Life through the Seasons

As days grew warmer, the good earth respond with healthy green colors, and the flowers respond with their own unique shapes and colors; yellow and bright orange lilies, small and large white and red roses and star shaped purple crocuses. The flowering trees show up in the woods with their own special contrasts. It appears that the first signs of spring are replaced by spring. The flowers always know when to lengthen their stems and grow buds ready to burst open in the sun. Early flowers such as peonies, bleeding hearts, roses and soap stalk or yucca plants follow the yellow daffodils. Honeysuckle blossoms fill the air with their sweet smell. In the springtime wild strawberries appear. When we picked and washed them, Mother sweetened them with lots of sugar and served them over flaky golden baked pie crust topped with whipped cream. This was a wonderful dessert, but only in the springtime. Mother and Aunt Cindy knew about edible plants and we picked a variety of fresh greens to eat when cooked. If the greens were plentiful we canned them in glass jars using a pressure cooker. We took the advantage of wild things that grew on the farm. The farm was a lively time in the spring with new calves, baby pigs, and little chickens. I stood by the barn looking through the space between two boards and watched a cow birth a calf. My parents believed we should not be shielded from such natural events. I watched intently as the cow laid down, straining and making low mooing sounds. Soon the front feet of the calf appeared followed by its nose. When the head began to show, the birth became slower. However, as soon as the front quarters of the calf appeared, the cow made a mellow sound and began to stand up and the calf fell from her body. The mother cow turned and began licking the wet calf. Soon the calf had scrambled to its feet and began to nurse it's mother. I ran to the house and reported, "Mother! The cow has a calf!" Daddy had prepared an out-building as a birthing place for a sow. She was big in the middle and her teats were filled with milk. One day she was lying in the bed she had made from straw. She was grunting and making interesting sounds that only a pig can make, when I saw a baby pig come from her body. Soon there was another and another. She gave birth with much less effort than the cow. As soon as they arrived they scamper to their feet and made there way to the belly side of the sow and began nursing. The sow made soft sounds and seem pleased with herself as she birthed 9 pigs. Life was good on the farm and we enjoyed every season.