to go to a farm auction. The auction was at a farm not far from here. The owners had died or gone to a nursing home, I imagine. That's usually the case. Their children want to sell the contents of the house and barn. It was a big two story house with two barns. Well, you can imagine how many things there were to be auctioned off. There was every thing from paper towels to antique clocks. I never buy from antique stores when I can buy them at auction for much less. I was looking for an antique table for my printer, but there wasn't one I liked. When you arrive, you get a paper with a number on it. You use that to bid. Bidding is fun. I decide what I will pay for an item. Sometimes I bid higher, but not a lot higher. Some times I win, and sometimes I'm outbid. Farm auctions are a social event in the country. People come early and bring a folding chair. I see a number of people I've seen and spoken to at other auctions. There is always a food truck with breakfast and lunch food. They usually make good cheeseburgers or pulled pork sandwiches among other things. After 911, for about a year or so, French fries were called Freedom fries. There are usually old order people there. They are like the Amish, but some are more strict than others. My farmer and his family are old order. They call themselves German Baptists. The women make their caped dresses and wear sheer white caps. No TV or movies for them. They do, however, have electricity, and they drive cars. they are the kindest, friendliest people I know. The only thing I bought at the auction were old fair canes. Every summer, my Dad would have one go at winning a cane. When the ring went on the can, it made him happy. On the farm, we have simple pleasures. The current fair canes have plastic tops. Not nice. The old ones have wooden tops with gold tassels. I collect them in memory of my dear father. Other people collect them too, but I outbid them. The day was sweltering. In the pictures, you will see two German Baptist ladies in pastel dresses. Just looking at them made me feel cooler. I included a mother and son from another old order. I don't know what they call their order. There is a picture of the food truck and some quilts for auction.

On the Road

I am in Sanford, Fl. waiting to board the Amtrak auto train. I will have a cabin with a couch which will be made up into a bed tonight. I will have a small bathroom in my cabin. Tonight I will go the the dinning car for a nice dinner. The tables have white linens, nice china and glassware. There will be a flower on the table. I will  have a choice of three entrees. They are cooked in the kitchen car. Wine is served with dinner. I will enjoy watching the scenery as I dine. I go on the auto train once a year. I love sleeping on the train. It rocks me into a sweet sleep. Sometimes I wake in the night and look out my window. We pass through small southern towns with one stop light. I think of the people asleep in their homes. It is a typical night for them, but I am rolling through the night in my snug cabin on a train.
In the morning we will be in Virginia near Washington, DC. Before we get to the station, we pass Quantico. The fighter jets are awesome. After they unload my car at the station, I will drive to my farm in Ohio. I can make it in one day if I push it, but I often spend the night on the road. I'd like to drive through so I can sleep in my own bed on the farm, but I will take it as it comes.

Update

It's been a long and winding road, but I was able to borrow enough money to buy my sister's half of the farm. I was able to save it from going on the market in which case, I would have lost it. I got behind in my blog, so I will just skip ahead to the present. We sold the corn crop. After splitting it 50/50 with my farmer, I made a little over $19,000. I have him take out his labor and expenses for the upcoming year such as fertilizer and seeds. Thus, when I got my check, I was left with $2,700. So, as lovely as it is to have a farm, if you are thinking of it, don't give up your day job.