Growing up we often supplemented our table by raising our own food stuff. We raised different animals for the freezer and chickens for both eggs and meat. There was also a big garden and fruit trees scattered around.
We had peaches, plums and apricots every couple of years – if you were lucky, that is. Sometimes the frost got them and sometimes it didn’t.
When you had fruit, so did everybody else. And the same goes for when you didn’t. It was a genuine case of “feast or famine”
If the birds left you any that is.
Eggs was the same way just about. You either had more eggs than you could eat, or you were wringing necks and frying chicken or stuffing them in the freezer or a soup pot.
Then there was the garden… a BIG garden, with peas, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, cucumbers – the whole nine yards. It usually started out as a family affair but the enthusiasm faded quickly as the temperatures climbed, and then the garden duties usually just fell onto me. I guess that might be part of the reason I became a farmer and not a resident of the state penitentiary. I was a bit ornery as a kid, and that garden gave me something to do, and time to think, and a place to burn energy.
I was pretty good at growing a garden and knew how to make it all work, and it also kept me a safe distance away from my mommas switch, away from the house, and outta trouble.
Anyway, there was a patch of asparagus growing wild on the tank bank. It just grew all by it- self right there with that water close and handy.
I don’t know why, but occasionally Momma would send me out to cut a double handful for supper. I never would eat it though. My folks tried to make me, but I’d rather just take a whipping as to eat that nasty stuff. They used to tell me all the health benefits of it, but nope not me, I wasn’t having none of it!
We were sitting at the supper table one time and they were trying real hard to get me to eat that asparagus. Then dad starts joking around and says “it’ll grow hair on your chest and make your pee stink.”
I nearly cleared the table when I said “the reason it makes your pee stink is cause the dogs have already peed on it!”
Everybody stopped eating and just looked at me. I then said “I don’t eat that stuff because every morning, I watch the dogs one by one walk by and they have to all stop, sniff, and hike their leg on it. That’s why it smells so horrible! Sometimes they even-” and that’s when Momma boomed out “DONALD WILLIAM! NOW THAT’S ENOUGH!”
It was real quiet for a while then Momma said “well there’s nothing to worry about because I washed it real good and we said grace over it.” Then she quoted the Bible verse 1 Tim 4:5 “For it is sanctified by the word of God and with prayer.”
Not being very smart, I said “maybe you should pray a few extra words just for safety sake”
I think that was the wrong thing to say there at the end. Everyone sat there just a looking down at their plate. Just like that, supper was pretty much over.
I eat asparagus some nowadays and I don’t mind it, but I still can’t help but think about those dogs. And we still pray before every meal also.
Come to think of it; I pray a lot more than I did then when I was a kid. It’s thanks to Mom- ma and Daddy, but I especially want to thank my Momma.
Because her swinging a switch to my backside encouraged me to keep my thoughts to myself and that it was way better to talk to God than to people sometimes.
I still have trouble keeping my mouth shut; but I’m working on it.
