Life in countryside was endless adventure
Childhood on farm an exploration and learning experience
This is the fifth in a series of articles on the life story of Lidia Qattan, a writer, columnist and artist.
– Editor
At the onset of the war, when father was called to join the army, he was dismissed after three months because he suffered from a severe attack of pleurisy, an illness from which he never fully recovered.
After the capture of Mussolini father decided to moved back to Rami, his family’s ranch for our safety, and because being closer to his brother he stood a better chance of getting his share of the inheritance, hence as soon as he could walk we moved.
Living in the countryside was for me an exciting experience, but for mother it was very hard; she was not happy to be cramped in two small rooms, but those were difficult times, and she had to make the best of the situation.
Life in the countryside was very hard, but it had its advantages, it was economical and everything was recycled.
All the cooking was done on the fireplace, the ash was used for the laundry, which gathered in a large wooden round container it was covered with boiling water and ash till the rim poured- over a heavy cloth.
Allowed to soak overnight the laundry was done in the morning without much effort; the result was excellent, better than using modern detergents!
Shared
Part of the great household was a large oven in which every family in turn could bake a large quantity of bread to last for some time. Many women took part in the operation, so the first batch of bread was shared by them, the other bread was allowed to stand longer in the oven to dry, a special implement was used for cutting this kind of bread.
Even mother had to follow the norm and bake her bread as everybody else with the help of the other women!
Living in the countryside was a great fun, it was an endless adventure of exploration and learning for me; sometime I did things I should not have done, as when I caught a chick and playing I pulled the neck, then tried to fix it back. When I realized it was dead I felt terrible. I buried the chick wrapped in a large leaf and from that day I never attempted to catch another one.
Children have a lot of imagination, let to themselves they can find entertainment in almost anything and invent games as varied as their lively imagination can muster. Their ingenuity is spurred when they have no readymade toys to play with, then anything at hand becomes a potential toy.
One of my favorite entertainments was making flat pebbles skidding over the water of the canal with as many jumps as possible in competition with other children.
In the evening, when bats were flying overhead feeding on insects, throwing a stone high in the air was often chase after by the bats till they could no longer be fooled.
One of my greatest delights of the open space was the splendor of the night sky when, unspoiled by the glare of city light, the Milky Way came into full view.
Twinkling
I used to spend hours looking at those stars twinkling in a black velvet background, wondering, letting my imagination transport me far away in the great expanse of the heavens.
One night I fell asleep looking at the Milky Way; when I woke up shivering from the cold I ran home, but the door was closed. So I spent the rest of the night, curled up in a sheltered place trying to keep warm, till mother opened the door.
I felt happy when the stars were getting dimmer with the first lights dispersing the darkness, because I knew I would soon get inside the house.
All around me the world was awakening; from miles away the singing of roosters was heralding the new day; from the great household of my uncles the petrol lamps were being lightened, people were getting ready to start their daily routine.
I saw the men going to the stable to milk the cows and I was smelling the aroma of brewing coffee all this was a good sign that mother would soon open the door.
Anticipating the warmth of the fireplace I was becoming impatient, when finally mother opened the door, I ran inside, she didn’t know she locked me out that night!
One of the greatest fun everyone was having at the ranch was the harvest of grapes in which everyone got involved, the grapes were poured into a large, round-wooden container and young women from the village were brought in by lorries and carts to crush the grapes under-foot.
It was a joyous sight to see them dancing, singing and laughing, apparently having a great fun.
At the end of the day some of the sweet juice was distributed around to every family taking part in the harvest ; with that juice mother used to make a delicious pudding we children enjoyed.
During the war petrol became so scarce that the acetylene lamp had to replace the petrol lamp. Acetylene is a yellowish lumpy substance, which in contact with water gives off a gas with a characteristic smell, the gas burns with a bright, white flame. Having got hold of some acetylene, the older kids were using it to play a risky game.
Explosion
After making a shallow hole in the ground,they were pouring water in it, dropped a small lump of acetylene in the hole and covered it with a tin-can. As soon as the gas saturated, the can was blown off with a sudden explosion.
It was fun to watch, till one day one of the boys approaching the can at the moment it was about to be blown off, in the sudden explosion he was blinded in one eye. From that day no one was allowed to play with acetylene.
After buying a herd of horses, on the next morning my father was on his way to sell them to a customer, when he was stopped by some German soldiers who tried to take the horses away from him. Somehow father was able to persuade the officer in charge to allow him to continue on his way with the horses and pass-by the farm in the afternoon.
Early that afternoon the officer and his men were at our door before my father arrived.
Mother was terrified, she knew the Germans soldiers could be very severe if disappointed, so she was trying to reassure the officer that father was true to his word, he would arrive soon.
Finally we saw him from afar. As he came closer with a cart and a donkey but no horses, the severe countenance of the officer spelt trouble, especially when he asked my father what he did with the horses. Unperturbed by the tone of his voice father replied that he took them to their owner.
At this point the officer pointed the gun to his head, and mother fearing for his safety turned as white as a ghost.
In the meantime all my uncles had gathered around, some were giggling.
Behavior
Their behavior irritated the officer who asked my father why they were giggling; when he said that their stable was full of animals, their giggling stopped, especially when they saw the soldiers going to the stable and coming out with the horses. Then they began protesting and imploring, but the officer amused by their swift change in behavior simply smiled.
The cart and donkey became a great fun for us children to play with, but when I saw the older kids sitting on the rear of the cart sending the poor beast suspended on the air, I felt glad father took him away.
The only inconvenience for me when living in the farm, was the heavy polluted water of the canal running close by. The pollution was caused up-stream by a methane gas plant, the foam it created floating on the water was a breeding ground for some insects, whose sting was causing an unbearable etching. Scratching the area resulted in septic ulcers. I became infested with ulcers especially on my legs.
All I could do to alleviate my condition was cleaning the blisters with salted water, cover them with a layer of fresh dairy cream mother gave me and place a wide leaf over the blister to prevent the bandage from sticking.
I became an expert in treating myself, but I could never get rid-of those blisters till we left Rami and moved to a new farm father bought near Venice.
To be continued