A VISIT TO HERITAGE SUMMIT FARM

Four Days on an Indiana Farm

This is Memorial Day Week-End with Ray and Dianne on the farm at the west edge of Greenfield where the quiet and peaceful life flows by, largely unnoticed by the rushing world.  We left home in Illinois at noon on Friday.  Joanna drove.  The Kids, E. S. and L. sat in their seats reading, writing or dozing.  I sat with my right leg elevated on the right hand dashboard.  I have no idea how many times I, myself, have driven that road (or parts of it ) from Oregon, Il. to Indy, Ind. during the past 37 years.  And there were the trips from Red Oak, Ia. (and other Iowa towns) to Indy. beginning in 1961 for 15 years.  During those 52 years we watched the slow but steady development of the Inter-state highway system crawl into being.  Little country towns and very busy city streets gradually got bypassed and we joyfully hurdled over the countryside to reach our destinations hours ahead of the previous trips.  This time I was the passenger, observing the pointy green spears of baby corn leaves reaching out of the dry earth.  We had very few, but a few, pit stops and potty breaks.  There was the excitement and anticipation of the planned stop for gondola sandwiches at Avantis in Bloomington-Normal.  We ate on them the rest of the way.

It was a great feeling to unfold from our confinement onto the welcoming green lawns of Heritage Summit   Farm to be greeted by the Farmer and his Wife, with Titus, the old golden pooch, who mostly warms the floors of the farm house these days.  The fields are almost completely filled with seeds and growing plants.  We put in the last of the okra seeds and the nine remaining rows of pop corn.  Onions, potatoes, beans and strawberries had already been planted.

The Kids immediately fell into farm life, chasing the ducks and chickens.  The hum of work emerging from the bee hives was a warm sound from seventy years ago.  Bryan and Leslie with their children soon dropped by.  That added to the movement of life in the yard.  Cousins chasing cousins, playing ball, transplanting onion sets, scattering chicken feed, running races down the field road, riding in the trailer behind Uncle Ray's ford tractor and anticipating more cousins at Reunion in July.

Sunday Worship at Brandywine Church was a time of Memorial, of High School Graduation celebration, of lifting up hearts in worship and praise to the Almighty God whose love endures forever.

The Cheatham siblings had reunion during the week-end.  Our brother Paul was able to come away and spend three or four hours with us at the farm on Sunday afternoon.  So we were three of the five brothers.  Our five sisters were all in their own places.  For me it is always so rewarding when any of us are able to get together.

Now it is Monday morning.  Soon we will be loading back into the van.  Joanna will set the cruse control and point the front bumper toward Illinois.  Dianne is filling the house with the smell of frying bacon.  The Kids have gone out for their last forage around the farm grounds.  It is a great day in the beautiful heart land of central Indiana.