Dear Ellen


OK. Here we go with a letter for NaBloPoMo. Not fictitious, but something that has been at the back of my mind since Ellen was born. (This pic was taken 3 days before her first birthday.)


Dear Ellen,


You aren't walking yet, you are just too cautious, but I am just as glad because I am not ready for the worries that will come when you do start to walk. (Ellen, please leave the computer plugged in, I am trying to blog here...)
There are so many dangers you can get into here on the dairy, it just isn't funny. There is the pond just outside the back door; not 100 yards away and I know you can just zip under the barbed wire fence in a second. There are any number of leaf piles around the woods, potential copperhead nests. Not to mention the stray copperhead crawling through on occasion. There's also the highway, 55 MPH, not 100 yards from the front of the house. (Ellen, please get out of the DVD/CD cabinet, you keep opening them up and taking the disks and labels out and they are a pain to put back together.)
There is the windmill ladder I am sure you will eventually try to climb. (Now I understand my father's paranoia about us kids climbing the Monkey Tree-as we called it-back when we were little.) There are any number of chemicals in the milk barn; acid wash and soap and bleach; all on tall shelves, but kids can climb like goats. (Ellen, please stay out of the dirty laundry basket; some of those are chore clothes with cow poop on them.)
And I know that every toddler has that "don't leave my behind syndrome" and will run after anyone who is leaving, potentially resulting in getting backed over by a truck or tractor or backhoe or dumptruck or roadgrader or well drilling rig or top loader, or whatever other equipment your father has here on the place. It has happened before around this area. (Ellen, where are you? Why are you so quiet? Hang on blog...I'll be back in a minute. *sigh*)
(The kitchen may never be the same, but here I am again.) And let's not EVEN talk about the bulls.
Anyway. Ellen, as you are rapidly along toward your next milestone of walking, please be careful. Mommy tries to be vigilent, but it's not always easy. (Ellen, what's that smell? Oh, gotta go now.)
Love, Mommy

Comments

Unknown said…
Oh, dear! I JUST finished writing you a wonderful comment of epic proportions...and then it disappeared!!! Argh!

What a lovely letter you wrote to Ellen :) I can totally see how now that she will soon be walking, you've got concerns about the potential dangers for a toddler on the farm.

Farm kids are tough and can take a few bumps and scratches! I know that when Hubby was a little tyke, he ran his bicycle right into a piece of farm equipment and smacked into it head first! He ended up splitting his head open. Gross. Then when he was thirteen, he went in to check on the cattle with his dad. There was a cow who had a calf in there, but didn't realize Hubby was there. She got startled and attacked him. She trampled him and he was on the ground underneath this 1000 lb + animal. Hubby's dad had to hit her over the head with a 2x4 so Hubby could roll away from her. He escaped with a broken clavicle.

I'm sure your hubby's got a few stories to share too :) Though I know that accidents do happen on the farm, I'm sure Ellen will be just fine... and so will you!

Happy NaBloPoMo-ing!!! You almost convinced me to take part in it this month! ;) XOXO
April 2, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Calfkeeper said…
c-thank you, I am sure we will have a few bumps along the way, too, but it'll all work out. Your hubby is lucky to be alive after all that! But, as you say, farm kids are tough.
April 3, 2008 at 9:10 AM
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