The boys and I decided to make a last minute trip to visit Mimi and Peepaw last week for a few days. As I go on more and more job interviews, I am starting to come to the sad realization that I will someday be working full-time and not have each and every day to spend with my lovey boys -- so I need to take full advantage of it while I can, and make these trips that will be impossible once I start working.
The boys love going to visit NY, and are fascinated by Peepaw's tractor and the barn. The main section of the barn collapsed several years ago after a severe snowstorm that delivered many inches of heavy, wet snow. The sections of the barn that remain standing feel creepy to me, eerie, almost haunted. I spent many, many, many hours of my life in that building, as did my father, his father, etc. The Ryan family moved to the area in 1865, so there is a lot of family history and many generations of Ryans who walked those same corridors. The barn played such a central part of my family's life -- chores at 3am on Christmas Day so we would be able to spend more time celebrating with our families; learning at a very young age that teamwork was an expected, indispensable requirement for our family; responsibilities beyond those expected of most children.
The barn allowed my parents to be close by for much of my childhood. My dad was always in the barn or off on a tractor somewhere, his father was usually around somewhere (including in the farmhouse where both he and my father grew up), my mom was at home and worked on the farm until I was in 4th grade (when she started working AND doing chores -- I don't know how she did it), and almost my entire extended family lived close by. I think that the closeness of so much family is one of the reasons I have had such a hard time with living so far away from my parents and my siblings after I became a mother.
I am so happy that my parents had the courage to decide that farming was no longer a feasible way of life. The sheer courage my father displayed by facing his fears that he would not be able to succeed in a life outside the farm is inspiring to me, and I am so proud of him for going to school to learn a trade, and for building a successful business. I'm also grateful that my parents now have the flexibility and ability to come visit their grandchildren and live happy lives without having the responsibilities of the farm!
My mom also introduced the boys to the piano (aka paino). She started us in Suzuki piano lessons at 3 years old, and I guess she thinks Sam and Ben are ready now!
The boys and I decided to make a last minute trip to visit Mimi and Peepaw last week for a few days. As I go on more and more job interviews, I am starting to come to the sad realization that I will someday be working full-time and not have each and every day to spend with my lovey boys -- so I need to take full advantage of it while I can, and make these trips that will be impossible once I start working.
The boys love going to visit NY, and are fascinated by Peepaw's tractor and the barn. The main section of the barn collapsed several years ago after a severe snowstorm that delivered many inches of heavy, wet snow. The sections of the barn that remain standing feel creepy to me, eerie, almost haunted. I spent many, many, many hours of my life in that building, as did my father, his father, etc. The Ryan family moved to the area in 1865, so there is a lot of family history and many generations of Ryans who walked those same corridors. The barn played such a central part of my family's life -- chores at 3am on Christmas Day so we would be able to spend more time celebrating with our families; learning at a very young age that teamwork was an expected, indispensable requirement for our family; responsibilities beyond those expected of most children. 
The barn allowed my parents to be close by for much of my childhood. My dad was always in the barn or off on a tractor somewhere, his father was usually around somewhere (including in the farmhouse where both he and my father grew up), my mom was at home and worked on the farm until I was in 4th grade (when she started working AND doing chores -- I don't know how she did it), and almost my entire extended family lived close by. I think that the closeness of so much family is one of the reasons I have had such a hard time with living so far away from my parents and my siblings after I became a mother.
I am so happy that my parents had the courage to decide that farming was no longer a feasible way of life. The sheer courage my father displayed by facing his fears that he would not be able to succeed in a life outside the farm is inspiring to me, and I am so proud of him for going to school to learn a trade, and for building a successful business. I'm also grateful that my parents now have the flexibility and ability to come visit their grandchildren and live happy lives without having the responsibilities of the farm!
My mom also introduced the boys to the piano (aka paino). She started us in Suzuki piano lessons at 3 years old, and I guess she thinks Sam and Ben are ready now!
3 comments:
Did you ever find out if either of your siblings also have perfect pitch? I read somewhere recently (in a novel so I'm not sure how accurate it is) that perfect pitch occurs in 1 in 10,000 people! I had no idea it was THAT rare. I bet you feel special now huh?
Again, these pictures just give me chills, and so does the post. I loved your barn :)
you have perfect pitch? or relative pitch? i never knew that!
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