LIFE ON THE FARM—A GAME ATTEMPT

As a kid growing up in rural Wisconsin you might have thought that I would understand the workings of a small farm, but I didn’t have a clue.  I went to school with kids who lived on farms, but that didn’t mean that I had any knowledge or interest in them.  Then one day stopping at a Minneapolis garage sale decades later, I spotted a game called LIFE ON THE FARM.  I thought it would be fun to play it with my grandchildren (6 and 4) and that together we could learn about farm life.  I never realized how long it would take to acquire 60 cows and how expensive it would be.  Plus, there were plenty of pitfalls along the way.  I’d lose a cow (sometimes painfully) and have to go out and buy another one and often I didn’t have $500 to do it.  Then there were the farm expenses—machinery that needed to be fixed, fences that needed to be mended, etc.  My funds were being depleted as fast as my cows.  Yet my grandchildren weren’t having similar problems.  They were far more proficient at getting the hang of farming than I was and they started out just as clueless.  After four hours of play they had 60 cows and more than $20,000 in cash (only $10,000 was needed to win the game, along with 60 cows).  I had 28 cows and less than $5,000.  But I had immeasurable laughs and a better overall understanding of life on the farm.  I loved the spirit of adventure in this new game and the time spent with Morgan and Ethan, but decided that the next time around we’d shoot for 30 cows and $5,000 cash.  AND I’d study up a bit more about farming and develop a new appreciation for life on the farm. I should have learned that long ago from my dad.