The Bottom

 

                  Well, you might ask "what is the bottom?" I don't know how big our farm was as far as acres goes but I though it was pretty big. From where our house sat as far as you could see to the south was our land. And that is what we called the bottom and I remember it being pretty and green. All over the bottom is where our cows grazed and lived.  It had a really pretty creek with clear water running through it with a wide part not very deep that we liked to wade in. We had a plank across a narrower part that we could walk across also. This wide part ran on and deepened into a place deep enough to swim in and this is where my brothers learned to swim. I never swam in it and I don't think my sisters did either. It had water moccasin snakes and it's a wonder that the boys were never bitten by them. Anyway, this creek cut our land in two and we had to cross it to get to the other side. Across the creek our land went on until it reached a very high hill. We used to like to go up on this hill and see all over our property. Arrow heads could also be found on it so I reckon the Indians were there at one time. When you got to the top of this hill and a little farther on was where our property ended.

                 There were a lot of berry vines growing in the bottom and I went with my mom many times to pick berries there. We would put on long sleeve shirts to protect our arms from the briars and also hats. When I was really young I thought this was fun but not so much so when I got older. Of course, I loved the cobblers she would make from the berries.

My dad had a big pond dug in the bottom later on. I was probably a teenager by then. Randy disappeared one day and we couldn't find him. So Mama sent one of the boys to look in the bottom for him. He was on the dam of the pond sunk down in the mud and could not get out. So he was rescued. He had taken his little red wagon with him and thrown it in the pond and it was gone forever. Another time he went missing and was found in the bottom surrounded by cows. They were in a circle around him and he didn't know what to do. I don't know if the cows were mad and going to hurt him or not. It's a wonder that he lived through those years. Heavenly Father was certainly watching over him.

 

Getting The Cows Up

 

Daddy and my brothers ran the dairy. Every day, twice a day, they had to "get the cows up". That meant they had to go down into the bottom and drive the cows up to the dairy barn for milking. It was early in the morning before daylight and mid-afternoon that they had to do this. When we girls got older we helped with this sometimes although we didn't do it in the mornings, only the afternoon shift. And those cows were all over the bottom although if I remember correctly they stayed pretty much together. But it was a job driving them up to the barn. But once we got them pretty much together and going in the right direction. it wasn't so hard because they would follow each other. We just had to make sure that none of them strayed. They were turned back out into the pasture as each one got milked. On time, when I was dating age, I was taking a nap one afternoon and Mama came and woke me up and said I needed to go help get the cows up for milking. Well, I wouldn't get up and I don't know why unless I was just extra sleepy because I generally did what she asked me to do. She told me if I did not get up that she would not let me go out the following Saturday night. I still didn't get up and she stuck to what she had told me. Guess I didn't believe her but I sure found out. You people have not lived until you have gotton the cows up from the bottom.