The News From Here

I can’t believe that I made a reference to “Killing the laying hens” and NOW I have to explain – Ha Ha Ha Crazy old redneck saying stuff like that and expecting others to understand.
When I was 6-8 years old (that should explain any inaccuracies in date/time).
My three siblings (half siblings – Had no idea what meant then) were still a part of the family household. As a good country singer said better than I could – Things were tough and times were hard. Of course I had no understanding of what that really meant but I DID understand the consequences. My dad was a ‘want to be farmer’ - No disrespect intended in fact the opposite. Much respect for his efforts through all he dealt with- it wasn’t to be. If you’ve seen the picture of me with my ½ bro. Joe (Frank) that’s the only picture of his effort as a farmer in S East MO. Marble Hill. A few stories but if you were ever fortunate enough to know my Dad, he wasn’t a talker. I try to make up for it now. Ok Ok – One of things I do increasingly well. I digress “Killing the laying hens” Times were bad enough that feeding a family of 6-7 including my aunt Annie become a major issue.. We had a few acres E. of B.H. Big old brick two story. My Dad tried everything possible to farm and squeeze enough out of it to keep us all fed along with his job at the steel mill. He did everything to make it work and we all ‘sort of’ pitched in. Maybe less than enthusiastically – Hey even my siblings were still in school
Am I ever going to get to the “Killing of the Laying Hens? Here it comes- It was hungry times. Mom was doing laundry & ironing for others, Dad was farming with a two wheel (walk behind David Bradley tractor ) and working shift-work at Laclude. All that to say that feeding everyone was a problem and we ended up killing all the chickens – egg laying and frying chickens plus ginies (SP ?) hens. Those old laying hens took a lot of boiling to make then tender enough to even chew and by then they had NO taste- I expect that an old inter-tube would have tasted better. Still I don’t eat chicken. Can’t stand the smell of chicken cooking.