What’s going on here? A pony that refused to be broken? An owl and a pig that pull a Lazarus feat and came back to life after being pronounced dead? Shenanigans on a school bus? A dog who likes to wrestle? A tom cat exiled miles from his home but found his way back? A farm boy who’d rather be reading than riding a tractor?
All these stories and more are featured in this collection of short stories by me, former farm boy. I grew up in North Central Iowa where I somehow retained enough knowledge to become a farm editor for newspapers and magazines during his 39-year career in journalism.
As Williams saunters down memory lane, he revisits the farm where he grew up. The land his great-grandfather, a Civil War veteran, moved his family in the pursuit of a better life. Some of the tales are humorous, some are sweet and a few are nostalgic.
I poke fun at myself while retelling some of my antics while growing up, such as disappearing mysteriously when a job needed to be done or being slightly confused during the first day of school or almost hitting the only tree in a pasture while driving a tractor at age 8 or witnessing mayhem in the show ring during the county fair.
I also remember the animals that made an impression on him — positively and negatively — including two very loyal dogs, a family of barn cats each with a unique personality and the above-mentioned pony that waged war on me for several years.