Gram Nell

This is a picture of my paternal grandparents, Tom and Nellie.  This picture would have been taken in 1935, the year they got married.

My grandpa Tom died in 1958.  He was 47, my Gram Nell was 44.  My dad, their youngest child, was only 15 years old. 

After Grandpa Tom passed away, Gram Nell went to work in the deli at Gerbes in Jefferson City and worked there until she retired.  She never remarried. 

Every year for my birthday she brought me a german chocolate cake from Gerbes.  I looked forward to those cakes like nobody's business.  My mom is allergic to chocolate, so that cake was my ONE chocolate cake of the year.

When I was a little girl I had very long hair.  Gram Nell didn't like long hair and, without my mom's permission, she took me and got my hair cut.  Bobbed just below the ears.  I hated it, but it grew back.

She also loved to pull teeth.  YUCK.  Once when I was at her house she chased me around the yard and when she caught me she pulled my tooth.  I told her I hated her.  I apologized many times over the years for saying that, and we even joked about it when I became an adult.  She knew I didn't mean it.  But it bothers me to this day.

Most people would describe my grandma as kind of a stern lady.  She was never a huggy, touchy grandma.  She has been widowed longer than she was married.  She has been widowed for more than half of her life.  She is 98 years old.  Will be 99 on December 11th.

She is the second oldest of eleven children and only has one surviving sibling, a sister who lives in Las Vegas.  It must be so sad to bury all your siblings, especially when, as one of the oldest, I'm sure she thought she would go first.  Is living a long time a blessing or a curse?

Today my dad and his sisters are putting my Gram Nell into the nursing home.  And she doesn't even know it.

She has been living with one of my dad's sisters the past couple of years, and physically is in good health.  But mentally she has been failing. And the past six months, she has really become confused.  Sometimes when I go see her she knows me.  Other times she doesn't. 

In the last couple of weeks she has gotten much worse.  She is aggressive toward my aunt.  She is so confused.  As I said, she has no idea that tonight she will sleep in a strange place, among strangers.

We have no choice but to put her in a nursing home where she can be taken care of.  But it still hurts.  I love my Gram Nell. 

Please be praying. 

This picture was taken at my house in June at our family reunion.  Gram Nell was all smiles that day, and happy.  But later that day she was confused, and wondered where she was.  She does that a lot lately.

Sometimes people don't last long once they go to a nursing home.  I know that.  I keep thinking she will get better.  That I can get MY Gram Nell back.  And every day she gets worse.

I will go see Gram Nell in the nursing home.  And I wonder if she will know me.

Please be praying.

My Gram Nell loves Jesus, and that is our comfort.  That no matter when He takes her, that I will see her again.  And she will be MY Gram Nell, the way she used to be.

Livestock Show and Auction

Summertime means fair time around here.  Miller County Fair to be exact.  Our kids both showed their steers at the fair, and then sold them at the auction.

Isn't she beautiful??  And the steer is pretty cute too!!!

I am so proud of my daughter!!!

And our son is so handsome!!  So proud of him too!!!

I am so proud of them both.  Their steers did really well.  Alex took second in her steer's weight class to the steer that won Grand Champion!! Cole took third in his steer's weight class!!  There was some really great competition!!!

And the auction.  Well, this mama is PROUD to report that their steers brought the TOP PRICE at the auction!!!   We are blessed that our kids steers did so well.  With the economy the way it is, you never know.  But all of the bidders stepped up to support the kids. 

This is just one of the many reasons that I love living in a small town.  Opportunities like this are priceless (I think).  The kids have the responsibility of raising an animal.  The experience of showing that animal in front of lots of people.  And the opportunity to sell that steer for a good price to reward them for all their hard work. 

Thanks to EVERYONE who came out and supported all of the kids that participated in this year's fair.  It was a huge success!!! 

Please keep praying for rain!!  Blessings to all!!

How Old Is Your Stuff??

As you know, last week was my birthday.  I am now 48 years old.  Now I know some younger folks might think that's old.  I can assure you my 98 year old grandmother thinks I'm just a spring chicken.  Age is really a pretty relative thing, and I truly believe you are as young as you feel, and I feel pretty darned young.

As I was considering MY age, I started thinking about the age of things around me.   And while the things around me aren't OLD (well most of them anyway), I really am not surrounded by new things.  Here are a few examples:

1.  My House - Here is my house. 

I would have described my house as "older" although since its not as old as me, I have to rephrase that.  My house is "not new."  Our house was built in 1968, so its 44 years young.  It needs a new roof.  Our roof leaks in a hard rain (although since it hasn't rained in forever that hasn't been a problem lately).  And our basement leaks too (see above comment about it not raining here forever).

2.  My Car - My car is so dirty, that I couldn't show you a picture of it.  Now remember, I live in the country, on a farm, on a gravel road, that cows walk across.  And when cows walk, well, let's just say that dark stuff on my car isn't mud because, as I mentioned earlier, it hasn't rained here in forever.  Sunday morning on my way home from church the odometer rolled over to 150,000 miles.  My car isn't old, I bought it in 2007.  I put a lot of miles on my car.  It needs new tires.  I am hoping to get 200,000 miles before I trade it in.

3.  My Microwave - Again, sorry, no picture of my old Sears microwave.  I bought it in 1986.  It is 26 years old.  SERIOUSLY!!  But it still works.  I mean, all I do is reheat leftovers, pop popcorn, and boil water to make a pitcher of tea.  So why would I buy a new one? 

4.  My Vacuum Cleaner - I have an Oreck Vacuum Cleaner that I bought in 1996.  That makes it, yep, you're right, 16 years old.  I really like my Oreck.  I took it to an Oreck store last summer and had it cleaned and the little "hook" that you hang the cord on replaced.  It (the hook) broke awhile back, so my cord was always just laying on the floor.  I will use it until it won't work anymore. 

5.  My Bedroom Furniture - My mother-in-law purchased our bedroom furniture when she got married.  It is made of ash, a light stained wood.  She used it for years.  When my husband lived at home he used it, and when we got married we moved it to our house.  We don't use the headboard and footboard anymore because it's a "double" bed and we wanted a king sized bed. So I bought a very inexpensive metal heardboard probably 6 or 7 years ago and that's what we use along with the dresser, chest and nightstands.  I would LOVE to get new bedroom furniture one day.  But for now, my 58 year old bedroom furniture is working just fine.  It was made back in the days before veneer and particle board.  It is solid wood and I think it will last forever.

6.  My Kitchen Table - I have a solid oak kitchen table and chairs that we bought around 1987.  Honestly, I don't remember exactly, but we've had it about 25 years.  I had to have the top refinished last year.  It is solid wood and, like my bedroom furniture, I think it will last forever!  One day I hope one of my kids has that table and it brings back good memories for them.

7.  My Washer and Dryer - Of all the things I have, my washer and dryer I would call fairly new.  I bought them in December of 2006, so they are not quite 6 years old.  I average about 10 years per washer and dryer.  We've been married nearly 27 years, and this is my third set.  I think I must be pretty hard on washers and dryers.  My husband is a farmer and the clothes I am washing for him aren't just sweaty.  They are FILTHY.  Sure hope this set lasts a long time.  My mother-in-law had a Maytag washer and dryer that she used for 30 years.  I don't think they make washers and dryers to last that long anymore.  Not even Maytags.

Are you someone who buys new, or keeps the old until it quits on you (like me)?  Honestly, I'm just kind of CHEAP and I want to make certain I get my money's worth.  I like to buy good quality items that will last.  So . . . how old is the stuff at your house?? 

48 YEARS

Today is my birthday.  Today I am 48.

I remember when 48 was old.  Now, I think its YOUNG!

I am overwhelmed by the e-mails, texts, phone calls, and facebook posts from so many wishing me a Happy Birthday.  It is a reminder to me of just how full my life is, and how blessed I am.  My cup runneth over.

My kids both treated me with great birthday presents, and my husband is taking me out to dinner.  Just the two of us.  That doesn't happen very often.  And I am so looking forward to spending the evening with him!

I am reminded today of how good God has been to me.  And how undeserving I am of His tremendous blessings.  I am so thankful that I belong to Him and that He has forgiven me of my sins and is right now preparing a place for me in heaven.

For now, I hope He gives me many, many, MANY more birthdays to spend with my friends and family. 

Family Reunion Wrap Up

We had SUCH a fantastic family reunion!  I can't believe it's already over.  I got to visit with all my cousins and it was just incredible.  We had too much plenty of food.  The weather was warm, but not unbearable.  I am sad they've all gone home, but so thankful for the great memories we made.  And now, to answer your questions:

1.  So how many people did you actually have?  I was pretty busy, so I didn't count them, but my Aunt did, and she said 109 at my house on Saturday afternoon.

2.  Did you have plenty of pulled pork?   Oh my goodness.  We had WAY too much pulled pork.  So for future reference, you do not need to figure one pound of meat per person!  But that's OK.  I hear it "freezes beautifully" so we have lots of ziploc bags full of pulled pork in our freezer. 

3.  What was the highlight of the reunion at your house?  The hay ride.  Seriously, city people LOVE hay rides.  Never mind that it was very, very warm, they LOVED it.  And our cows are really pretty tame, so they came right up to the trailer.  You would have thought they'd never seen a cow. Then again, most of them live pretty far from a cow. 

4.  So where is your next reunion?  Estes Park, Colorado 2014!!!!!

Family Reunion Countdown

I am getting ready to host a get together this weekend as part of my family reunion.  Long-time readers of Down On The Farm know that my dad's family has a huge family reunion every other year.  Well, the big reunion is this weekend.

Since our family originated in Missouri, we have the reunion in Missouri frequently.  This will be the third time my husband and I have hosted a get together at our house.

I have mowed the yard and weed eated.  I have done some touch up painting outside.  I have cleaned house. My husband cleaned up the big shed behind our house.  I had big plans for all I was going to get done before everyone gets here.  Let me tell you that list is getting shorter by the hour.  Mainly because this is my busiest time of the year at work and I just can't be gone.  And the reunion is almost here. 

When I tell people about our big family reunions, I get lots of questions.  Here are the answers to some "frequently asked questions" about our family reunion:

1.  When did these family reunions begin?  Our first official reunion was here in Missouri in 1998.  Since then we have had reunions in 2000 (Las Vegas), 2002 (Biloxi, MS), 2004 (Missouri), 2006 (San Francisco), 2008 (Missouri), 2010 (Las Vegas), 2012 (Missouri). 

2.  Where did your family originate?  One of my cousins has done a fantastic job with our family tree.  He has traced our family back to Scotland.  My great great great grandfather, Alexander Graham, brought his family from Scotland to America  sometime between 1857 and 1859.  I have a picture of him and his wife.  Wanna SEE IT?  If you click on that link, you will see pictures of me, my dad, my grandma, her parents, her grandparents, and her great-grandparents Alexander and Gean Graham.  Pretty amazing, huh?

3.  So, just how many people will you have at your house this weekend?  Four years ago when we hosted a get together we had 129 people.  I will let you know next weekend how many we have this year. 

4.  How big is your house?  Calm down people . . . no WAY do I have room for 129 people inside my very average sized house.  I live in a 1968 three bedroom brick rancher.  But, remember, I do live on a farm which means I have lots of room for everybody to park, and a big yard for everybody to sit in.  Our family is very casual, very easy going, and very talented.  They can all eat while balancing a paper plate on their lap!!! 

5.  How do you cook for that many people?  I don't.  No way no how.  We serve the "entree" and drinks.  In the past we have had fried crappie for everyone.  This year we are doing pulled pork sandwiches and I'm making a huge batch of slaw.  My husband will be smoking the meat on Thursday.  And everybody that comes brings a side dish or a dessert . . . and lawn chairs.  We will have bottled water and tea to drink.  It really is a group effort.

6.  So, how many pounds of pulled pork does is take to feed 129 people?  Don't know.  But we ordered 100 pounds of pork butt so I sure hope that's enough!

7.  So just how big is your family?  Pretty big if you ask me.  Our family reunion consists of the offspring of my great grandparents, Ed and Myrtle Graham.  Grandpa Ed was the grandson of Alexander Graham, the man who brought his family to America from Scotland.  Ed and Myrtle had 11 children.  Only two are still living.  My grandma, the second oldest, and she is 98.  She has one sister still living.  She is 90 and lives in Las Vegas.  My grandma will definitely be there this weekend, but her sister had a stroke last year and can't make the trip.  Those 11 children had 35 children.  So, my dad is one of those 35 grandchildren.  And get this, as impossible as it is to believe, I know all but one of those 35 grandchildren, my dad's first cousins.  Those 35 grandchildren had 65 great-grandchildren.  That's where I come in.  I am the 8th born of the 65 great-grandchildren.  Frankly I can't tell you how many great great grandchildren there are.  I plan to get with some of the cousins and try to put that together.  I'll let you know what we come up with.

8.  Wow, that sounds like an awful lot of work.  Yep, sure is.  We've been working on the house and the yard for a couple of weeks, and now we are down to the final preparations.  Mowing the yard one more time.  A final house cleaning on Saturday morning (they will eat at my house on Saturday at 5 p.m.).  Smoking the pork on Thursday.  But I can tell you that being a part of such an amazing family, and truly KNOWING them is a blessing beyond measure.  And while I'll admit to being a tad bit stressed out right now, hugging the necks of people I only see every two years is absolutely worth every second.  And I'm not the ONLY one working hard.  My cousin and his wife are hosting a small get together at their house thursday evening for those who are here, AND they also host the first official night of the reunion at their house on Friday night.  So they are REALLY being gracious this year.  And Sunday, the final day of the reunion, will be held at Redfield Golf Course in the big town of Eugene, Missouri.  That dinner is catered.

So there you have it, the low down on our up coming family reunion.  It's gonna be a busy weekend.  Filled with lots of hugs and laughter.  A few tears, too.  Tears of joy at seeing everyone again, and tears of sadness for all those family members we've lost.  Catching up on all that has gone on since we've seen each other last.  And eating.  There'll be LOTS and LOTS of EATING!

He Will