On the old Sprick farm, all creatures great and small

On the old Sprick farm (now the Clark farm), we met some lovely children and beautiful farm animals. The Clarks largely live "in the old way," though they do use some modern technology. We were too polite to ask about their religion, but they volunteered that they are home-schooled with Mennonite material. They hunt and raise their own food; each girl took at least one deer last fall, and as one said, "All we eat is venison, mostly."

Anna kibbutzed with Jenny Clark and her newborn goat kid.

Lillian and Hannah Clark brought out more newborn goats for us to admire. The kids followed the girls like puppies.

Sarah Clark brought out her pet chicken, which she keeps in the house. When the chicken lost its feet to frostbite, she resolved to raise it as a pet. It hobbles around on little stumps, seemingly unaware that it has no feet. The scrapblog editor had to jab E.W. in the ribs when he started to tell her how he used to decapitate chickens in his bucolic youth.

The footless chicken and the barn kittens are all pals. Amanda Clark cradled a newborn lamb.

Some of the gracious Clark girls: Jenny, Amanda, Abigail, Lillian, and the littlest, lively Hannah, who confided to Aunt Anna that she, too, has often been assigned the last name "Banana." We wondered if, 70 years ago, the Sprick kids lived similar lives.