Friday, March 04, 2011

~ My Grand Parents Farm & Farm Friend Friday ~

I'm participating in an event called " Farm Friend Friday " , if you would like to learn more , click on the " Farm Friend Friday " badge on my sidebar , it will take you to " Verde Farm " , the host of this wonderful event.



I grew up on my Grandparents farm , we lived across the road from them in a house that my Granddaddy help build. My Grandparents died several years ago , since then the property has fell in despair. I've heard that my 2nd cousin has bought the farm/home place and they are planning to remodel the old house. I'm not sure if they will keep the old barn and other buildings , so I made a visit and captured some pics before they became just a memory. There were 13 kids raised in the house above , my Dad was the youngest. The pic above shows a side profile of the front of the house , it's so grown up around it that I couldn't get a good picture of the front of the house. It was a beautiful house in it's day , white with black shutters and wooden shingles under the eaves of the old tin roof.

This photo shows another side view , the small edition off the back was the kitchen and back porch. Grandma had prickly pear cactus growing under the double window , I was always fascinated with it and came home a many of days with those prickly spines in my hands (LOL). I guess I always had an interest in herbs/plants.



This is a back view of the house , the back porch had a large sink for washing up after visiting the barn yard. We would always wash our hands before heading inside , I loved that sink. My Grandma was short and Granddaddy was probably of average height , he built the counters and sinks low for Grandma. My girls remember how low the kitchen counters were , they said the kitchen seemed like a playhouse because they could reach everything. The overgrown bush near the steps is a Camellia , I remember seeing Grandma take a burlap sheet and cover it in early spring when we were expecting frost. She loved her animals and plants.


This old building had 2 sheds and an area for storage. Granddaddy kept his tractors under there when I was young , after he died the car was parked under there. There was another garage/shed across from the back porch that the car was kept under. The car was only used to go to church on Sunday or to the doctor occasionally. He had an old farm truck that was used for farm chores and his trips to our small local town store.


This is the old barn , the shed on the right housed the tractor sometimes or the tobacco trailers. My Granddaddy raised tobacco , the loft was used to store tobacco and hay. On the backside of the barn , there were stalls for the cows. When I was young they had a milk cow , I remember Grandma and Momma milking her back there in one of those stalls.


To the right side of the barn was this building , I'm not sure what it was originally used for in the early years , but I remember Granddaddy kept the peafowl in the building on the right side at night. This building also had a shed built off to the side , it was used for storage. Most of the garages/sheds had small wooden nail keg/barrels attached to the inside wall , filled with straw that were nesting boxes for the hens , they were placed here and there around the farm. The old chicken coop was located behind this building but has been torn down.


This little cabin was located behind the original chicken coop and was used as Grandma's animal hospital , Grandma housed sick or hurt chickens there while she nursed them back to health. Sometimes it housed a hen and her bitties to keep them safe.
I didn't get pictures of the corn crib , garage/shed , smokehouse , the stalls at the back of the barn or the pond , because my batteries went dead. I hope to go back soon and take more pictures.
Hope you enjoyed seeing my Grandparents farm , it was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me.
~ Blessings to All ~
JoyceAnn

11 comments:

Hidden Haven Homestead said...

beautiful post and photos! I just love family farms and history of them. We are still waiting on kids too. Thought for sure as cold as it was last night one of them would have a kid but no... they want to see how long they can torment me. LOL I would love to purchase some herb seeds and roots from you! I am not anywhere near your knowledge of herbs but I am reading and learning everyday.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

What wonderful history - and memories. I loved the stories too.

Lib said...

I Love this Post!
Living on a6 generation Homeplace I understand the Love you have for the Farm HomePlace.
Blessins;Lib

Buttons Thoughts said...

Wow thank you for sharing this piece of your history. Your Grandparents were very strong people and you should be proud. I love the photos what a legacy. B

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. So nice to be able to visit that old family site. I hope they fix the place up.

Teresa

Leontien said...

I love old buildings/sheds/houses!

Thanks for sharing and great to have found you true VerdeFarms!

Leontien

Mama Mess said...

I loved this tour of your family farm. It always makes me a bit melancholy thinking of those old places. So glad you got pictures of them.

J C said...

I LOVE these photos. I know you are happy to have them to keep as wonderful memories before "new" stuff comes in. When I was very young, we lived in the country in a small trailer on several acres my dad owned. He built a house sort of "around" the trailer. Much of it had a tin roof like in your photos. I recall the sound of rainy nights.....a memory I cherish. Today I live in a home with metal awnings, so that sound is there again when it rains. It sometimes lulls me to sleep at night.

Verde Farm said...

I enjoyed this visit to your Grand Parent’s farm indeed. What a wonderful place they had--you can see how fabulous it once was and your descriptions bring it to life. I know it was a special place for you and your family. Would be great if your cousin brings it back to life--it sounds like it would bloom and share it’s beauty with them if they tried :)
Thank you for joining FFF!

Flassie's Fil'a said...

Thanks for sharing your family farm history! So enjoyed all the photos!

God Bless You and Yours!!!

Unknown said...

Oh lovely place. I want to spend my whole life here.
Family Attorney in Illinois