The Journey Inward

"It's smelly!  I don't want to go!" my great nephew exclaimed as he got out of the car.  My niece had planned this day at the farm for all of us to gather, and knew her three year old would be delighted as he had been obsessed with farm animals since infancy.  

My brother and I held K's hands and took him into the barn where the less than a week old baby pigs and sheep were.  We thought for sure that would cure the farm malaise, but the smell of the barn was worse than the wafts he got in the parking lot.  He wanted out.  

K loves cows, so my nieces and their significant others lead the way to the pasture.  His eyes grew round as he took in the actual size of a cow in the world and he wouldn't go near the fence, despite all the mooing from his parents, aunts, uncles, grandpa, and great aunt.  He saw horses in the distance and got excited to see them, the smell starting to dissipate in the open air and the horses looking considerably smaller than the cows.

We walked down paths and dirt roads to get there, and K ran ahead, circled back, jumped and tumbled. His natural desire to play had taken hold and now the farm was like a giant playground!  When we got to the stables, the horses were just coming out.  Their eyes were covered and K was fascinated.  Forgetting their size and the smell, he climbed up on the fence to watch them, enthralled.  Our whole clan gathered around and his baby sister chuckled from her perch on her dad's back.  

It was full speed ahead from there!  Cows, pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, rabbits, peacocks, chickens, a garden and a water pump.  The sights were endless and he ran from place to place, all of us feeding off his enthusiasm.

It was a gorgeous day at Frying Pan Farm and we settled at a picnic table beneath a tree to rest.  My brother and I took out all the snacks we'd brought.  On the way there, I'd told him I just needed to stop and buy crackers for my dips, and had come out with my arms loaded.  (Snacks are my thing!).  K couldn't be bothered to do more than a drive by grab of food as he ran through the grass and fields.  Baby C moved from lap to lap as she gobbled down her baby foods.  We got to know my niece's boyfriend's parents, who had joined us for the fun.  Then pizza arrived and we dug into that, too, but by then K was flying a glider his dad had built for him.   

When it was time to leave, K asked if we could go see the animals again.  It would seem that our little guy was indeed a Farm Boy!


Photos:  Frying Pan Farm, Herndon, VA.  4.19.25 by LA