“Childhood Days on the Farm in Springtime in Washington”
Living on a small dairy farm in Skagit Valley (near Mt. Vernon area) was a busy but happy time. We were able to play outside much more than during the usually rainy winter months. In late spring to early summer, residents were planting and caring for gardens to provide fresh vegetables for summer salads, and fruit trees were in blossom, preparing to provide fruit later in the season. We had three prune trees (some call them “plum”), a couple of apple trees, and a pie cherry tree. Of course, our farm’s biggest set of trees were not fruit at all but the tall and stately evergreens in a row at the rear of our yard—between the house and the barn.
I have seen a photo of a little girl beside a tiny tree when the tree and I were quite young. But today, the trees and I are octogenarians and, while the trees are tall and stately, I am neither. When someone crosses the Riverside bridge heading north out of Mt. Vernon toward Burlington, if that one looks to the left, today they can still see a row of them, much taller. They draw the eye to the sky.
Spring on the farm was a happy time, preparing for picking in late spring/early summer. While we didn’t have strawberries, we did have a few raspberries, a small pie cherry tree, the three “prune” trees, one small pear, and rhododendrons in bloom.
Late spring was garden planting time. One young “early bird” neighbor started much too eagerly with his garden planting, but my father (who had been a farmer for much longer) knew that waiting a little longer (especially in Washington weather) brought better results.
Late spring days were culminating days at the Avon school—busy days trying to finish the year’s work, mixed with sunny days after a long wintertime that didn’t offer as much outdoor playtime at recess. We had swings and rings and teeter-totters. The boys played baseball in a field to the rear of the building. On spring rainy days, the large gym building was used for recess plus some PE classes.
Spring was a busy happy time, preparing by Memorial Day for school closure until fall.
Roberta McKee
Roberta McKee is a retired teacher, raised in the Mt. Vernon area, longtime Edmonds resident, currently living in Shoreline.
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