lament for the town of my youth

oh those sweet summer days of yesteryear. what a treat it would be to pile into the car and head over to watson's farm for an early evening picking. we'd grab whatever buckets and baskets we had and run to catch the tractor to take us out into the fields. many other towns folk had the same idea, and it was always a bustling scene.

after the tractor dropped us off, there would be someone waiting to assign us our own row of strawberry plants. mom would take one side, and we'd take up the opposite, making sure not to miss any of the biggest and reddest berries. to keep up the momentum, we'd snack as we went. i always checked to make sure the blow on the berries, making sure they were free of green bugs, one of which i came close to savoring. sometimes if we were further down the aisle than the people in the next row over, i'd sneak some of the best berries from their plants.

when the fruit started tumbling over the tops of our containers, it was time to go and catch the tractor back. we might wait in line with our parents while the berries got weighed. sometimes if dad was there to help, we would run to the playground or to feed the horse. by then, the sun had pretty much gone down, and we'd pile into the car. if grandma hadn't come with us that time, we'd go and drop a basket of berries at her place.

here's a picture of us, during one of our extended family jaunts to the farm. us kiddies wearing our trendy bowl cuts and toothless grins. what a stark contrast to the frigid temperatures so far this year. i am so ready for warmer weather. too bad the old farm is surrounded on all sides by big box stores and generic subdivisions, a gas station and a busier than ever highway.

there's the convenience of not having to shop in oshawa now, but it is also extremely sad. my mom recently said that it is a matter of time before the farm will probably be sold and plowed under as well. even if this didn't happen, the experience most certainly wouldn't be the same for kids who visit today.