Growing up on the farm sometimes seemed to be a boring existence. Farm chores took precedence over everything. Animals needed daily attention since we depended on them for part of our income. The garden took a lot of attention since we depended on it for most of our food. However, as is often the case, when things did get exciting I would usually long for the boring days.
Farms are dangerous places, especially for kids. We were taught from a very young age to be aware of what was going on around us, and yet the most innocent action could result in devastating injury. We kids spent much of the summer running around in bare feet and many of the injuries I incurred were a direct result of that.
One of my regular chores each day was to collect the eggs from the hen house. One day, when I was about 10. I was later than usual doing that chore and mother hollered out the door, “Supper’s almost ready, but get the eggs before you come in. I, being the obedient son that I was, hurried to comply, in my bare feet as usual.
The nesting box in the hen house was a wooden structure at about chest height along one wall, divided into individual nests. The hens could enter and exit the nests from the back but there was a long hinged door on the front for access to gather the eggs. On this particular day as I unhooked the latch at the top of the egg door and swung it down to access the nests, one of the hinges broke and the heavy plank dropped directly onto my foot.
Well, if you had been anywhere in the vicinity and heard my ki-yiing you might have thought I was being murdered. Mother heard me all the way from the house and came running. Long story short, it tore the nail off my big toe and caused a great deal of limping over the next few days.The sympathy didn’t last nearly as long as I would have liked.
The moral of the story: Barefoot is not always better.
Anyone else grow up on the farm and have stories to tell? We’d love to hear from you.
**Bill Gould** spent 43 years as a long-haul truck driver before trading the steering wheel for a keyboard to help fellow Canadians navigate the road of retirement. A freelance writer, published author, and editor of over 50 books, Bill co-founded *Canadian Senior Moment* with his wife, Marilyn, to provide a trusted space for seniors to find clarity, safety, and connection in the digital age. When he isn’t troubleshooting “tech gremlins” or sharing childhood memories of the Prairies, he can be found in his woodshop or working on his latest novel.