It Smells Like a Memory to Me!

When I was a kid I lived the first six years of my life (1970 to 1976) at a cattle feed yard.  

I can't believe how light colored my hair
was back in the day! :)

I was surrounded by not only family and cattle, but a few other things.  

Feed trucks - I've been told I cut my teeth on the hard plastic dashboards. I used to ride around with whomever was feeding that day.  My babysitters were cowboys and feedlot employees, grandparents, and siblings. I never stepped foot into a daycare until I had my own children.

Cowboys - They rode horses, they chewed tobacco, had bandanas around their necks, ropes to lasso with, and boots to kick your rear if you acted up!

Feed mill - My main memory from here is of me sitting on a counter, next to my Mom, watching her run the controls to load the feed trucks.  I recall drinking cold black coffee that had been left behind, at this young age.  Yep, I survived, but I do prefer it steaming hot now!

Cattle pens - where several head of cattle resided.  There was one about 30 feet from our house.  If the wind was out of the north, the aroma was... oh who am I kidding, the aroma of a feedyard is the same no matter the direction of the wind! Although, my grandfather used to say "that's the smell of money!"

Feedbunks - to be cleaned out ( I never had to do this, but my middle sister did, she hates that memory!)

When we lived here, the front porch was not enclosed & there were trees
 between the house and first cattle pen.

Water tanks - when they were frozen you had to go out and break it so the cattle had water to drink.

Manure - LOTS of it.

Flies - Where there's manure there is sure to be an ABUNDANCE of flies! Which also means, you have alot of black specks all over everything!

Those are few of the things from my childhood, but the best is yet to come.

It's funny when you hear a sound, or smell something that can take you back to a particular memory or time. Today I opened one of these.

I am not kidding when I tell you that it instantly brought a picture to mind of the feed yard!  

The picture of a blue pepsi  pop machine! This gem was in the "office"!

It didn't hold cans either, it held glass pop bottles!

Seriously, is there any better way to drink pop than from glass pop bottle?  

I don't think so. 

I can recall it very clearly, the blue machine, the wooden crates you would put your empty bottles in that sat next to it.  

(We never had pop in our house during my childhood, unless it was a rare special treat.  So that pop machine at the feedyard, it was pretty cool!)

A few other things that existed at the feedyard......

Scales - I used to think it was cool to stand on the scale outside the office, not sure why  Semi trucks would bring the cattle and they had to be weighed before unloading and then after too.

Feed bunks - I list it again because when I recall walking down the "roads" and running my hand on the bunks, it brings a good feeling to my soul.

Our yard - the house was built sort of into a hill and I recall running from the front down the side and and it was so fun! It was like the kitchen was in the basement the way it was built. 

People - There seem to always be people around.   A lot of them family, extended family and then just people that worked there, delivered cattle, feed, etc.  Although my grandfather wasn't by blood, all of the K's will always be family to me.  I felt like family with them and still do.

To begin life at a feedyard may seem odd to some, but to me it's a treasure. I believe I was placed in that area of the world, so I would know more for the world I am in today, 36 years later.

The Farm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie