An Elk, a Good Bird (Fishing) Dog, and The Family Farm

My great grandfather settled in an area near the Ray County and Carrol County border.  He was a farmer and a minister.  My grandpa, his brother, and my mom's brother farmed together from for years and watching them work were some of my first memories.  My mom grew up on that farm as well.  I grew up going to farm on weekends and during the summer when I was a kid.  It was a little slice of heaven to have the freedom to ride my four wheeler and shoot my bb gun.  It is also where I learned to fish.  

My grandma taught me how to catfish with a nightcrawler.  My dad taught me how to throw lures on a spinning rod for largemouth.  It seemed like there were ponds everywhere at the farm.  When we got bored with the ponds on the farm, we went to the ponds that were owned by friends of our family.  There was never a shortage of fishing opportunities and plenty of fish in each body of water.  I am still fortunate enough have access to a lot of bodies of water at our farm and I never take that for granted.  Some ponds are overpopulated with smaller fish.  Some hold fewer but bigger fish.  All of them are unique in their own ways.

A trip to the farm and the time spent in secluded locations always ushers a sense of adventure.  For example, I drove by an elk farm on the way to the farm recently and saw a pretty nice bull.  Things like that just tend to happen when you start to get away from bigger cities.  

Waylon also a fondness for the farm.  He knows that it affords him freedoms that he cannot get at home.  He notices different smells.  Spaces are wide open where he can run like the wind in almost any direction.  He can explore timber, frolic in pasture, and play in ponds.  Not only does he remind me of me when I was younger, but we both feel a certain sense of autonomy.  

It wasn't until I was a lot older when I realized how fortunate I was to spend time on that farm and other properties in the area.  I thought everyone had the chance to partially grow up on a farm.  It just felt normal.  I have also come to hold the farm with a sort of reverence.  It's deeper than an appreciation.  It's where my family is from and where our roots run deep.  It's wild, rugged, and untamed.  It's hotter in the summer and colder in the winters.  It feels untouched by people in some places.  

It offers solitude without loneliness.  I enjoy every moment I get to spend there because it is so special for so many reasons.  One of those reasons is that not everyone gets to enjoy a place like this, and I know that now, and that makes me love it even more.