15 July 2026, Freewriters Community Daily Writing Prompt Day 3165: dairy produce
“So, I miss being able to walk over to Fruitland and get fruit, but, the milk here in Tinyville is really good and there are all kinds of fruit stands from Fruitland up here too.”
Capt. R.E. Ludlow smiled as his eldest granddaughter, eleven-year-old Eleanor, was talking about the pros and cons of living in Tinyville, VA as opposed to their first home in Lofton County at the Veteran's Lodge. She was talking to her best friend, eleven-year-old Velma Trent, who was still a neighbor because...
“Our two families kind of went on and grew into one,” Mrs. Melissa Trent said about it, “and then we dragged the Lees in, so we three families kind of move as a unit now.”
But, it made sense, because...
“Lee offshoots and Jubilee offshoots of the mountain have been friends since 1870; history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes, and it doesn't careif you are in the valley,” Mrs. Gladys Jubilee Trent, Velma's grandmother, said about it.
The two eleven-year-olds didn't understand any of this, of course. They just both liked super fresh milk.
“Yeah, Tinyville is really the place to live for dairy produce,” Velma said to Eleanor. “Job security for Capt. Hamilton here is making sure the extra free range cows get home after getting their snacks in other people's yards, but yeah: happy cows may live in California, but frisky cows with frisky milk definitely live in this part of Virginia!”
“Things you do not know about milk unless you get it from local dairies: different cows eating different things do produce slightly different colors of milk with slightly different tastes and flavors,” Eleanor said.
“Yeah, it really does make a difference,” Velma said. “Berger Farm milk is golden yellow, like they are eating a lot of green grass or alfalfa but also a lot of dandelions because of the big rebloom after Hurricane Mneme.”
“Yeah, they are because Mr. Berger takes his cows to the upland in the spring, but is taking them up now to catch the rebloom,” Eleanor said. “I was talking to Mr. Berger's daughter Lisa about it.”
“They are Guernsey cows, too,” Velma said, “and they tend to produce golden milk. But Tallulah Farm has Jersey cows, and you can just taste the butter begging to be made from their milk.”
“Yeah, that is some great milk to eat with toast, because it really has it all,” Eleanor said, “and, Papa is investing in us getting a little churn so we can all learn how to make butter.”
“From Ludlow Bubbly to Ludlow Butter!” Velma said. “I think your family is like ours: creating things to have something to do!”
“Yeah, because why not!” Eleanor said. “There's a lot to do, although, in the pandemic, you wouldn't think so!”
“Some things we wouldn't have had time to find out if we didn't have the pandemic,” Velma said, “and it really would be a shame if we didn't have the time. Now, Tallulah Farms makes good butter, too.”
“Yeah, we bought a bunch of that and we're not trying to compete or anything,” Eleanor said, “but Papa just wants us to know how to do stuff.”
“It can't hurt, and while you are doing all that, come on over here and learn how to make ice cream – that's what we're doing with some of that Tallulah milk,” Velma said. “Pop-Pop is bringing us a bunch of real vanilla beans tomorrow.”
“OK, I will definitely be there!” Eleanor said.