It was another time. A time of hard work from sun up to sunset. This is a special photo for me. It shows my Grandfather and my Aunt working together to bring in the harvest. The caption on the back of the photo reads: “Pa & Ann still threshing in full blast at 7:00 PM. Charlene & Twins milking. Ma taking picture.” Now isn’t that cool!?! Photography. Capturing moments for decades. This photo is from the 1940’s and it still tells the story. I love looking at it and remembering my Grandfather, who passed when I was not quite three years old. I have memories of him. A kind and wise man.
My Aunt is still alive today! She is dong well and keeps very busy despite being in her 90’s. Farm life is hard work but families worked together. My Grandfather and Grandmother raised 10 children and as they grew and learned about chores, they pitched right in! There was plenty of work to do taking care of hogs, milking cows, tending chickens, ducks, geese, raising a garden (and canning produce and meat) and, of course, planting and harvesting the fields. Planting and harvesting. Caring for the soil. Being good stewards to the land.
Times have changed
My Grandparents raised their family on 141 acres. A short quarter section. It provided for them, back in the day. Today, those small family farms have disappeared – along with a vital way of life. It is a little sad. Family. The Country Schools, family getting together for dinner on Sundays, working together and pitching in wherever needed – making do with what you had. I had opportunity to live on ‘the farm’ for seven brief but fascinating years. After that, we moved to town. Fortunately, we still have the farmland in the family, a Century Farm!
I walk the fields of the farm and I think of my family, my Grandparents. Memories. Precious memories. We rent the land out these days. Our renter is a good farmer – a good steward of the land. That is very important to me.
Todays big farm operations cover 1,000’s of acres and harvest is done from an air conditioned cabin with GPS control. Amazing. Everything has become automated. The Country Schools are gone. The small family farms gone with them. Probably couldn’t make a living off 147 acres anymore.
Recalling history from another time
We all have family histories. Hopefully we have some photos to go along with that history. I need to pull out some of the old photo albums and reminisce. Something I haven’t done in a while. I remember looking at those old albums as a kid. It was part of what inspired me to become a Photographer. Capturing moments today that, in a generation, will be from another time. Fascinating what I have seen in my short life. How times have changed in such a brief period. And so it will continue – at a blistering pace – advancements in technology being what they are.
Speaking of advancements in technology, let’s take a look at the advancements in photography and post editing. Today’s software is amazing. The photo for today was ‘colorized’ with just a few mouse clicks. I like how it turned out – and I like that I worked on it in collaboration with my friend, Richard! Thank you, Richard, for the great sky you added! Luminar AI was a key player in the post editing process. Great tools. I recommend it!
In closing
I hope you take time today to recall happy memories! Life is a little tricky these days but it is still good. Please take a moment to ‘like’ this post if you enjoyed it. Also, feel free to comment on it. I’d love to hear and post comments on the days of threshing. By the way, the threshing machine pictured was made of wood! The Avery Brand. Most were made of metal.
Lastly, take a moment to view my Galleries. There are over 350 prints to select from and I’m positive you’ll find one to connect with. Prints come in all formats and start at very affordable prices. Plus, I sell greeting cards! Check it out! Any questions, contact me.
Make today the best day of your life! Climb the mountain! Peace.
