Life on the hobby farm (oh, yes, we didn't farm cows here, we farmed shinanigans, laughter and fun) with Grampa Shorty included "truck rides" with kids piled in the back of the pickup truck barelling thru mud puddles and corn fields. The "monkey cage" that we climbed on top to swing off by rope swing and bounce off the tree (us kids were the monkeys). Summers of priming the pump to get a drink of water only for it to turn into a water fight. Climbing on roof tops and shucking feed kernal corn off the cob to throw down on grampa's head below. Cooking left over vegetables & seed for the animals over a barrel of fire "out back" (because animals liked their food cooked, you know!?!).
We'd get up insanely early on weekends to go to animal auctions where we'd purchase the craziest, most unique animals we could find. We had floppy eared bunnies, peacocks, donkeys, trainable pigeons (they did tricks when he whistled), white rats, a dog (Toby the fat chihauha) that thought he was a cat (he slept in the cat-coupe among the dozen or so cats we had), and so many more. There was nothing average about anything we did.
Grampa almost always had some baby animal - a bunny, bird, rooster tucked inside his flannel shirt or front pocket - and he'd bring them along to my preschool or he'd sneak them into the local restraunt to show off. He also was known for the donkey which he'd bring to my preschool and, yes, the restraunt too. It was a traveling hobby farm.
HAHA "A traveling hobby farm." That's a GREAT line, Lou! Great writing :)
ReplyDeleteI remember a peacock.
Was the donkey Sandy? I thought she was a mule.
Thanks for writing. Memories are precious things that must be protected and passed on to the little ones. I'm sure that 'Shitty' is still bringing smiles to many faces, and that is what life is all about.
ReplyDeleteKeith
Thank you Keith.
ReplyDeleteLes, I don't remember the name.. or if it was a mule or donkey. I was wayyyy little then. Maybe I can find a picture.