The 70s - Tracy Memories
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410.004_70s Tracy farm memories
Age 6 to
Omaha from St Louis – walked 8 to 10 blocks to school, and didn’t like potato
soup!
age 7 to Carson – but went to school in Macedonia
age 9, moved to 40 acre farm and rode school bus to Malvern to school
– Burt was the bus driver.
Me and my sisters were picked on and bullied a lot
in school. A favorite teacher was Mrs. Ford, my fourth grade teacher. Mrs.
Powell was my seventh grade teacher and another favorite – she introduced me to
the “Hobbit” series books. Vernelle Hedlund was a best friend, until she became
more interested in boys than me. That was a hurtful lesson for a seventh
grader.
Also when I was in seventh grade, I went out for
football. I competed in the Punt/Pass/Kick event. This was a long time before
girls were much into sports, let alone football. I didn’t stay out for football
very long. I played softball in high school and was a catcher and third baseman.
I went out for basketball and I also ran track – long jump and discus. Mr. Gilbert
was our music director and I liked him and enjoyed music and band. In marching band,
I was a drummer. Other school activities included working in the library
Richard Kelly was a special friend – maybe because
he also was picked on a lot. On one occasion, when was being tormented, I
whacked the guy with a newspaper stick and then he punched me in the stomach,
so I whacked him again, and he punched me in the stomach again. But he did quit
picking on Richard. Other school mates
included Tommy Bare, Debbie Fickel, Lisa Port, Carol Blackman, Elaine Jones,
and Monte West. Elaine and I wanted to take shop class (not sure if that
happened). … graduated from Malvern High School in May 1981.
Horses – M A marshad, Shadow, Ricky Ticky Dashram –
bought ___ horse from man living south of Shenandoah IA – would soon find out
that I was allergic to horse slobbers and we would ultimately have to get rid
of horses – don’t remember where or how.
Cats – lots!.. most received names – when the barn
burnt, a momma cat and her babies had to be rescued from the hay loft of the
burning barn… had to tar out some boards to even get them out. Then went inside
the burning barn to retrieve the horse saddle and bridle.
Me and my sisters took turns with kitchen duty – the
folks had a calendar that posted each girls’ job - washing, drying, put away, etc.
One of our early projects was caring for “Dude and
Stubby”. These were feedlot calves from a farmer west of Treynor (Herb Sudman –
had a small feedlot and fed heifer calves.) One year we took them to the Mills
County Fair in Malvern. On one occasion, dad bought baby calves from Minnesota
- we all had to help bottle feed calves – then we taught them how to drink
directly from a bucket. Then we helped Dad build feed bunks for the calves and
helped grind feed for the calves.
Other chores – when we had sows that were having
baby pigs, I would let the sows out of their pens, and then clean their pens
before putting their feed in their pan and then let the sows back in to their
pens. I learned to castrated pigs, give shots, clipped needle teeth, notch
their ears and cut off tails. On newly born baby pigs, we would cut off the
navel cord and put iodine on the navel. We nearly always to pigs to the Mills
County Fair – don’t recall any special awards for our pigs.
I learned to drive the tractor when I was 11/12?? and
could cultivate corn.
… also raked hay drove tractor and did lots of field
work
One year we put up 50 acres of clover – I often
drove the tractor to rake and bale hay. Then I helped load and unload small
round hay bales. I would take a gallon of Kool-Aid and a gallon of water.
Other crop jobs included walking corn and beans to
cut weeds. Sometimes we did this for other farmers and got paid to do so – but
not on our farm – our pay was eating regular meals… I think.
Malvern used to have a Fourth of July Celebration,
and one year I helped my dad – taking tickets, directing traffic, etc. We
worked nearly all day. The reward for such a job was to get to go to the
Appreciation Banquet in the fall for all Celebration workers – all the school
boys that helped with the event got to go to the banquet, but they didn’t let
me go because I was a (only) girl to help with the event - and I never helped
again – don’t think my dad did either.