When I was five

When I was five years old, I was taking an afternoon nap in our glassed in front porch.  I was of an age when naps were important, especially to my mother.  

I grew up a country boy.  There were eventually five boys and two girls in our family.   I have an older sister Cheryl I am the oldest boy.  I still have soil remnants of the family farm in my skin and the smell of home imbedded in my soul.  There is an alluring smell of burnt tractor fuel and the intoxicating aroma of freshly plowed earth that transports me back to my youth.

Our farm physical set up was pre nineteen-fifties.  The buildings were older as they were weather beaten gray and devoid of paint.  We had an old Gambrel-hip roofed barn for our dairy cows.  I remember a young Guernsey bull calf I played with feeding grain or hay while my parents did feeding and milking chores.  I named this 3-month-old calf Danny.  I have no recollection where the name came from.  Memory somehow finds a lost gem and reactivates it. 

There was a hog house with sows (female), piglets and fattening hogs housed in it.  I am sure there was a boar (male) on the farm also.  We had white hogs and some Hampshires (black with a white belt). 

There was a chicken coop with laying hens.  Homegrown eggs are still the best.  They are incredibly fresh.  They have what seems like mile high yolks and whites almost as big as a pond.

I as any kid had a blast helping in the barn.  I am sure I contributed to some of Mom's children induced gray hair development.  Dad had a day job working in Kalamazoo at the Fuller transmission plant.  He later got into road construction operating heavy equipment for thirty-five plus years.  Dad still prefers being outside.   Presently he is yard boss at two of my brothers and his commercial hay-producing farm, T Bar K, in Grand Junction, Colorado. 

Back when I was five Mom did chores a lot, sometimes with over enthusiastic kids helping or at least trying to help.  I know we had some method of cooling the milk and did home pasteurization for our own use.  I do not remember if we sold to a milk processor at that time.   Anyway as you will read this description of the farm helps you develop a mental picture of the placement of the house, barn and out buildings that was our farmstead.

The warm afternoon of my nap places the date as spring-summer time.  I remember waking up and seeing a red orange reflection off the north window of the porch.  I saw black columns spiraling into the air.  There were tremendous cracking noises that resembled exploding ammunition rounds.  There were people all over the place.  I was terribly confused trying to shed my slumber stupor and find Mom.  I was just very scared. 

When I was able to find her security and sanity was instantly available.  I could see the barn and out buildings engulfed in flames.  That explained the reflections and the audible noise of an incredibly large bonfire.  The barn burned for what seemed forever.  It had enough hay in it to sustain embers for two days.  I remember the plaintive bleating and mooing of cattle.  I think most of the cows were out.  I asked about Danny, Mom said the neighbors and firefighters were not able to get to him.  I was devastated when I found out.  I really loved that calf.  He had personality and he genuinely liked playing with me.  The hog shed went up in flames.  One unfortunate pig would not come out until the shed collapsed around it.  Uncle Roy Remington chased it for a mile before he was able to dispatch it.

The chicken coop was gone.  The firefighters did one miracle they saved our house.  I do not remember what happened to the surviving livestock.  They were sold at auction market or sold to neighbors as we had no forage or facilities.   The cause of the fire was never determined.   Either a loose wire or possibly spontaneous combustion of the hay stored in the mow are two probable causes.  Ten years later, we attempted to rebuild barns and out buildings.  We were never able to recreate the esthetic lines of the earlier setting.

Fire is best in a stove or fireplace.  I did learn that in the midst of chaos there is calm.  My parents showed me the need to be able to give directions and how to quickly sort out and prioritize what is important.  I learned the importance and value of animals in my life.  I have always tried to give extra attention and support to young children.   Mentoring helps form the next group of adults. 

Mom has always said she knew I was going to be a veterinarian.  Somehow, she figured it before I did.  She said it had something to do with my handwriting or lack of it.  She mentioned how upset I would get when anything happened to puppies, kittens or other animals while growing up.  Mom must know more than she is telling.  

For more information about a specific case, consult your veterinarian.                   
The outside of a pet is good for the inside of a human.