Effie Lena Buckner was born in 1895. She passed away in 1989. [1]
Granny still had one milk cow back the the late 50s and dad showed me how to milk it and squirted me in the face with warm fresh milk.
When I was a kid of about 13yrs or about 1965 I had the opportunity to stay with granny for about a month that included wheat harvest, before the harvest she would ride the tractor (latter years she used her car) over the field to find the best wheat stands and she would have the combine crew save that part of the harvest for her seed storage.
When I was growing up she had two tractors an International M which I had the opportunity to operate with a one way and a chisel plow, she also had a puny 20 horse power John Deer B (both of these tractors could be started without a starter motor). It took about three days to chisel plow the 160 acres with the 40 horse power International M working from sun up to sun down. I got to help a hired hand shovel the seed wheat into the first grain bin on the east side of the old dairy barn (it was really hot and humid in early June right after the harvest and the wind did not always cooperate to bring a breeze thru the barn . I also loved collecting the eggs from the old hens she still had around the farm (It was like an Easter egg hunt every day.) Dad told me they used mules initially to farm with as they didn't eat as much as horses and worked much harder!
Granny was a great farmer, worked hard and was extremely frugal! She always calculated cost vs anticipated income. Her modern 7 room farm house was built in 1928 with indoor bath, kitchen plumbing and half basement and a large storm shelter on the north side of the home. All the rooms had windows that you could use to air conditon the home. On the west side of the home she had a wash shed where she originally did the laundry and on the south side she had a clothes line and pump house. . Sometime latter she had the west (back) porch enclosed with lots of windows all round. Purchased a Maytag wringer washer which finally caught her arm in the wringer. After that she purchase a top loader and modern dryer and located them in the closed in porch. When granny died she still had the original cabinets sink, gas range / oven and well worn wood counter tops..original bathtub and bathroom sink. The free standing gas furnace in the living room heated the entire home if you kept the bedroom, parlor and living room doors open. (I'm not sure the furnace was original but I don't recollect it being replaced in my time. I don't recall Granny replacing any furniture except her recliner..
Dad told us that Virdeen, my Aunt, did most of the house keeping, baby sitting him and his little brother that died in a car crash at the age of 5. She also did most of cooking, sewing and clothes washing. He said he saw her go to the mail box and on the way back she caught a rooster and had him skinned and ready to cook before she got back into the house. (Now that's a handy woman.) Granny and Milton (my uncle and dad's older brother) worked the mules, tended the chickens, milked the cows, separated the cream and cooled the milk, performed the required maintenance, and did the farming during those years.
I once asked Granny if I should replace my old 1965 Delta 88 Oldsmobile, she replied "so long as it runs good and you can keep it clean you don't need to replace it!!!!!" I miss Granny Vice!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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