My entry to the Ladies Of Hive contest #23 announced by @elizabethbit. Check Here for more information.
In my younger days, I was a tomboy and my idea of a career was to be a cowgirl and ride the range with my trusty horse. There was no TV or internet then to broaden my horizons. I loved animals and we always had cats and a dog, along with the regular farm animals.
Every work horse Dad had I would try to ride, sometimes exceeding and other times getting bucked off the horse’s back. I can still see my mother standing in the doorway hollering at my father to stop me from getting on a certain horse’s back. She knew it was a horse that didn’t take kindly to riders.
I learned early on there were chores to do especially if my father was away working. There was wood to be carried in, water to be fetched from the spring and cows to fed, to be milked and the manure to be cleared out of the barn. Yep, I can hand milk a cow...a skill I don’t need anymore. :)
Playing outside with my cousins was aways a joy. We would play cowboys and Indians, tag, red light- green light and other games until it was dusk. Grandmother’s house was always exciting and I spend many happy times with her and my cousin Bobby.
A photo with me, about 6 years old, sitting on the tricycle, my brother in stroller and cousin Bobby with guitar. Later riding a bicycle to the lake with friends was a big part of my growing up years.
Being the oldest of my siblings I was the ringleader and always seemed to be in trouble. Not that I was a bad kid but perhaps rebellious and strong- willed. I often wished for an older brother to take some of the heat. My mother told me in later life that I was the most difficult. I like to think that was because I was the oldest and more was expected from me.
There is a 15 year difference between me and my two youngest siblings. By the time they came along my parents had given up trying to raise the ideal child. We are close today but live far apart in different Canadian provinces. Because of the pandemic only phone calls or video chats nowadays.
As I got older card games became part of my entertainment and I think that is what has carried over into my life now. Since retirement, most days Hubby and I play a game of cribbage or a card game we learned recently from friends called Skip:Bo. Playing darts is a fun game I learned later in life.
Play Date
A family and friends reunion would be great to host after this pandemic is over. Any family I have left would have to travel a long distance to get here but it would be wonderful to see them. I don’t have any horses for them to ride but there is enough lawn to set up a couple horseshoe pits and a badminton net for entertainment. An few afternoons at the beach would also be on the play date agenda.
My adult life took me out of the country and to a career in the city. Now I’m back in the countryside. What my mother couldn’t do, living life knocked some of that rebellion and determination out of me but I still have a bit of true grit left. :)
I tag my good friend @deerjay to join Ladies Of Hive.
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