SO many fond memories on this farm. This is the farm where my Father's parents lived. I was born in 1958 and spent countless hours running free all around the farm. I remember pulling weeds in the garden, picking beans and peas and then sitting on the front porch shelling and snapping them. There was a wonderful swing on the front porch where we would swing just a little too high and my grandmother would gently remind us to be careful. There were cats and dogs, chickens, cows and pigs. I would walk down the long lane to the mailbox every day and when I reached a special age, was allowed to sit on my Aunt's lap and drive the car to the mailbox. Christmas at Grandma's was amazing. One of my Aunt's would decorate the upper porch around the home with so many wonderful, life sized figures of santa, his sleigh, reindeer, snowmen... it was like a wonderland. This is where I learned the advantage of wearing an apron. We would fix breakfast, lunch and supper for the men folk who were all working hard plowing the fields. Those aprons served as a towel to wipe our hands, a tissue to wipe our tears, a basket to gather our harvest from the garden. This is where I learned how to bake a cherry pie and fry chicken. Where I learned how to serve others and feel honored. I learned how to shoot a gun and drive a car. The joys of pumping well water so cold and fresh. I am blessed and proud to have been raised in rural Southern Illinois.