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Life on "The Farm" is . . .

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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Let Me Grow Lovely

 
Let me grow lovely, growing old--
So many fine things do:
Laces, and ivory, and gold,
And silks need not be new:
And there is healing in old trees,
Old streets a glamour hold:
Why may not I, as well as these,
Grow lovely, growing old?
 
~Karle Wilson Baker
 

One of the ways that our town, the oldest in Texas, is going back to its rich historical roots is in the placing of bronze statues of significant citizens on a "History Walk" that stretches from downtown to the corner past Memorial Hospital (as of this writing; a statue is scheduled to be added at the corner of Mound and Starr.) The statue walk begins in the heart of our small city and continues along tree-lined streets filled with gingerbread-trimmed Victorian homes, Indian burial mounds, schools, and churches. One of my favorite poems was written by the woman who is memorialized in one of the statues, at the corner of Mound and Park streets, Karle Wilson Baker. The first time I read this poem, I was much younger but, still, it struck a chord with me. I do love old things, especially stately old homes, exquisite antique lace, and pretty much anything "shabby chic." Things that have passed the test of time.


 
So, one may be thinking, what does this have to do with being a farm girl? Everything! Farm girls are down-to-earth, do-it-yourselfers who have a heightened appreciation for the life all around them, as well as the life within them. Farm girls know the feel of dewy grass underfoot, the warmth of a just-laid egg, the softness of a baby bunny, and the delight of finding the first seedlings of spring. The life of a farm girl is a poem itself, with rhythm, movement, and rhyme. The ebb and flow of the seasons resonate within a farm girl's soul and she is keenly aware of the contribution she makes in the grand scheme of life. Whether in the backyard cleaning the coop, or fireside with book or knitting in hand,  or smartly dressed in heels and a business suit, a farm girl is a farm girl where ever she is or whatever she's doing, because that's what she was born to be.