Growing Up on the Farm

 It's Thursday today and on social media that means #ThrowbackThursday.  On this particular Thursday, I've decided to let you in on what it's like to grow up on the farm.  This is a story in pictures.

My favourite toy in my earliest days was a milk carton.  Apparently I liked to laugh at the picture of the cow. 
Can you spot the milk carton amongst my toys?

Oma gave me my first herd: One cow - Lulubell - and four calves. They still live in my closet!

We learned to work  with others at an early age.  Here we are, hard at work rolling up the old fence at two years old!

There was always so much room to play!  Safety first, though! 
We  were taught at a young age to run to the closest fence if any vehicles or machinery came on the yard.

Ah, the farmyard skating rink!

A big backyard means a lot of work.

My first cow! Her name was #1.

We always had dogs around. This is Spot, on one of his first days with us.
Spot was a fantastic dog, but the coyotes got him while he was still young.

This is the first dog of my own - Wolfie.  The coyotes got him, too. 
Unfortunately, death is part of farming.

When you visit your friends during harvest, you get to play in the fields!

One has not lived until one has scaled the heights of a granary-sized snow pile!
Now that it's my responsibility to plow the driveway, the snow piles aren't nearly so exciting.

The older we got, the more responsibility we had.  First thing after arriving home from school, we'd feed the horses.

Growing up in the country means getting up plenty early to catch the school bus.

Yes, I went as a farmer for Halloween. 
I have no idea why I tucked my jeans into my boots, though.

I was never particularly fond of 4-H, but I participated.

Growing up on the farm was a great experience.  There were times when we did things that would not live up to the safety standards of most folks, but we survived fine and have plenty of great memories, along with all the other children who grew up on farms!