Cooperative Living May 2024 - 14

COOPERATIVE FOCUS
Down on the Farm
(continued fr om page 11)
Pony Up the Kisses
L
ibbie, 8, is a country girl at heart.
She's very aff ectionate with
the animals on her family's farm
in Beaverdam, Va. Th ey've become
like family members to her.
Dedee and Denny Waldrop,
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
members, read Cooperative Living
and regularly submit photos of their
beautiful grandchildren to the Say
Cheese column.
" We have a 129-acre farm, and both
of our daughters, Kelly and Blair, have
built on the farm. Th ey have 10-acres
each. Our daughter, Blair Moore, has
three kids - Harry, Wade and Libbie, "
Dedee explains. " It's nice to have our
family very close by. "
As for her grandchildren, she says
they are thriving being close to family
and enjoying the " simpler " lifestyle of
farm life. " Th ey're defi nitely country
kids, " she says, with a laugh. " Th ey
have dogs, a new cow named Geraldine,
fi ve or six horses, and lots of chickens. "
Blair Moore, the kids' mother, says
Wade and Libbie love interacting with
the chickens and horses on the farm.
Wade, 5, in particular, loves to work
in the garden planting and picking
vegetables.
For 12-year-old Harry, the farm is
a place of healing. At 9 years old, he
was diagnosed with leukemia. " Harry
is fi nishing up chemotherapy, " Dedee
says. It's been a diffi cult journey for
the entire family over
the last three years as
Harry has dealt with
health issues, but
Dedee believes that
the farm has been a
source of comfort
for her grandson.
Harry is
happiest when he's
on his four-wheeler
The Little Showman that Could
I
12 * Cooperative Living * May 2024
t was her fi rst time
showing, and Harper
was nervous. She
knew all eyes would be
on her and Th under.
Th under, a Vanderhyde
Dairy calf, was ready
to go; her white spots
bright and clean, tail
brushed and fl uff y,
and nose perfectly pink
with black speckles.
Showing a calf in a dairy show - like the one at the Olde
Dominion Agricultural Complex last April - isn't as easy as it looks.
Libbie Smith
or helping out around the farm. Harry
voluntarily bushhogs the fi elds for the
neighbors because he loves giving back
to the community - a community that
has rallied around him and his family
during diffi cult times.
" We're very proud of all our
grandchildren, " Dedee says. " And love
seeing them enjoy living on a farm. "
*
Harry Smith
It's not like walking a dog. It requires trust
between the one leading and the animal being led.
With her parents, Kevin and Crystal Powell of
Pittsylvania County, proudly watching from the
side, Harper and Th under entered the show ring.
" She was nervous to show Th under almost right
up until the show, and I think Th under knew she
was nervous. But with her 13-year-old brother,
Caden, walking beside her in the ring for support,
you would have thought that Harper and Th under
had been doing this forever! " Crystal explains.
" All that she has learned, she has learned from
her very patient big brother. "
A fi rst grader at Heritage Academy, Harper
and her family have three cats, a dog and 17
chickens.
*
co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY CRYSTAL POWELL
PHOTOS COURTESY DEDEE WALDROP
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2024

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