My Most Cherished Memory Pt.2

                                                             Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                             everyday is a journey

We cannot make bargains for blisses,
Nor catch them like fishes in nets;
And sometimes the thing our life misses
Helps more than the thing which it gets.
For good lieth not in pursuing,
Nor gaining of great nor small,
But just in the doing and doing
As we would be done by is all.

—Alice Gary.

The picture above is courtesy my friend Cindy Alvarado from her trip back home to Ecuador. 

I didn't understand a lot of things back then. For instance, bus service. Why were all the people pushing and shoving to get on the bus? Maybe, because the bus came every two hours or longer! If you missed the bus, you were stuck waiting or walking home. My grandma hitchhiked when it happened to us a few times. I was shocked beyond words. Grandma hitchhiking? Unheard of here in the States! One might get murdered. Not there, it was very common. Just give the driver a few coins and they were very happy to drop you off along their route.

My grandma cooked the old fashioned way. She was up around 4 a.m. churning butter every single day. She would take the butter and place it in a mold like they do for jello. The butter would look so pretty shaped in a cute design. For breakfast, we would have fresh bread or rolls with eggs and homemade cheese. We drank hot cocoa or Polish tea served in a tall glass with a slice of lemon. It was very delicious. Lunch was called dinner and was served around 1 p.m. It was the largest meal of the day. There was soup every single day, followed by the main dish like pierogi or sauerkraut. On Sunday, it would be special, because we would have meat. Evening meals usually were called suppers. They consisted of light sandwiches or salads.

I loved the farm and all the animals on it. Every morning after grandma milked the cows, I would lead them out to pasture. Honestly, these cows knew exactly where to go and were more leading me than I them. Then I would feed all the chickens, ducks and geese. It wasn't like what I see on Homestead Farms on YouTube today. All the birds were running around all over the farm and at night, they all shared a pen. There was no separation of ducks, chickens or geese. They all lived together, babies and all. If they survived, they survived. If they got trampled, well then they got trampled. That was farm life. Even the cows, I swear my grandma milked them in the morning and in the evening. Maybe I got it all wrong, but that's how I remember it.

The dogs lived outside in the "doghouse" and the cat lived in the barn. They didn't come inside the house at all. They weren't domesticated like that. They each had a job to do. The dog was fed scraps from the table and the cat feasted on the mice in the barn and stable. He would receive a bowl of warm milk from the cow in the morning and evening.

I remember many things about my trip, but the ones that do stick out involve my grandparents. My grandpa sat at the head of the table . . . always. That was his chair and no one else sat there. In the table drawer, he had chocolates that he kept for when his grandchildren came for a visit. After supper, he would lay out on the couch with one hand behind his head, feet crossed at the ankles. Grandma was no different. You could set your watch by her schedule every day. Somehow, she was able to take care of the house, the farm and her family without skipping a beat. She was 60 when I was there and she had no problem jumping over a ditch with a canister of milk on her back.

To be continued tomorrow.

Have a blessed day everyone.