Chronicles of the farm woman: Four year olds primer

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Days are getting longer.  Hens pick a bit of green bluegrass as they stroll here and there.  There is a faint smell of spring in the air.  April may be cold and cheerless but a mild day in January warms our hearts.  It is the first harbinger that spring will come again.

We have often heard of the tidy housekeeper who mended her children’s garments every night.  We wonder if by any chance she might have done it for the reason we do these long winter evenings.  We could never qualify as a tidy housekeeper.

But we have been darning socks and overalls each night.   Young son has only one school outfit.  Socks will wait patiently in the mending basket as long as there is a change in the bureau drawer.

A 3 year old, just turned 4 is proud of her new primer.  Older sister, who is in the first grade and ready for the first reader, presented it to her.

“Now put it away until you go to school,” her mother said.

“No, I can read it now”.

And, she can.  Perfectly.  Each page is identified by the picture.  If another page of type were pasted in she would continue to read the original.

“This same child asks, “What’s tomorrow?”

“Saturday.”

“What was yesterday?”

“Thursday.”

“Well, you said yesterday Friday would be tomorrow.”

“Yes, but this is a new day and tomorrow will be Saturday.”

“Tomorrow?  What is tomorrow?  When’s it coming?”

Who can answer?

The press makes much of the fact that the farmer’s income is much greater.  Eight dollar hogs would be mighty nice if we had any hogs.

We are wondering if statisticians have credited us with receiving $5 benefit payments on hogs or $2.  Of course I don’t suppose the per cent would be much different.  As Col. Ruby Garrett said, “9,000 or $90,000—Oh well, what are figures among Democrats?”

Our Farm Account book for 1934 shows a $2 benefit payment.  Now if we had the other three dollars, our other income would actually have been greater, the banker and the elevator would have received a bit more money and department store sales would have been a small amount greater.  In turn they might have passed the money on —Just how are comparative statistics compiled anyhow?

We are only wondering.

 

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