Scrambling for a Living

[packerbap]

www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/38283949.html

Saw this article this morning and was happy to see that home delivery was still alive in the metro area. The delivery wouldn't reach to my house.

My mom was still having eggs and chickens delivered until about 5 years ago. They were the best! My neighbor works for a dairy that still does home delivery. I've never thought to ask if I could just get my milk and half/half from him instead of the store. I might do that.

[TW]

I remember those days. My wife and I talk about it often, how fresh everything was. We had a box built into the wall of the house which opened on both sides, and was insulated. They'd put what we ordered in there, and we'd put our checks, or cash, in there, to pay them when they left a bill.

I miss those days.

I remember the first delivery man I ever saw. He was dressed in an all white uniform, and had a horse-drawn milk wagon. It was during WWII, and they saved gas by using the horses.

He'd go from house to house, and back to the wagon for what he needed, and the horse moved along on it's own, staying right where it was supposed to be, as he completed his route.

Anyone that thinks animals are dumb would have been surprised if they realized just how accurate these horses were, in being in the right place all the time.

[amoeba15]

Cool.

My West Virginian Grandparents, which I seldom talk about because, well, the ying, yang, yankee West Virginians broke away from Virginia to fight with the North, were HUGE farmers. Also, they came from France -- royalty or not being from both France and West VA is somewhat of a curse. However, I was still close to my Grandparents.

In any case, they owned 300 acres of West VA land, raised chicken and cows. I enjoyed milking the cows which came in handy later in life. :)I remember feeding the chicks while trying to grow up, picking corn which they had grown, picking blackberries and raspberries from their land and having a few copperheads killed during my adventures.I learned my horseback riding on my Grandparents farm in West Virginia. I remember picking up HUGE piles of hay and throwing them on the truck.

Also, I remember going to the crick, butt neked, to wash up and taking a bath in a huge metal tub outside. I remember milking the cows, making butter and ice cream and yes, as Hank Williams Jr. song indicates 'a Country boy can survive.'

Fresh farm food is simply the best.

[TW]

We quit buying our eggs from a store when we're up in Wisconsin during the summer.

There's a farm about 2 1/2 miles away, and we now rotate driving over there every Saturday with two other couples to pick up our "orders."

There's nothing like those fresh eggs for a Sunday morning breakfast. It's like heaven, especially when we buy our bacon from Sam's, in the big 10# restaurant quality boxes, which is unbelievably good!

Now my mouth is watering! Arrrgggghhhhh!!!!! I'm hungry!