A Farm Girl's Scattered Memories of the Way We Were

By Anna Harris

About the Book
One day Anna Harris was remembering growing up on a farm in Leavenworth, KS. As she thought about that, she began to write the memories of things that had happened during her life. She thought it would be fun to share her memories with her community. She began writing a new story each week for her local newspaper. She had so many folks telling her as each story was written how much they enjoyed it. Then they started encouraging her to write a book! As the memories continued to flood her mind and folks told her how much they enjoyed her stories, she decided why not!
She began gathering the memories she had shared and adding more as they continued to come to her. Some of them were FUN stories and some were fond memories of family and friends that were around her family as she grew up.
Memories of her family members and all they did on the farm flooded back to her. Each story reminded her of another one. The pages grew and grew! She wishes her mom and dad had lived to be able to read the book. She can almost hear her dad saying, “So, Tut Tut, you think you are a writer now.” He would have been so proud. Her mom would have been even more! She can hear her saying, “Anna Marie!” or “That’s My Anna!”
She is so glad that Mom and Dad adopted her at birth. She was wanted and loved just as if she were their own blood.
She would like to thank everyone who has encouraged her to do this. She would also encourage you to write your own story. Even if it is just for your memories and your family. We go through life so fast these days. We need to slow down and enjoy each other and the happenings in our lives. Not only MAKE the memories, but also KEEP the memories.
Farm Livin’ Was the Life for Her!

• Language: English
• Publisher: RoseDog Books
• Release date: May 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887296128

Book preview

Adam the Cattle Herder

Our Rat Terrier pup, Adam, actually he’s about eight months old so I guess he’s not a pup anymore, but he still acts like it, anyway, Adam is, as I’ve said before, a Speedy Gonzales. That’s what we should have named him. He is sooo fast!!!

He’s trying to teach himself to be a cattle herder. The cattle come by our front fence which is right outside of my office window on their way to the waterin hole. Adam has decided it is quite fun to run up behind them and around them and try to get them to move. He runs up and hits them with his front feet. He does that to Keith and I also and it is VERY ANNOYING! The cows and calves think so too! They try to kick him every time and they always miss. He is soooo fast!!!! One of the bigger calves kicks both back feet! I don’t know how Adam stays just out of reach. I tried to take a picture of him running up to hit them but he was too fast for the camera click! I never could catch him on film.

The other day, he was following a big cow and hitting her on the back legs. She decided she’d had enough and spun around to get him. Well, Speedy just ran back under the fence and hid behind a big bare bush in the front yard until the cow started back to the pond. As soon as she turned back he zoomed out to do it again! I know the cow thought he was as annoying as we think of a mosquito.

I started hearing a low moooing roar going on and noticed the bull was on his way up to the cow. He wasn’t in a hurry but came moo/roaring all the way. Adam finally noticed and stopped to watch the bull. I guess he decided the bull meant business because he retreated to the bush and just watched. The bull went right to the cow and snorted around her for a while and all was well. That was the end of Adam’s fun.

Mother of the Year

I could write a book on the subject of why mother should be Mother of the Year. But the reasons that loom largest in my mind start back in 1957 when after eight years of marriage and thinking they were unable to have children, my parents made preparations to adopt an unborn child. The child turned out to be a girl, who they named Anna Marie. Three years later, they adopted another child the same way. Another girl, Betty Joann.

We never ever in all these years felt that we didn’t come from Mom even after she naturally gave us a sister Rose and a brother Charlie who we love dearly. Now after 23 years of giving her all to her family, she is finally embarking on the career she has dreamed of since her own childhood. At the age of 50, on May 2nd, my mom is graduating from Registered Nursing School and we are all very proud of her!

It is my opinion, as an adopted child, any normal, healthy female can be a Mother, but it takes a very special woman to be a Mom! My very special MOM is Shirley Hanser, who to me is Mother of the Year every year!

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Pets and Chores

I am reading a series of books that take place in the middle to late 1800s and the family dog dies of old age. They had raised it from a pup. It brought to mind the dogs that have been important in my life. My first was a black short legged, short haired mixed breed female. Mom and Dad told me I was going to get a new brother and the pup came along before the baby and I thought she was my Bubba.... Bubba was with me for 12 years. She loved to hunt anything, any time and with anybody! Friends and family learned this and would come borrow her when they went hunting.

As soon as they showed up with a gun, Bubba was ready to go!. She was a jealous friend though. We had a large field in front of our house that dad usually planted in corn. When Bubba had pups, she was so jealous of our attention to them, as soon as they were big enough, she would take them out into the corn field and leave them. Dad would hear them crying in the middle of the night and have to get up and go find them and bring them back. The hunters lined up to get a Bubba Baby.

Bubba and I did everything together. I loved to fish and she was always chasing frogs and butterflies or something, but always keeping an eye on what I was doing. We walked everywhere together or she followed me when I rode my bike. She patiently listened to all my woes and joys. She was my best friend....

When Bubba was 12, dad said one day, Bubba’s getting old, we are going to have to put her down. NOOOO! I cried for 2 weeks and he left her alone. One day, Bubba disappeared and never came back......it was a very sad day for me. I’ve never forgotten her. Stay tuned for my story of Cocoa.

Growing Up on the Farm

I am an adopted child as was my first sister. We are of the very lucky ones. We always knew from the beginning we were adopted. We were 3 years apart and from different mothers and situations. Mom told us, ...not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you were not born under my heart, but in it.

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