......we sold our cows and stopped farming.
Audie grew up on a farm. Then he went to college for electrical engineering and worked out in the real world. Then he went back to the farm in partnership with his dad. Soon after that he bought out his father's cows and rented the farm down the road from his family farm. That is what he was doing when we started dating. I farmed with him for 4 years. It was one of the happiest times of my life. I loved the animals, working outside, living in tune with the seasons, and working with Audie every day. It gave us a great foundation and we still work extremely well together.
Ten years ago, when Levi was just a few month old, Audie got really sick. It started out as bronchitis, and being an "old farm boy", especially one without health insurance, he kept ignoring it. It turned into a terrible case of pneumonia. He was unable to do the barn work for weeks. His dad and I did the morning milking, a neighbor and I did the evening milking, and Levi was passed between my parents, Audie's parents, and my sister. The pneumonia kept getting worse, and Audie had an increasingly hard time breathing. One night he crawled into our bedroom (he was sleeping in the recliner, face down, as that was the only way he could breathe) and told me he could barely breathe and thought he was going to die. That's when I put my foot down and called the doctor.
Eventually Audie recovered enough to go back to the barn, but it didn't go very well for him. He couldn't handle the dust. He couldn't even go into the haymow without coughing terribly and having breathing problems. The cold air did the same thing. He couldn't do all the work required to run a farm alone. I was so busy with a small baby that I wasn't as much help as I had once been. We made the hard decision to sell the cows and Audie went out and got a real job.
We both have very fond memories of farming together. Here are some pictures of that time....
2 comments:
Thanks much for posting this. Knowing you got through the "separation" and lived through it, helps me look beyond also. My hubby and I are in the process of realizing we need to sell our beef cows (not an easy choice) Your post meant so much to me ......
These pictures are beautiful. I never realized the whole story of back then. I'm glad you have those happy memories and are getting back to those ways but in a way that works for you three.
Thank you for this insight!
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