Farm Country

by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

My latest puzzle is a 1000-piece titled Farm Country by Mark Keathley. Before I spend the time putting a puzzle together, I must have a connection to it. My connection to this puzzle is my interest in old farms and old farmhouses.

A picture tells a story. The picture in this puzzle is a busy one. It has many farm animals like horses and chickens. It also has three pet rabbits, a dog and two deer looking as if they were expecting their picture to be taken.

The old farmhouse looks much like the old farmhouse where we lived when I was growing up. The setting is in the 1900s since there is a 1930s model car parked in front of one barn and a 1920s model tractor with steel wheels sitting under the opening of another barn.

In looking at the animals shown in the puzzle, you do not normally see pet rabbits, deer and dogs occupying the same space. This is because dogs instinctively will chase deer and rabbits. When I was growing up my dad always had several hunting dogs running loose around our farm. They had been taught to hunt rabbits and were good at that task. I once found a pet white rabbit that had been abandoned in the field where I was hunting for wild rabbits with my B B gun. Instead of shooting it, I captured it and took it home. I slowly introduced it to our dogs and they immediately made friends. Pet rabbits smell different than wild rabbits. Later, I was given several guinea pigs which I turned loose in the yard after I had let them get to know the dogs and to my amazement, they got along fine.

The farmers wife must be an industrious person like most farmhouse wives because of all the colorful flowers growing beside the small dirt road that passes in front of the old farmhouse and beside the barns. Looking down the road, you wonder where it goes.

The wooden shed behind the house was used for storage. Most every farmhouse back in those days had a shed like this to store tools and equipment.

After I became an adult, one of my brothers and I purchased a 1948 Allis Chalmers tractor for our father to use on his farm. We also purchased a bush hog, scrape blade, a plow and other equipment for him to use with the tractor. He really loved that tractor.

The old farmhouse brought back many happy memories of my life as I was growing up and I cherish those memories.

Elmer Prather
Canton, Georgia
U S A