some things from Aunt Mary and Uncle Georges where the 4 schoppe kids got to enjoy many a summer vacation. they owned a dairy farm as Ive said before, the barn was the first thing youd drive past on your left as you came down the dirt road that sloped down the hill toward their place with a pasture or field to its right. youd turn the corner toward the right just before the milking barns and tool sheds, they were painted white and long as it had to house many cows at one time. in the cool barns were pipe stalls side by side and reversed against each other. the stalls had a cement floor as did the rest of the barn but behind each row of stalls was a gutter about a foot deep and a foot wide, in its bottom was a chain driven train of blades that moved when the switch was tossed. a chore I always was fascinated with for whatever reason, was to take a common hoe and walk behind the standing cows to drag their fecal matter into the gutter and then send the blades to scrape it clean again and deposit it in a pile I would say went to fertilizer or some other use I have no clue about. the cows needed milking every morning and evening I believe. Uncle George is a VERY tall man and strong like an ox. Quiet spoken and definitely a country boy in most every way I can think of. Hed walk around working, carrying silver milk pails with a lid attached that had several hoses coming from it. hed step into a stall telling the cow to come on! move over! and giving her a nudge that said, I know what im talking about. the cows were most cooperative but I know it isnt always that way. hed stoop over setting the pail down and attaching a hose here and there, then suction cups onto the cows udder itd be put to work and the milk drawn into the bucket. in due time, the cups were removed, the cows teets cleaned and sometimes if not all the time, bag balm applied so they wont crack and dry out. hed carry the pail when its full to a room where a large silver vat was, dumping its content inside, the lid would lift like a dumpsters but was shiny clean as it must be. inside the milk would be in a big pool like a bath, but another blade swished through its lowest levels stirring it to process it. I dont really know what became of it after that. thered also be calves that were needing to be bottle fed, the milk reserved for the sales, they had a powder mix instead like todays human babies have at times. I got to feed a few over time but not a vast number. one I did get to name, he was headed for veal as there was already a bull on the farm I think. but needing a name just the same, it had to be the same Letter name as his mom cow had, Ive related this tale before but.. I think its moms name was Juniper and I recall Aunt Mary saying she was having trouble coming up with a J name for a boy cow. I finally came up with Johnny Jump Up.. and it stuck, I remember feeling proud id helped and still am today as I relate it again. there were other hands at work of course, but id never recall them other than my cousins and family. speaking of cousins there though, Heidi was especially fun and dearly missed today im sure. she and I one summer had planned on trying to put on a play, I dont know if we ever did it, but wed done some dressing up and rehearsing and stuff. im trying to think of the play but I cant at the moment. I recall one other time we were in another old barn on the third or fourth floor. the barn was practically empty and a space allowed us to lie on our tummies and look down the back wall of the barn into a mud pit where a tractor had used to travel and wore a soft spot under us. we had a fishing pole for whatever reason and had tied two big heavy lug nuts to its line end. we were dropping it hard into the mud and yanking it up again which took some doing as the mud wanted to hold them so theyd spring up and fall back again with a satisfying PLOP! but somehow one of us caught a frog on it. I dont know how and I dont know what happened to it, how it was released. it was AWFUL for two little girls! Wendy also is my cousin in that family and younger. she was quieter I think and shy. she was often blushing at least and I cant imagine its changed much. but she had her moments too! later came Chuck whom I know very little of and dont really recall so much, but weve spoken on facebook. their house woke at dawn and retired early, many wonderful family breakfasts were had with fresh milk or cream. good farm cooking and wonderful recipes. truly another house filled with love and loving memories. and this ones long enough now. hope you enjoyed again :D
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:23:06 +0000
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