Well, actually it began longer ago than 2009.......a lot longer. Both Chip and I acquired our love of the land through our parents.
 |
| Lou as a 12 year old in Geneseo |
 |
| Lou raised Devon cattle in Belchertown |
Chip's Dad, Lou, was raised in a farm family in Geneseo, Illinois. After he graduated from college, got married, and started working at Monsanto in Springfield, Massachusetts, he knew he had to get a farm...because that was what allowed his family to survive the depression. He wanted to assure his own family they would always have food to eat. He bought a 100 acre hobby farm and ran cows, put up hay, had a vegetable garden and raised his children. Belchertown was about an hours drive from Springfield, Massachusetts.
 |
| The old farmhouse--with outhouse |
 |
| Updated! with Jackie the farm dog and Chip's best friend |
 |
| Lou, Jane and Chip |
Chip's Mom, Jane was the quintessential farmer's wife, turning their late 1700's farmhouse into a home. Furniture was acquired, remodeling and upgrading done (indoor plumbing...yea!), and putting up the harvest of the garden and farm. She constantly entertained guests as there were visitors every week to "sample the farm life".
When Chip was 10 years old, Lou got transferred to St. Louis, MO, and they had to sell the farm. Chip was used to all the freedom a farm offered and enjoyed every aspect of rural living. It was quite an adjustment to move to suburbia.
My father was born in Denver but was sent to live with his Grandmother in the farming community of Creighton, Nebraska when his twin sisters were born. Dad was a difficult child and his mother knew she could not provide the discipline needed to keep him in check with 2 newborns. Dad loved the small town of Creighton and all the agriculture influence stuck with him through the years.
Dad learned a lot about Ranching and all us kids got to reap the benefits of learning about agriculture (well, at least the cattle business).
Dad did haying as well as raising several different kinds of livestock including chickens, turkeys, hogs and horses, but Dad's primary focus was cattle. Us kids never really were able to fully experience the true ranch life as we all had jobs and kids in Denver, but we spent as much time as we could helping with the chores and enjoying the experience. My mother was like me, always preferring to be outside taking care of the animals or the land. She did her share of farmhouse cooking, but the land was always calling her outside.
All the grandkids proclaim that the "Camp Double D"(my parent's names-Don and Donna) was their favorite childhood experience.
When Chip was a teenager, he spent many summers in the Ozarks at canoeing camps. Once as a camper and more years as a counselor. It was one of the happiest memories in his life. When Chip and I started dating, one of the first trips he treated me to was a canoe trip on the crystal clear waters of the North Fork River in southern Missouri. I too fell in love with the experience, all the greenery, and the wildlife. We shared our childhood experiences of rural life on long drives in the car and slowly a longing for that old rural lifestyle emerged.
