Tuesday, March 29, 2011

March 29 1963 The Frances Hubbard Diaries

March 29, 1963
Friday. Rain in am and 23, light cloudiness in pm 50. I ironed and got ready to go to New Jersey Clifton and I went to Grand Gorge after feed.
Comment:  It was a big deal when my folks went anywhere to stay for a couple of days.  I do not remember any time when I was with the family that we did so.  It seemed like we always had to be back to milk the damn cows or somebody had to.  As a kid, a trip to the feed store was a big deal also.  The sounds and smells around a feed store are very unique, reeking with molasses and the various grains they mixed into the various feeds.  They also had white salt blocks for cattle around and I always surreptitiously took a couple of licks to taste the salt.  Not sure why, but licking a salt block would cause one's tongue to break out in small, painful, blood-filled pimples. 
I would also grab a fist-full of dairy ration and lick the feed that extended from the top of my fist like an ice cream cone.  The molasses content made it semi-sweet, crunchy, and fibrous and it was almost like candy.  Probably all the rat and bird feces in it contributed to our immune systems.  "Have to eat a peck of dirt before you die" and all that....Here is a picture of what a typical feed store looked like.

1 comment:

John Hubbard said...

I wonder why they were going to New Jersey?

You're always young in your mind it is said, No matter the face in the mirror, That you see with surprise then say to yourself, "What is that old man doing here?"