A DAY OFF THE FARM

 We did chores very early on Thursday, October 17, so we could get up to Hood River to visit old friends we had not seen in ages. And to get home again the same day to milk goats and feed horse and dog and chickens and cats. Our friends, the Greenwoods, have a daughter who lives not far from us and volunteered to do evening chores if we were delayed. Their daughter, Autumn, feels like part of our family as she spent much time here as a youngster when her parents went hunting or just because we had a farm that she loved to come to. I have since learned that young Autumn (named Kerry by her parents but she chose Autumn later on) jumped out of the second story hay loft with our young sons. I'm sure there are many things those kids did that I would be glad not to know about. As would Kerry/Autumn's parents.

Fortunately, everyone survived. However, in my memory Autumn's younger brother, Tim, was not sent off to the Fink Family Farm as often as his big sister had been, so perhaps parents Ron and Lorna decided that the farm was not such an idyllic place for small children after all. Autumn recently told me that Tim remembers doing science experiments with our sons, Kevin and Steve, and launching mice over the barn. I guess I have shut those memories out. Autumn/Kerry insists that both she and Tim (2 years younger) spent many summers on our farm. I am old and my memory is lousy so I'm sure she must be right. But in my defense: Kerry is quite the extrovert so it's hard to notice anyone else when she is around.

 Autumn still loves the farm life and has her own farm now with goats and dogs and various other critters. Luckily, she married a guy who seems to enjoy that life, too.

We had not been to Ron and Lorna's home since Autumn/Kerry was married, however many years ago that was. Ron had been a forester, like Johnny, and attended the Univ. of Illinois School of Forestry with Johnny. That's where I met them both, at the Univ. of Illinois,... in the early 1960s. As I said, we are OLD friends. Ron met and married Lorna in Oregon, when he was a Park Ranger in the Columbia Gorge. Our families had many adventures together over the years. But we all have grown older and averse to traffic so we only see them when they come down to visit daughter Kerry/Autumn. ...Until this past Thursday...

Ron grows prize winning Dahlia's. Lorna sews beautiful quilts, cans, dries or freeze-dries everything, and goes kayaking regularly. She was always the youngest of the four of us and years have only intensified that difference. I can only remember having that much ambition and energy.

Luckily for Ron and Lorna, their son Tim lives on their property and helps with upkeep and is now the primary gardener. I did not think to get my camera out of the car until we were ready to leave. So no photos of the beautiful trees Ron has planted over the years or Tim's garden or much of anything else. I grabbed my camera before we left for home and took a few photos...

One of Ron's dahlias

A basket of dahlias a neighbor friend picked while we were there. She was taking them to a local flower show, where Ron's dahlias have won many ribbons over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

The five of us... (their Dahlia picking friend took this for us)...

From the left: Johnny, Ron, Lorna, me, Tim

 

 Ron and Lorna's dog, trying to get to the rabbit hiding under the deck...

 Tim's dog... both dogs were friendly and well-mannered...

 

 

 One of their escaped rabbits, tasting a Dahlia...

 Lorna fed us a delicious lunch and sent us home with freeze-dried goodies. She makes lots of zucchini crackers! 

Traffic in the Portland area is always awful, I gather, and it was this day. But we took time to stop for supper in Lafayette before driving home toward the sunset. 

 

 We only milked and fed an hour or so later than usual. The animals were none the worse for the wait (although they might disagree).

     And we will always have good memories (and a few photos) of a rare day away from the farm, visiting old friends.