A Long Time Ago

From left to right, (#2) Nancy Phyllis,( #3) Carol, (#4 Faye), and (#1) daughter Mary Kathryn.

This picture appeared in the Standard Examiner so long ago I can't remember. I have always thought I'm the luckiest girl ever. You see, I had the ultimate childhood, I got to grow up on a farm and this has made all the difference in me!
I guess I should have felt sorry for my dad, everyone else who owned and operated dairy farms did. Most farmers had sons to help, not my dad. But how could I feel sorry for having the privilege of growing up in the best way possible. My father thought his fate unfortunate when his own father died at a young age leaving him the farm. Maybe this wouldn't have been so unfortunate if my dad had produced any boys to help him with all that work. But you see my dad was the only boy in his family and even though all he ever wanted was go to college, he instead got the farm and his sisters got the education.
The story is told when Carol was born and my dad found out it was another girl, he sat down on his milking stool in the middle of the milking parlor and cried. I think he saw a glimpse of his lonely male future on the farm. The ironic part is, his sister who lived in the city, gave birth to four boys. Here my dad wanted an education and instead got the farm, he wanted boys, and instead got girls. It just goes to show you, life is often unfair, and I'm glad.
Inheriting a future my parents never really wanted often caused both of them to cuss the farm and bemoan the financial stress and work load it created. Every time they did I would hug them and beg, "Please don't sell it." I appreciated their sacrifices even as a child.
My sisters laughed at that because I had asthma and got to sleep in while they had to get up every morning at 4:30 and milk a hundred head of cows. Because of my asthma, I was only allowed to play down at the barn, not work there. I want you to know it pays to be the baby of a family! There are indelible rights that come with being the baby and I enjoyed every one of them! I was born on the 4th of July, born on a farm and born the baby; life doesn't come any better than that!
It must of been after the milking stool incident with Carol's birth that my father decided to assign his children numbers. Maybe it helped him acclimate to the fact he was never going to have a son. I only know by the time I was born my father had totally settled in with the fact he had no boys. He proudly named me after his favorite cow, a full fledged sign he was serenely comfortable with raising girls!
The last thing I want to touch on is our names.  My oldest sister was named Mary Kathryn. My father chose the name. The middle name is a strong Blanch family name.
When Phyllis was born my mother said she was picking the name and she announced to my dad she had chosen Phyllis Nancy. On Phyllis's blessing day my dad proudly held up his #2 little daughter in her little white blessing gown and pronounced to heaven his daughter would be known on this earth as Nancy Phyllis Blanch. My mother nearly fainted.
The war between my parents continued over my sisters first name and Phyllis went to school at age six being referred to as just that, "Phyllis". Everyone called my sister "Phyllis" except for my father, but that only lasted until she came home with her first report card. After getting a glimpse of her name in writing my dad sent my sister back to school with this proclamation, "You're name is "Nancy", you will be called "Nancy", and I don't want to ever see "Phyllis" written on anything again!"
Once my father put his foot down, that was it, the name "Phyllis" was never to be uttered again.  My mother however, and her sisters were not going to budge one inch on calling her "Phyllis" and no Blanch was telling them what to do! They would not give in to my father's demands. They stood their ground back then and still do so today. The entire world calls my sister "Nancy", with exception to my mother, her sisters, and of course Mary, Carol and I.  My mother predominantly governed her children and so my father tolerated us calling our sister "Phyllis". I think he did this in the wake of having gotten his own way with the rest of the universe..
Now you can understand why when Carol came along my mother said, "No more middle names." I was always a little miffed at how Carol and I were slighted with having only one boring name, and to this day I have always wished my parents would have named me "Liberty." I told my dad he wasn't very creative!
My parents loved to battle over everything when it came to naming their children. Even with my short simple name there was a battle. My mother was pretty clever though in getting her own way, she filled out the birth certificate and so legally my name is spelled just the way my mother wanted, Faye with an e! She cleverly won this one. My dad never gave into her wishes and whims. Legal or not, he never once spelled my name with an "e", alway just Fay, simple and short, just the way he wanted it!  Maybe this is why they didn't have any more children, naming them was far to horrendous and the only thing worse that four girls would have been five.
The farm is gone now, my dad is gone, I am thankful both live on in me today!