The Eichorn Farm
I was five when we first moved to the Eichorn Farm over in Marion County. I have so many memories of the place. I guess by 5, you are old enough to really remember a lot more. I've been thinking since the post yesterday, and there are so many "Nexts", I'm not sure where to start. Description first. A huge house divided into two homes. The five of us lived in the downstairs. There was a hall from the garage down part of the middle of our home to the stairs going up. Dads youngest brother had just gotten married and Uncle D. and Aunt M. lived upstairs. Just before the stairs were doors on each side of the hall. One let to our kitchen and the other to my bedroom, which could also be reached by going around through our rooms. Most of the time those two doors were left open. When I was in my room, Mom was just across the hall in the kitchen. And we could see D. and M. if they came or went. M. had a collie dog that had puppies and they traded one of the puppies for a nanny goat that was named Emmy. I don't remember the collie's name, but I sure do remember the goat. Goats like to go to high places, and the highest place for Emmy was out of the pen and on top of one of the cars. Usually D'.s The top of Uncle D's car was all caved in, with dents leading to the top. The goat had to go. I'm not sure if this memory is accurate, but I think they traded Emma on a jeep. Anyway I do know we ended up with the jeep. I remember bouncing around the farm in that jeep. What fun and we always want to ride along when they went to check on the stock.
This farm was on a main highway, and dropped off dogs were a problem. S. was badly bitten by a small white mutt and Uncle D. shot the dog. Then when they took S. to the Dr. he told them if the dog couldn't be tested, S. would have to go through the rabies series shots. They had already said the dog had run off, and now they had to admit to shooting it to save S. the shots. Odd some of the things that stick in our minds. J. was about 4 and discovered a gas can that had been set down inside some piled up tires He must have liked the smell, because he lay across the tires inhaling the fumes till he passed out. The Dr. said to keep him awake and keep him moving. The parents and uncle and aunt were on the ground making J walk from one to
another till he was awake and quit staggering. J also stuck a bobby pin into an electrical outlet. It welded the bobby pin into his finger and had to be cut out. He also lost the race with a buck sheep and didn't get over the fence fast enough. That connection resulted in a broken arm and he had to run back past the buck to get to the house. I remember he had on a sweater, and when he found Mom he was crying that he broke his arm. Not fully believing it was broken, she started to pull of the sweater.....only to find the bone protruding through the skin and caught in the sweater. It was the first time I saw Mom lose it. J got to wear a cast. And as it healed and quit hurting, he broke the cast inside the elbow till there was a small gap. Brother S and I were encouraged to stick our finger in to feel his "broken bone". Which of course we never could, but J would pinch our finger every time. Even after promising us not to do it again. Yet, we kept trusting him and he kept pinching. I think he actually missed the cast when they removed it. J wasn't the only one to tangle with that buck. The school bus didn't stop on the highway. I had to cross that field to catch the bus at the county road So each morning and each afternoon I had to race that *#@% buck. Dad and Uncle D thought it was funny, and sometimes I had a cheering section. No help, just cheers. Dad liked to laugh and tell about a time the buck hit Aunt M. when she had a tub of feed and tried to get to the trough. Aunt M and the tub and the feed flew every which way. That was a crazy mean tempered sheep.
Aunt M and Uncle D had a baby while we lived there. I was 6 by then and in first grade. My first cousin. I would sneak off upstairs every chance I got to see him. Mom kept insisting I quit bothering Aunt M and the baby. But, I was enthralled with him. After all I was still a baby when my brothers were born. Our family is close and I'm the oldest of my generation and I loved all the babies, but little D. is still special some way.
At school in first grade, I had a bad experience. An odd one. A very painful one. I was in the cafeteria eating lunch when a wasp flew in my mouth and stung my inside cheek and possibly my tongue. I know it was a wasp because I got it out and ran to give it to the teacher. My face swelled up till my eyes swelled shut and my mouth and tongue hurt so bad I couldn't talk. I missed several days of school before that cleared up. While my teacher was trying to phone my parents, another student came in crying because he's fallen out of the swing. I remember the teacher telling him to stop crying because I'd been stung inside my mouth and I wasn't crying. OK, well, not by then. It swelled up so fast I couldn't cry and breath at the same time and breathing seemed more important. But, I did feel good about the teachers comment. Girl, not crying.....boy, crying!!!
This farm was on a main highway, and dropped off dogs were a problem. S. was badly bitten by a small white mutt and Uncle D. shot the dog. Then when they took S. to the Dr. he told them if the dog couldn't be tested, S. would have to go through the rabies series shots. They had already said the dog had run off, and now they had to admit to shooting it to save S. the shots. Odd some of the things that stick in our minds. J. was about 4 and discovered a gas can that had been set down inside some piled up tires He must have liked the smell, because he lay across the tires inhaling the fumes till he passed out. The Dr. said to keep him awake and keep him moving. The parents and uncle and aunt were on the ground making J walk from one to
another till he was awake and quit staggering. J also stuck a bobby pin into an electrical outlet. It welded the bobby pin into his finger and had to be cut out. He also lost the race with a buck sheep and didn't get over the fence fast enough. That connection resulted in a broken arm and he had to run back past the buck to get to the house. I remember he had on a sweater, and when he found Mom he was crying that he broke his arm. Not fully believing it was broken, she started to pull of the sweater.....only to find the bone protruding through the skin and caught in the sweater. It was the first time I saw Mom lose it. J got to wear a cast. And as it healed and quit hurting, he broke the cast inside the elbow till there was a small gap. Brother S and I were encouraged to stick our finger in to feel his "broken bone". Which of course we never could, but J would pinch our finger every time. Even after promising us not to do it again. Yet, we kept trusting him and he kept pinching. I think he actually missed the cast when they removed it. J wasn't the only one to tangle with that buck. The school bus didn't stop on the highway. I had to cross that field to catch the bus at the county road So each morning and each afternoon I had to race that *#@% buck. Dad and Uncle D thought it was funny, and sometimes I had a cheering section. No help, just cheers. Dad liked to laugh and tell about a time the buck hit Aunt M. when she had a tub of feed and tried to get to the trough. Aunt M and the tub and the feed flew every which way. That was a crazy mean tempered sheep.
Aunt M and Uncle D had a baby while we lived there. I was 6 by then and in first grade. My first cousin. I would sneak off upstairs every chance I got to see him. Mom kept insisting I quit bothering Aunt M and the baby. But, I was enthralled with him. After all I was still a baby when my brothers were born. Our family is close and I'm the oldest of my generation and I loved all the babies, but little D. is still special some way.
At school in first grade, I had a bad experience. An odd one. A very painful one. I was in the cafeteria eating lunch when a wasp flew in my mouth and stung my inside cheek and possibly my tongue. I know it was a wasp because I got it out and ran to give it to the teacher. My face swelled up till my eyes swelled shut and my mouth and tongue hurt so bad I couldn't talk. I missed several days of school before that cleared up. While my teacher was trying to phone my parents, another student came in crying because he's fallen out of the swing. I remember the teacher telling him to stop crying because I'd been stung inside my mouth and I wasn't crying. OK, well, not by then. It swelled up so fast I couldn't cry and breath at the same time and breathing seemed more important. But, I did feel good about the teachers comment. Girl, not crying.....boy, crying!!!
posted by LeeAnn | 5:09 PM
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