What would Theresa Caputo have to say...

On may 1st 1968, 44 years ago as of today my dad passed away during a car accident. I was just a little girl and really did not get to know him that well. But on a day like today I am thinking about him and wonder what he would think about our farm and agriculture in general. If he still would be alive he would have turn 85 this summer so a lot has changed since he milked cows.

 My mom always tells me that we she started dating my dad my grandpa was not very happy about it. My dad's parents where "only" tenants on a small farm and owned only 2 cows. My moms dad was farming on the family farm , had a one cow more and a span of work horses . Grandpa thought that my mom could do better in finding a suitable young man to date . But my mom was stubborn and when my grandpa got to know my dad he came around and was fine with the two of them getting married. When they first got married they where tenants on a small farm themself. The farmed a few acres, milked cows and raised some hogs. Later, an aunt who had no kids offered my parents to move to her farm and they did. They made a living with egg laying chickens, growing mums and asperges and had a good life till my dad got the accident.
On the picture you see my dad with one of my  cousins. It must have been taken on a sunday looking at the clothes my cousin Jake is wearing. My dad is milking a cow by hand out in the pasture. Thats why I would like to talk with Theresa Caputo ; to talk with my dad. To hear if what he thinks about us milking so many cows, 72 at a time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ! What a long way have we come. Would he be proud of me or think we are crazy, taking on so much work, responsibility and sometimes so much hassle. Think we where crazy moving the whole family to the other side of the ocean or just think we where brave , and I he was young and had a  change he would do the same...........
The longer I am sitting here , the more I know for sure, he would have been proud, just like my mother in law is proud, just like I am proud when my kids do something that makes them happy. So the only thing left for me to say is, thank you dad , for passing on that love for cows, for farming and all the good and bad that comes with it.