What I love about summer

One week ago, my classes at ABC Adult School ended for the year, so now I have a lot more time for other pursuits, including this blog. So what else would I write about for this first entry than Idealia's summer highlights?

Here in this part of heaven, the food tastes better, the water is purer, and the children even scream louder than anywhere on Earth. This is especially true during the hottest season of the year.

Here are the five biggest highlights:

• Picnics and family gatherings - Every family gets together to eat barbequed meats, watermelon, corn on the cob, potatoes, and bread, among other things. In Idealia, the feasts overflow with food thanks to the abundant family farms. After dinner comes music, storytelling, and other entertainment based on the heritage of their relatives.
  
• Watering holes - Several lakes, many streams, and other bodies of H2O provide relief for the hazy, lazy days of summer. The Timber Lake has an endless supply of brill, the unique local fish that combines genetic elements of bass, catfish, and brook trout. The waterfall into Biddy's Pond is a favorite of children and adults alike. The fall provides a 150-foot drop from a scenic rock to the water below, a ride far more scenic than anything at a man-made waterpark.
• Treehouses - With school out, children spend the day in complete bliss with the shelter and security of burrows carved into the trees. Here is a site to gather and read, sing, play games, and just spend the days.
• Porches - In the days before air conditioning, going to a porch at night was the best way to beat the heat that lingered even into the night. That tradition has returned due to the willingness of the local residents to return to old-time ways. The biggest attraction is to look up and see the stars in the darkness.
• Relaxation - This is the time of year when the farmers get the most rest they will get all year, a break from planting, harvesting, and taking care of the land. Typically, farms will close for about three weeks during this period. Some will pursue other interests; it's no coincidence that events like the Heritage Cup auto race and the Cultural Arts Festival take place every summer.
  

Tales of a 'Barefoot' farm boy

In Chapter 3 of my book, I introduced the Barefoot family farm to which Buddy Wayne was placed once he arrived in Idealia. The farm is set on a large meadow in the Hill Country carved into the clouds of the magical place. The hills resemble the part of the Southeastern United States which is the traditional home of the rural redneck culture.

I wrote that Buddy helps in the harvest by planting crops, taking care of animals, and even guarding the water supply from contamination.

This post details the activities at the Barefoot farm throughout the year.

SPRING
During the traditional planting season, familiar crops are planted on the land: corn, wheat, barley, peaches, apples and plums. As the fruits ripen, they are picked to be part of the family's food supply. In time, the grain crops will be both human and animal food. The cows are milked twice a day and the result is both milk and other dairy products.

Alonzo Barefoot, Buddy Wayne's great-uncle and father figure is the head of the household and chief executive of Barefoot Farms. In his role, he oversees the land, pays the employees, and accounts for everything on the property. He has learned all the traditional rural methods that have been passed on from generation to generation, ever since the first Barefoot family members arrived on a plot of land in North Carolina in the 1780s.

And one of those methods is the use of mules instead of tractors. Although he lack of mechanical parts makes for longer days on smaller plots of lands than are used in modern agriculture, there is more satisfaction in the work. The farmers also learn patience, dedication, and the right way to do things.

SUMMER
As the crops grow, the family takes a break. Alonzo stays at the farm year-round, but many of the others move to Timberlake Village (Chapters 3 and 10), Idealia's traditional summer retreat. There, people come to the most abundant fishery in the world and take special lessons from Wilburn Baldridge, the land's legendary angler. Summer is when the children climb on top of trees, pitch tents on makeshift campgrounds, sing, dance, shoot bows and arrows, and play the new game of boogers (to be detailed later in the week). The adults have barbeques and come to an amphitheater to hear traditional performances of country, bluegrass, and gospel music.

FALL
It is now time to plant the grain crops. There is always a bumper crop of everything, and a large storehouse is kept next to the barn to help keep all the plants stored. None of the grain products are used to make alcohol, as the family has a strict no-alcohol policy. Instead, the corn extract is used for a syrup sweetener similar to that from the maple trees, and the barley is used as an ingredient for bread.

A round robin harvest festival takes place on the land every October. During this time, the Barefoots host other families for a few hours, and in turn the family visits other nearby farms to celebrate the harvest and exchange food and other items. The closest neighbors are the McLamb, Brookshire, Barnhill, and Spears families.

This is also the time that the local wildflowers are in bloom, creating a picture just like the one seen in pastoral art and the opening of Little House on the Prairie, among other places. Also, the loblolly pines shed their leaves and create a bright and colorful scene.

Hunting takes place both here and on other farms during the year. Most is done with bow and arrow, as in medieval times; guns are seldom used. The most targeted animals are deer, ducks, and turkeys.

WINTER
This is the "off season" on the Barefoot land. Freezing rain is common and even some snow on nearby slopes is not unheard of. The farm school is open for the younger residents, like Belinda Barefoot (chapter 3). Alonzo and the other farmers collect hay to give to the animals to avoid starvation.

This is also the busiest time for the local slaughterhouse, which supplements the hunting that is done earlier. Cattle, chicken, and hogs are killed using the most humane methods possible, although the residents wear blindfolds as a precaution. Much of the meat ends up in the icebox, but some is eaten immediately.