Grandpa O's

We visited with my nephew, his fiance, and her girls today. They have bought my Grandpa O's farmhouse It was built in the late 1800s. I have so many fond memories of the time I spent at Grandma and Grandpa's. I would bake, cook, sew, weave, and crochet with my Grandma. When I was real young, she'd pull me in a wagon to the field where Grandpa was working so we could give him his lunch and eat with him.  He grew corn and wheat mostly. He raised cows - both beef and milk cows. When I was real young, he had hogs. And at various other times, he had chickens, geese, and rabbits. He always had a smile (unless we grandkids did something wrong - like jump in the hay mound and get the bales undone - or walk through the wheat field instead of around it).  He had a twinkle in his eye when he was being ornery. He loved to joke and tease. I really enjoyed walking around the farmhouse and yard today. I thank my nephew for allowing me to see the whole house and how they are remodeling and updating it.

House from the road.  There use to be two cherry trees in
front of the house. They were lost to storms over the last
few years. We used to pick cherries every year from them.
They made the best cherry pie!

The back of the house can hardly be seen through the trees.
There was an apple orchard to the right - now there are only
a few trees left. There use to be a huge raspberry patch where
the pile of wood is. Ymmm. ... were they ever good!! 

The edge of the barn and one of the cornfields.

Shed where Grandpa could always be found
sitting.  I had taken a photo of this when I was in
Ohio last October. I wanted to compare it to what
it looks like in the summer with the walnut tree
full of leaves and the shed covered in ivy.

Shed in the autumn. Just a few orange leaves
left on the walnut tree. Most of the ivy has
died or turned orange. I think this will make
a wonderful painting. I will keep you posted.