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What's In a Date?
By Frederick Corrigan
The year was 1947; I was a boy of 12 and living on a small farm in the White Mountains with my grandparents. I was in a small 4-H club, which is a great organization, for young people in rural America. Most of the other boys, in the club, had animals, but I didn’t. I made my main projects gardening and forestry. One day, my uncle Buster and I were in town to pick up grain at the local feed store. My uncle kept his cows at my grandparent’s farm. I loved to help with the chores, including milking the cows by hand, because we didn’t have electricity. The feed store was running a raffle and the grand prize was a Guernsey calf. I don’t remember what they were charging for the tickets, but my uncle bought some. About 2 months later, my uncle and I were in the barn doing chores. We heard a truck drive up to the barn and we went outside to find the feed store delivery truck. Uncle Buster walked up to the driver and said, “I didn’t order any grain”. The driver replied, “I know, but I still have a delivery”. The driver asked if an F----- C------- lived here at the farm and my uncle said “yes”. We all walked around to the back of the truck, the driver opened the rear door and there stood the 4 month old Guernsey calf. My uncle had put my name F----- C------- on the raffle ticket and I was now the proud owner of a Guernsey calf. I couldn’t thank my uncle enough. The calf became my new 4-H project and over the next 3 ½ years I learned about animal husbandry, showmanship and 7 days a week responsibility. The calf grew, gave birth to another calf and provided me and my grandparents with milk, cream, butter and cottage cheese. When I was almost 16, I had to leave my grandparents and move to a city in another state to live with my mother and younger sister. I had to leave the farm and sell my cow, which broke my heart, but my mother needed me. I turned 16 one month after getting to the city, I was a junior in high school with a part-time job, I had obtained my driver’s license and I bought a used car. I paid $125.00 for a 1939 Pontiac sedan using the money that I had received from the sale of my Guernsey cow. Now, what’s In a Date? Was 12 years old in 1947 or 16 years old in 1951 the most important? Was my favorite uncle’s gift or the lessons I learned in 4-H with my cow the most valuable? Was the country living in 1947 or the city living in 1951 the most influential? All dates are only dates, if you don’t do something useful with each and every one of them that you get!
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Contributor's Note
Looking back 60 years with reflection, puts a different prospective on how we have used our precious dates.
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First car 1939 Pontiac
Big E 4-H Forestry booth
Showing cows at county fair
Me age 15, grandparents farm house
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I love these little glimpses into times gone by. The sense of wholesomeness is so unbelievably refreshing. Please do keep adding intel!
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I'm glad that you enjoy my glimpses into times gone by. I'll try to garner up some more.
Thank you,
Frederick
It's awesome that the calf went to the one raffle ticket holder who was most deserving of and most suited to it. Thank you for another great story!
 | | nick Dec 11, 2009 23:31 | |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Your words of praise are more then I deserve, but I love them.
Thank you,
Frederick
I have to answer one of the questions you posed - which year was most important, 1947 0r 1951? For me, it would have to be 1951, because that's the year I was born. *smiles* The 9th of September is the date to remember. This year, my birthday posed wonders for the psychic world. It was 09-09-09 and I got bombarded with their prophecies. Kept me occupied for quite some time. LOL Great intel and thank you for sharing.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I've found that through sharing we get rewarded many times over.
Thank you for your added intel.
Frederick
Thank you for this glimpse into the past - to a time when things were a lot simpler, family values were top priority, and people were a lot happier - in spite of being poor most of the time. I found myself going down memory lane in my own life! Thank you again.
 | | Barb Dec 12, 2009 06:21 | |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Many people aren't aware, that being poor can give you a greater appreciation for what we get in life.
Thank you for you kind words.
Frederick
Takes a wise old man to write this... touching!
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I don't know about being wise, but I appreciate you words of support.
Thank you,
Frederick
For me personally, very nostalgic, having lived on a small farm in Dorset, England 1947-1958 and having han-milked cows from the age of seven. Frederick and I are probably poles apart, but I suspect we share a lot of similar memories. Keep up the good work, great intel.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I'm sure that you remember the urine soaked cow's tail slapping you beside your face. All part of the job of being a small farmer---A Noble Profession.
THans for your kind words.
Frederick
I tried milking a cow once when I was young. It turned out badly. But look, lessons are lessons. Sometimes you don't know that you're dealing with a lesson until years later.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I consider myself very lucky to be able to talk abouy some of my life's lessons at age 73.
Thanks for your support.
Frederick
I love your take on this.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thank you for your kind words.
Be safe,
Frederick
This is a charming story. Thanks for sharing.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Most people can look back, if they have had the good fortune of long life, and share a story.
Thank you for your comment.
Frederick
Thanks for sharing Fredrick; I relate to country and city life. Both of my parent grew up in the south, my father Alabama and my mom grew up in Georgia. My father's family migrated to Ohio in the late 40s. My mother went to live with her sister in Philadelphia after her first husband surmised in a car accident in the mid 50s. This is where she met my dad. Mom would travel back and fourth from Ohio to Georgia, at least once a year until my parents separated in the mid 60s. Visiting Georgia from Ohio was better than Christmas; however, it was a little rough in the beginning of actually moving to live in Georgia. Mother had to make a transition from housewife to bread winner. I learned a lot about business from my mom, she is also my best friend . 
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