Lawreston
En-Route
When I was growing up in Cushing we had the usual farm residents: three floors of laying hens; cows, pigs, large vegetable gardens. There was "Chummie," the wild crow we caught, split his tounge, and who could say quite a few sentences. The dog and the barn cats were ever-present, but the great and lasting memory are of the horses, never more than one team of two. Grampa Frank had lived there since he was 5 years old(1892) until 1970, and could point to every corner of the various fields and name which oxen or horses had been laid to rest over the decades. I don't forget much, but the horses are a particularly fond memory; the teams I drove(under supervision) while cutting the tall grass, raking same, pulling the hay rack, and bareback-riding "Peanuts" as he pulled the rope to lift the loaded hay fork into the hay mow. A wonderful animal who knew, without command, that when the rope was tugged and the load released he was to turn a 180 and walk back to the barn for another load.
One day a long-time neighbor stopped by as Grampy was carding Peanuts. He asked if he could come back and paint the horse. Grampy said, "You can do anything you want, as long as you don't get any on him." In anticipation of the return visit, Grampy polished the brass on Peanut's collar. The painting completed, Grampy was given the preparatory sketch which had on it a friendly note from the neighbor.
There was a young lady in Philadelphia who wanted, desperately, to have a horse. It was not to be, but her parents bought the picture of Peanuts and said to her, "There's your horse; enjoy it." That was in the mid 1950s.
Well, many years have passed and the lady has suffered through a messy divorce. Her "horse" was recently sold, reason that she could use the money to "support the estate."
Bring up the following Link and look down to the 25th illustration. There you'll see my old friend, Peanuts, in the name of South Cushing.
The hill on which Peanuts was standing, when sketched, is in my aerial shots of April 29, 2001, though I'll have to come back an qualify when I see the image posted. I have a print of South Cushing, personally signed by the "neighbor."
((The now-tall trees just to the right of the red farm house were planted in the late 1950s, but that was where Peanuts was "modeling" for his picture. The large barn/hen house was in the U of driveways, but has been gone for about 15 years.)) My cousin owns the farm house, today.
http://www.thecityreview.com/s06samp.html
HR
One day a long-time neighbor stopped by as Grampy was carding Peanuts. He asked if he could come back and paint the horse. Grampy said, "You can do anything you want, as long as you don't get any on him." In anticipation of the return visit, Grampy polished the brass on Peanut's collar. The painting completed, Grampy was given the preparatory sketch which had on it a friendly note from the neighbor.
There was a young lady in Philadelphia who wanted, desperately, to have a horse. It was not to be, but her parents bought the picture of Peanuts and said to her, "There's your horse; enjoy it." That was in the mid 1950s.
Well, many years have passed and the lady has suffered through a messy divorce. Her "horse" was recently sold, reason that she could use the money to "support the estate."
Bring up the following Link and look down to the 25th illustration. There you'll see my old friend, Peanuts, in the name of South Cushing.
The hill on which Peanuts was standing, when sketched, is in my aerial shots of April 29, 2001, though I'll have to come back an qualify when I see the image posted. I have a print of South Cushing, personally signed by the "neighbor."
((The now-tall trees just to the right of the red farm house were planted in the late 1950s, but that was where Peanuts was "modeling" for his picture. The large barn/hen house was in the U of driveways, but has been gone for about 15 years.)) My cousin owns the farm house, today.
http://www.thecityreview.com/s06samp.html
HR
