"GROWING UP ON THE FARM"

MY BROTHER FRED, (WIFE JOY), SPENT MOST OF HIS ADULT LIFE AS A MUSIC MISSIONARY IN ZAMBIA. HOWEVER, HE HAS STARTED WRITING SHORT STORIES THAT ARE PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPERS. THIS ONE IS ABOUT HOW ALL OF THE ALLEN CHILDREN GREW UP IN TEXAS.....ENJOY, AND SMILE!!!!!!

GROWING UP ON THE FARM

by Fred M. Allen

Having grown up on farms in Taylortown, TX, in Lamar County, life was very exciting on the farm. Here I’ll share some of the things we experienced in our early years.

Toys bought in the stores were very special to us. Clothes were ordered from the Sears or Montgomery Ward Catalogs. We really got excited when we received toys or clothes and shoes through the mail. Girls always looked forward to dolls, doll houses, clothes, jump ropes, toy dishes sets, fancy costume jewelry, balls and jacks, etc. We boys received bicycles, wagons, cars, trucks, tractors, pocket knives, marbles, BB guns, balls and bats, squirt guns, pistols with belt and holster, etc. We all liked games such as dominoes, checkers, Chinese checkers and many others. 

We often made our own toys. Among the many things I used to make were slingshots, tom-walkers (stilts), whistles, bows and arrows, baseball bats, fishing poles, a ditcher, and other things for which I had no name but enjoyed them anyway. I only had one bicycle as a boy which I rode for years. One of my favorite things to do was to cut cardboard strips, borrow Mama's clothes pins and attach them to the bike so the strips would make it sound like a motor bike. 

There were various critters which I found (or they found me) in my years on the farm. Some became my pets and some stung or bit me, but all contributed to an exciting life. Our dogs and the farm animals were all part of the family. We rejoiced when new babies were born in our home, but we also were excited when new puppies, pigs and calves were born. We often ordered baby chicks by mail and then raised them for food and eggs; but sometimes we hatched our own baby chicks. 

We all loved to sing and play musical instruments, and that was our favorite activity. We sang country, folk, western and patriotic songs and hymns, but our favorite was Gospel quartet songs because of the beautiful four-part harmony. Since we had no electricity, no telephone, no television and the radio battery was often run down, we had a lot of time at night to enjoy each other. We usually attended Singing Conventions or Fifth Sunday Singings on weekends around the county including some All Day Singings with Dinner on the Ground. We also enjoyed the music at Union Church.

I played many games by myself including shooting basketballs, sailing bottle tops toward targets, hunting , fishing, and riding our horses when they were not being used in the fields. Working in the fields and doing daily chores was part of living on a farm. Our 160 acres included 100 acres of pasture where our animals grazed, and two ponds which supplied water for the animals and, at times, for our own use and, of course, for fishing. The remaining 60 acres were for cultivation of cotton, corn, maize, peanuts, watermelons, orchard, vegetables, etc. My parents preserved about 500 cans or jars of fruit and vegetables each year to supply us with good food through the winter months. 

As a teenager I was responsible for milking the cows and feeding the pigs each morning and night. One morning I had almost finished milking the cows and the two-gallon bucket was almost full when the cow stepped into the bucket. I couldn't bear the thoughts of pouring out the milk, so I took it to our house and gave it to Mama. Fortunately, she always strained the milk through a cloth, for when she did that, I heard a loud voice from the kitchen saying, “Fred Malcolm (When she used my middle name, I knew I was in trouble). Why did you bring this filthy milk in the house? You know you must pour it out if a cow steps in the bucket!” I learned an important lesson that day. 

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In my early years we used horses to pull our farm equipment. As I grew older and gained more strength, I decided to see how much acreage I could plow in one day in following a walking cultivator which was powered by horses. At the end of the day I had plowed four acres which was about twice what I should have covered in a day. When I came home, I was so exhausted that I passed out as I entered the house. Soon I recovered and Daddy said, “Son, you should never work this hard again; and besides, you almost killed my horses!” He soon bought a tractor to replace the horses. Work on the farm took on a modern appearance when that first tractor was added. 

The gifts, toys and games and music on the farm were part of my background which will never be erased from my memory. What a privilege it was to grow up on a farm and to experience the joys of childhood as I did. My wonderful parents, Fred and Lorette Allen, guided and influenced us to be the best we could be and to honor God with our life. As expressed in the old hymn, “Precious memories, how they linger; how they ever flood my soul. In the stillness of the midnight, precious sacred scenes unfold.”