by Mary Beth

Created on: February 20, 2009   Last Updated: October 28, 2009

I grew up in a family of five brothers...yes, five...and I was the only girl. My mom was 5 foot tall...small...just like me. "Small-but-mighty," she would say. Mom had a job during my teen years working as a nurses' aid at a local nursing home. Peope often wondered how she could maneuver the elderly around. She said you have learn how to work with weight and not against it. My dad worked in a factory. He always had lots of stories to tell. He also owned a 250 acre farm.

Many times I remember feeling lonely and wishing for a sister. My brother's said I was spoiled rotten, but I fought that idea. I think it was their way to tease. I was the second to the youngest and kind of scared of my older brothers. They spoke harshly to me at times. I guess they were so busy with their lives and interests. Three of them were married and out of the house by the time I was thirteen.

As a teen, I helped mom around the house washing dishes, sweeping, and hanging up clothes on the line. Mom had an old wringer-washer in the cellar. The ceiling was low and unfinished. We would each lug up a basketful of clothes out of that dim place into the bright sunshine and talk while we pinned the clothes to the lines.

I also learned to work hard on the farm. I helped take care of the animals. I helped carry slop to the pigs. I thought that was the worst job in the whole world because you would never walked away clean. The pigs would excitedly tussle over the trough with noses turned up waiting for their wet ground corn to plop down. More often than not the food would fall into their ears as they fought for their share. Of course they would shake their big floppy ears and food would fly back on me...all over me. It was not my idea of fun and learned to do this job fast. I also helped with the hay. The 75 foot high barn was filled every year. Once I got pinned under the hay elevator. Two of my brothers were trying to rearrange the monstrosity and I ended up folded in half screaming for help. I can just see those brothers of mine looking shocked at how I ended up underneath that thing. Maybe they learned to move a little faster too.

I helped herd cattle, and learned to milk cows. I fed baby lambs and stuffed wool into burlap bags during sheep shearing time.

Horses were my favorite. I had grown up with ponies all starting with T. Tiny, Trigger, Trixie, Tammie, Toby, and Tonya...one for each of the boys...and me. When I was a teen Pa had bought two mares and a stallion. I started raising Quarter

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