Lambs
Sometimes a few lambs were rejected by their mothers or needed special care. When this occurred, we kept them near the house and fed them by hand. They were often so eager to drink their milk mixture from the bottle, that we were in danger of being knocked over. I remember that, at one stage, an old cupboard with a centre shelf was placed on its back as a convenient way of restraining two feeding lambs.
Libraries
An avid reader as a child, each Tuesday, I was eager to climb the stairs above the supper room in the local hall to borrow books from the tiny library there. Enid Blyton’s “Secret Seven” series was my favourite for a while. The “Famous Five” books scared me at first so I was told not to read them till I was a bit older. The two books per week that we were allowed were often read by the next day. It was a long wait till I could borrow some more. My high school was very new and didn’t have a big library, but it had more choices than I was used to! An early favourite was Rosemary Sutcliff’s historical fiction series – perhaps an indicator of a future interest in family history?
Memories – you have reminded me of a kind nun who used borrow books from the mobile library for me so that I could have more than the limit allowed.
You were lucky!
While not having a rural childhood I share that love of libraries but it was the Hardy Boys for me!
This is a charming take on the month’s challenge.
@Samantha/samratkel from
Shadow Realities
I have not read any of the hardy Boys books – as yet!
My first library was in an old mansion that must have been donated to or bought by our small town — spiral staircase and all. Looks like you are among kindred spirits — may of us family historians chose Library for our letter L post 🙂
Molly of Molly’s Canopy
http://mollyscanopy.com/
Yes, Molly, libraries are definitely a common interest!
Oh what an agony that wait must have been. Yes I used to polish books off very quickly. I remember spending my 45 cents pocket money every week on a new Enid Blyton paperback.
We didn’t have pocket money or access to bookshops, so library books were essential.
Loved our pet lambs on the farm but it was always sad when they suddenly ‘disappeared’ while we were at school. One of my sisters tells a story of going to the abattoir with Dad and realising a previous pet lamb was in the back of the truck with other sheep! She cried all the way home.
We always knew that they were going to market, so it wasn’t a shock!
I remember reading Enid Blyton as a kid and the library being my favorite place. It is interesting to read your memories of growing up in the countryside.
Thanks Trina, I appreciate your interest!
Feeding lambs sounds wonderful, especially as a child. I grew up in a large city (Denver) but moved to a smaller town in Indiana and I’ve enjoyed many of the rural delights! Found you through the A to Z Challenge. http://www.dianeweidenbenner.com
The lambs were lovely but couldn’t be fussed over as they needed to reintegrate with the rest of the sheep as they grew older.