Folklore of the Farm

I have talked about my Grandparents growing up on farms and what their daily life was like. They had many chores to perform in order for the farm to run smoothly. Their chores were very routine and they never asked their parents why they had to do them. Being such hard workers at a young age can be hard for me to imagine, but once in a while they did break away from work for fun.

My grandfathers family would all gather around at the end of the day on a weekend night and share a home cooked meal together. They did not live near the city so they had to make their own fun. After dinner, they would clean the dishes and kitchen before they could go on to their next activity. They would gather in the living room and would start a fire, settling in for the night full of fun festivities. My grandpa's dad would start a song, and then everyone would join in. My grandfather loved the songs they sung, most of them being about gospel. A little later they would eat a sugary confection made by his mother which was always the best part. Once it was late into the night, they would go to bed and dream about when the next weekend night would come along.

My grandmother also lived on a farm that was not near a city. Her favorite pastime was making little paper dolls. This reminds me of "Little House On the Prairie" every time I hear about it. My grandma's family did not have much money so they had to make their own dolls. There were always bit of fabric around from quilts that were made by her mom. She would use these to create colorful dresses. Next, she would use tall yellow grass for hair and would then color on a face. She would have hours of fun with her dolls and she could always make new ones for her and her sisters.

I would consider this folklore traditional. Most of their family before them did not have a lot of money so they always had to make their own fun. Singing was very popular among farm families and it hasn't stopped yet. Songs can be considered oral because they are told through song. They are almost like stories being passed down to the next family. Paper dolls could be traditional folklore because they were made by mothers and daughters alike on the farm. They could be passed down to the next sister, daughter, or mother. It was an easy way to make something pretty and personal that was practically free. By the stories I'm told by my grandparents, I have realized that folklore is culture that can be passed down to each generation. It doesn't have to be physical, but is something that can create happy memories, even with the simplest joys of singing and crafting.

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Every winter I get very excited to bust out my warm, leather jacket. It is from Coach and I love every bit of that jacket. I've gotten much use out of it but have often wondered about wondered on the production of getting this jacket. I began doing some searching online on the whereabouts of my jacket. I couldn't find much on it, sadly. I saw on a few different gossip sites to boycott buying coach because of how it isn't an American-made brand. This seemed to be the main beef people had with this brand. I found it also a little concerning that I am not able to find the exact whereabouts of the hides they use. Could there be a much more gruesome way our jackets are being made?  I went onto their main website and found that their products come from, "

Coach product is handcrafted from the finest American and European hides and textiles. As of June 27, 2015, Coach’s products were assembled in manufacturing facilities in 18 countries including the US, Europe and Asia. By using a global supply chain, we are able to deliver innovative products to our customers monthly and keep our price points approximately at half of those of the European luxury brands" (Coach).

 I feel that because my searches weren't very successful, I feel that Coach is not a brand I would like to be associated with. I am going to stop buying from them immediately. It it much too sad that we live in a world where we are not allowed to know the whereabouts of what we put on our backs. This experience was an eye-opener to the shady things a worldwide company can hide.

Work Cited:

Coach. "FAQs." Frequently Asked Questions. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.coach.com/faqs.html>.