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Newspaper Columns >
4-H Memories
Until She Found Out Where They'd Come From
Lisa LOVED Those Drumsticks!
by Carol Breidenbach
Farmland News
24 June 2003
I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world. These golden words of the 4-H Pledge have proven to be time honored and true to live by for a lifetime.
Not having had the opportunity to be a 4-H member when I was growing up, I was delighted when my children joined 4-H. Our oldest daughter, Angela started out with a traditional cooking project and market lamb. She had a pet lamb because it was the only animal she wasn.t allergic to. Raising a market lamb, however raised an obstacle course for her because she was allergic to dust. Her allergist forbade her to raise this market lamb. However, she was very determined and devised a plan all her own to over come this obstacle. She took her brother.s turn washing dishes in exchange for him cleaning the lamb.s pen.
As fair time approached, I was filled with trepidation. I dreaded the thought of the dusty fairgrounds and show arena. Her dad had an air conditioned pick up truck and she convinced him to go early in the morning and park his truck facing the show arena. She sat in there in the air conditioning with the motor running and watched the lamb judging. Whenever it was her turn to show her lamb, she jumped out, showed the lamb and got back in the air conditioning. My fears of facing the allergist in the emergency room never materialized. She actually won 3rd place!
Angela tells me now that the knowledge she gained about nutrition and the food groups have helped her to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She finds it especially helpful now that she is expecting her first child in September and wants to eat healthy for two. She enjoys many crafts today that she learned in 4-H. She has been a mentor and tutor for years. Older 4-H students are taught to look out for the younger ones and teach them skills.
When we were living in Tiffin, Ohio. our neighborhood formed a 4-H Club. Mickey Dininger advised the students with sewing projects. (I could never get the hang of making the projects as neat on the inside and they were on the outside), I advised the cooking projects and my husband, Lenny advised the animal and other projects.
What a great time that was. All the children were in walking distance and stopped in for advice with their projects. That was the year I did a bread baking demonstration for an all day 4-H Workshop in the county. I had to have yeast dough ready in four stages to demonstrate the whole process for the students. I never worked so hard or washed so many dishes in my life! When I saw how much the students enjoyed it, it was all worth it.
My husband always helped the students learn to care for their animals and show them well even though they were in competition with our children. That is the spirit of 4-H to do your best and help others. If you win a trophy in the process, that is great, but not the main emphasis.
When Chip joined 4-H, he raised market lambs and a gardening project. He had his own little garden patch from the time he was about 4 years old. At county judging, the judges kept asking him questions and he won first in the county his first year in 4-H! All those family discussions about gardening at the dinner table had really soaked in! He eventually also took rocket projects. It was always great fun to go out to the fairgrounds for the rocket launch. There were about 25 kids launching rockets at the same time. There was always one rocket that went sideways instead of up and the crowd would have to scramble for safety. They don.t do those mass launches now for liability and safety reasons. While I understand that, it is something I miss. He took several other animal projects and credits them for his love of animals and ability to nurse sick ones back to health. After he graduated, he used to come back and help younger students with their projects.
One of our favorite memories about raising market lambs was the time the pick-up truck was in the garage for repairs and we had to drive about one and one half hours to pick up market lambs. My husband got a large box from an appliance store, lined it with straw and put it in the back of the van. Those little lambs baaed all the way home and we were all glad to deliver them to the barn and have peace and quiet again.
Our daughter Lisa took craft and cooking projects. I remember one project . "The Incredible Edible Egg". She had to prepare something like 8 out of 10 recipes. She decided not to make the lemon meringue pie because it seemed difficult. After I pointed out to her that it was her father.s favorite dessert, she made it. That skill came in handy when she wanted to soften up her Dad for something. The year she took a portable meals project, I remembering stopping at a local park on the way home from judging and sharing the picnic she had prepared. I still treasure that special time we had alone in the park together.
In spite of learning the four food groups, our daughter Lisa almost became a vegetarian in 4-H. She never took a rabbit project, but had a pet rabbit, Fluffy. At a 4-H family potluck one night she remarked that the little chicken drumsticks tasted extra good. Somebody pointed out that it wasn.t chicken, but rabbit. She ate vegetarian at all 4-H potlucks after that.
I have such pleasant memories of going to the county fair and offering moral support to my children and the members of our 4-H club as they prepared for judging. It was great fun to celebrate with them when they did well. The time I miss my children the most is when I go to the county fair.
Not all 4-H memories are pleasant. I remember more than once being exasperated by my children waiting until the last minute to complete project requirements. I won.t name the child, but one of them sat on the floor of the back seat of the car and used the seat for a table and glued a poster together on the way to judging. Hopefully there was a lesson learned in that.
Our children all learned public speaking doing those 4-H demonstrations. The leadership skills learned in 4-H are good for a lifetime. Facing project judges helped them get ready for job interviews.
A large part of our family gathered this weekend to participate in the Fulton County Relay for Life. The Relay is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society to raise money for Cancer Research. Our team hosts a Used Book Sale and Pancake Sausage Breakfast. I could see the lessons learned in 4-H demonstrated though out the weekend. Chip and his wife came and helped with the enormous tasks of transporting books to the fairgrounds and setting up. They also made luminary stands for our tent. Angela knitted dishcloths for sale. She and her husband, Robert helped coordinate the book sale and helped with accounting. Lisa could not be with us in person, but offered her encouragement and support. They pitched in where ever they were needed and in the tradition of 4-H also had a good time. Just like in 4-H, sometimes you get a trophy. We won one for raising the most money during the Relay. We lived out the words of the 4-H Pledge.
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