Rural Narratives ~ stories from the Prairie

 

     Once upon a time, it was common practice to dispose of many kinds of household refuse and broken  and obsolete farm equipment in "the nearest ravine" or untillable part of the farm that served no other purpose. Unthinkable as this is nowadays, that practice and those (often hidden) places have intrigued me since I was first introduced to them when I came to live on the farm, as a young bride. As our family sought to expand our farm, we often acquired acreages in need of "cleaning up." That sometimes meant burying, or hauling off, the trash heaps left behind by generations of other farm folks. I found it fascinating to see the old tools and broken bits of dishes and toys that were part of the lives of people who had taken their turns as stewards of the same land.  

     Now, that detritus, dirty or rusty, often unidentifiable, sometime salvageable, serves as a reference for my Rural Narrative Series of Inklings.