A TRIP TO THE PAST - DAY 11

A trip to the farm is always a trip to the past. Even though we have updated the farmhouse, it’s still the same house where so much life happened so long ago. It was not only my grandparents’ home but also their livelihood.

We had hoped to spend the week before Christmas at the farm, but the forecast is for cold and snow. We were thinking we shouldn’t try to have our holiday celebration there, but just to be sure, we decided to go now and check on the house and grounds. Our decision to spend Christmas in town was solidified. It’s good to know. Now we can plan.  

The Gilbert Grade is snow floor and slick from bottom to top. It was a winter wonderland – trees laden with snow and a sea of white on top.

Plank's Pitch

We left the pickup at the neighbor’s place, about half a mile from our house. Mike and Bess left me in the pickup and walked in to get the 4-wheeler and trailer, the plan being to ferry back and forth from the house to the pickup with baskets of stuff for town. However, the 4-wheeler got stuck in drifted snow near the top of Plank’s Pitch about 100 yards from the pickup. Mike eventually pulled it out with the pickup, but it was clear we had to abandon the ferrying plan. 

So, while Mike worked with the 4-wheeler, Bess and I gathered stuff for a good Christmas in town – a warm blanket, three jigsaw puzzles, a couple of games, and sundries. In my imagination, Grandma Ina was addressing Christmas cards by the warmth of the kitchen stove. It was cold in the present farmhouse – 40 outside but colder than that in the house.

Nervous Bess creates a safe haven

Bess won’t run with the 4-wheeler, and until Mike trained her last summer, she wouldn’t even get in the box on the back. She rode in the box willingly yesterday, but there was no place for her when we made our final trip out. Instead, she climbed on the seat between Mike and me so that he had to ride standing up. And when we got to the pickup, Bess curled into a ball under the pine tree, totally put off by that harrowing experience.

It took Mike about half an hour to load and secure the 4-wheeler in the bed of the pickup. We arrived in town about 3:15. After chili and apple/berry crisp, we were ready for relaxation and a long winter’s nap. KW

Cottonwood Butte