Cleaning is for the Birds i.e. Was there a chore you really hated to do as a child? What about now?

Becky-

I actually had two chores that I despised when I was young growing up in the Meeks/LaWana Morrell home. Because we had a farm and I was the oldest, I was expected to help my father with the farm chores. I really didn't mind milking the cows and loved riding my horse 'Roanoke" and taking the milk cows the 2 miles down the road to the pasture. This was always fun and I enjoyed the out-of-doors; however there were two things that my parents wanted me to do and I hated to do them. When we changed from 'stream irrigate' to sprinkler irrigate, we put in 4-inch hand sprinkler pipe. These were really big pipe and it was hard to lift them. I didn't like the mud and my father's farm was long from turn-on valve to end of pipe. I really tried but I just didn't like doing it. Even today, I detest helping Dick with the sprinkler pipe.

My second chore I didn't like to do was 'weed the garden'. My mother always raised the biggest garden and we pretty much lived on her canned vegetables all winter. The garden was a real necessity but I just hated weeding it. Everytime she wanted me to come and weed, I would run in and practice the piano. Now everyone knows my little secret: I practiced the piano to basically get out of weeding the garden and also doing the dishes. We didn't have a dish washer, just the two little hands of the Morrell children. So, due to lots of weeds and lots of dishes, and my avoiding them, I became the piano player I am today !!!

Brooke-I had 2 chores I hated to do when I was younger.

The first one was mowing the lawn with the old junky lawn mower we had before we bought the Honda. The reason I hated it was; Dad was the only person who could start it and when he would leave in the morning he would wake me up to mow the lawn at about 7:30 in the morning. I remember crying and refusing to mow the lawn, but I basically didn't have a choice. When we got the Honda lawn mower it was much better because I would mow the lawn on my own time schedule. The second thing I hated to do was clean out the garage. I liked cats quite a bit when I was younger and we always had kittens in the garage. When it came time to clean the garage there was always cat poop in the corners and a lot of it. The smell was disgusting. We had to scrape it with a shovel to get it out and then spray out the garage with the hose.

Now, the chore I hate the most is folding the laundry and putting it away. The reason being is there is now 6 people in my house and a whole lot of laundry. Belle is a lot of help, she helps with socks and towels but as for the rest of it; it's my nightmare. During the week I do keep up on the washing part of it but as for the folding it and putting it away I don't have time to do it until Saturday. Some people might think "Why don't you make Ty and Chap help"? The reason is they have other chores to do in the house and most of their chores are outside helping out with the cows and horses. So..... that is the chore I hate at this time in my life.

Sarah-When I was a child the chore I hated to do the most was cleaning the garage. I hated cleaning the garage, because it took all day long. Mom would make me take everything out of the garage and put it on the lawn. I could sweep and hose it down with water. I have to say I became a good garage cleaner and the garage looked great when it was finished. As I have had kids my least favorite chore is deep cleaning my bedroom, maybe this is because I always help my kids keep their room clean and mine is the last on the list.

Collette- I absolutely dreaded picking "Vacuum Kitchen" out of the white bowl that contained all the chores for the day. This would seem like an easy chore to get out an upright Hoover, but in order to "Pass" Brooke's inspection it was quite the ordeal. First I had to move all the chairs and bar stools into the living room. Then I had to get out that awful thing called the Central vacuum. Just getting the vacuum out and plugged in was a chore in itself. Then I had to maneuver that python of a hose around and suck up all the edges. I then added the electric brush part which had to be put together a certain way or it wouldn't work. I then would move the table, vacuum under it and then vacuum the rest of the floor. Finally I would unplug that blasted vacuum and shove it in Dad's coat closet and shut the door fast in hopes that it or all of Dad's sticky coats wouldn't fall out.
I guess I must have a thing with cleaning kitchen floors because now my least favorite job in my house it mopping my kitchen floor. Mostly because with kids I feel like it is a waste of time because it looks just like a did within hours of cleaning it. I also find it hard to find a good time to clean it and keep four little feet off of it during and after the job is done.

Allyson-I don't know if I can pick one chore that I hated as a child. I remember that in the summer and on Saturday's, Mom would write a list of everything that needed to be done. Brooke would put the tasks on pieces of paper and we would each pick a few papers and that would be our assigned chores for the day. I wasn't allowed to do anything fun until I finished my assignments. Brooke would "come and inspect" the areas that I had cleaned to make sure they were perfectly clean before releasing me. I'm pretty sure that I gave her a lot of grief, because I have many memories of being yelled at and specifically remember running out of the house one day and being caught by my pony tale at full speed and pulled back into the kitchen! I remember that I would also have to clean when I went to visit Mary Jane. One day, Janie gave us a tutorial on how to clean the toilet really well. I specifically remember her saying, "You need to be good at cleaning a bathroom, because one day, you'll probably have a job as a room cleaner at a hotel and you'll want to do a good job." What high aspirations!!! (Oddly enough, her suspicions were true and I cleaned rooms at the chuck wagon for 1 year.) I still think of Janie every time I clean a toilet, which, by the way is my least favorite job now. Toilets and dusting.

Raquel-Since I was the youngest i pretty much always had to do everything in the house such as mow the lawn, vacuum, dust,bathrooms, pick up after dad. Mom usually did the laundry and dishes and so in my life right now with my house the things that always lack is the laundry and dishes ha so the worst chores to do would be the dishes and laundry.

Farm Bureau-Leader Feature County President

Leader Feature: Dick & Becky Pace

- Residence: Teasdale, Wayne County.
- Family (number of children):
- 5 daughters: Brooke (Tyler)Blackburn, Axtell, Ut.; Sarah Mae (LaRon) Bagley, Koosharem, Ut; Collette (Bart) Richards, SLC Ut.; Allyson (Matt Davis) Seal Beach, Calif.; Raquel (Joe) Ross, St. George, Ut. AND 5 granddaughters, 4 (and soon to-be 5) grandsons!
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- Began Farming-
- Dick has been farming all of this life. He took a short break and graduated from USU with a Bechelor’s degree in Agriculture Economics, served in the military in Viet Nam and then returned to Teasdale and worked with his father Guy Pace and 2 brothers as they built their farming operation, Pace Ranches, Inc. Becky helped her father, Meeks Morrell, on their family farm in Bicknell, Utah. She helped with the daily chores by milking dairy cows, changing sprinklers, riding horses and herding the dairy cows to the pasture, driving tractors and farm trucks during haying season. She also left the farm and graduated from USU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education / Office Administration.
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- Kind of Operation: We now have a cow/calf operation where we raise alfalfa, grains and corn and feed the calves to about 800 pounds then sell them to be fattened. We have both Gelbvieh and Angus/Herford cross cattle and specialize and raise pure bred and Balancer Gelbvieh Bulls to sale.
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- Other organization involvement: Dick has been a community leader by serving on the Soils Conservation for 20 years, Wayne County School Board for 12 years, President of Dark Valley Grazers, Secretary of Teasdale Irrigation, Commander of the American Legion and member of the Utah Cattlemen’s. Becky has been President of
- Wayne County Cowbelle’s, President of local American Legion Auxilliary, LDS Ward Primary President, Young Women’s President and Relief Society Counselor. She is also the Ward Organist.
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- Farm Bureau Service: When Dick and Becky were first married, Dick served on the Wayne County Farm Bureau Board for many years. He is presently serving as the President and Becky as the Secretary/Treasurer.

What got you involved with Farm Bureau? Dick’s Uncle Hugh and Aunt Fern King recruited us to serve with them on the local Wayne County Board when we were first married in 1972. We have been involved in one capacity or another since then.


If you could, what is one thing you would change in agriculture? That farmers could receive adequate compensation for their goods and costs to run the operation would decrease.

What do you see for Utah agriculture 20 years from now? As we look back over the past 20 years, there have been unbelievable advances in the way farmers operate. Equipment has advanced where computers are playing a vital role in the operation. Also selling cattle has changed. We anticipate more of the same kinds of changes as technology advances which includes GPS, computers, satellite etc.


What do you like most about being a farmer/rancher? Dick likes the independence the farm offers him. It has also given us an opportunity to raise our family in a rural community with many of the small-town benefits. All or our children helped on the farm and enjoyed riding 4-wheelers, horses, and participated in 4-H Horsemanship. Our children were very active in Wayne High School Activities including Leadership Opportunities, Speech and Drama, Music, and excelling in Academic Achievements. Four of our children have earned their Bachelor’s Degree, two of them have their Master’s Degree and our one daughter Allyson is an MD specializing in OB/GYN. Our youngest daughter, Raquel, will receive her Bachelor’s Degree in 2 more semesters.


Why should farmers and ranchers get involved in Farm Bureau? Farm Bureau offers a great service to Farmers by spreading the ‘Agriculture Message’ that farming and agriculture offers the basic, live-sustaining products to each and every person on this earth. The Farm Bureau has helped change society’s view of agriculture and those involved in the business to a more positive light: Farmers work long, hard hours to deliver food and fiber!. Also Farm Bureau keeps us updated on local, state and national policies.


Why should anyone join Farm Bureau, and what are the benefits? Farm Bureau is for everyone as we are all either producers or consumers of agriculture products. Farm Bureau continues to help teach this message to the general public. This, in turn, helps build the Farm Industry.


What have you learned as being a Farm Bureau county president & Secretary/Treasurer or what do you like the most about it? We both like associating with others and share a common bond with those who rely on Farming to sustain their living. We have a great Board of Directors and have shared some fun experiences with them.


What are some of your fondest memories about Farm Bureau? Our local Board raised funds by selling concessions during the Wayne County Fair Rodeo for about five years. It was hard work but we also had lots of fun working together. We also enjoyed traveling to Washington D.C. with the state leaders and other County Presidents in 2009. We enjoyed Historical sites and Dick was very honored to participate in the Wreath Ceremony at Arlington Cemetery. We made some wonderful friends during that trip.



What advice do you give to young farmers and ranchers? That hard work and perseverance will some day pay-off. Also to enjoy the farming life as it will help build a strong and successful family.


What equipment do you use? (i.e. John Deere vs. Case) Or you can have another comparison question, like Holstein vs. Jersey, Angus vs. Hereford, Ford vs. Chevy, etc.
We are very proud of the quality of our cattle as through the years we have bred Gelbvieh cattle which has performed well for our operation. We sell pure-bred Gelbvieh bulls and Gelbvieh-Angus Cross Bulls. A Gelbvieh-Angus cow will last longer and produce more pounds of beef in her lifetime than any other breed.





What is the most recent book you’ve read?
Dick and I both enjoy history and recently read “The Hole in the Rock,” by David E. Miller, “Undaunted” by Gerald Lund, and “The Mormon Battalion” by Norma Baldwin Ricketts. Dick’s great-great grandfather, James Pace and his son William Bryan Pace joined the Mormon Battalion on their Historic March to California and back to Utah. We just returned from visiting the LDS Mormon Battalion Historic Site in San Diego, California where we read about James Pace’s contribution to the March. This same James Pace was also with the first party who traveled through the Hole in the Rock on their journey to settle San Juan County. We are planning a family trip to the Hole in the Rock.

What did you want to be when you ‘grew up’? Dick says, “A Cowboy.” Becky wanted to be a teacher and mother.


Any unique hobbies/interests? Dick says, “I like to lean back in my recliner and watch the Jazz play ball.” Becky enjoys music and plays piano and performs two-piano concerts with her friend. She also likes to read, embroidery and cook.

Anything else you want to add: “It is an honor and privilege to serve in the Farm Bureau Organization with such outstanding leaders throughout the state of Utah. We count this relationship as one of our blessings. We are also blessed to have a wonderful family and enjoy the time we spend with them.”

What's your earliest memory?

Becky- My earliest memory was when I was probably about 3 or 4 and we lived in the 'little house on the prairie' in Bicknell, Utah. Meeks and LaWana lived in the little house up the street from where the homestead is for about 5 years until grandma Morrell moved to SLC. At that point in time we all moved back to Meeks' home that he grew up in and has lived in for about 76 of his 81 years. I can remember going outside and my dad brought Janie and I some new baby rabbits to play with. He made us a rabbit cage and we have pictures of us with the rabbits. I also had a trike and would ride it up the sidewalk and down a little hill. It was fun. Grandpa Meeks would always try and fool us on April Fools' Day by saying we had a new baby calf and we would run outside and none would be there or some other April Fools joke that wouldn't be true. It was always about the farm or farm animals.

Brooke-When I was around 4 or 5 years old, I was walking and exploring around the hill by myself. I somehow fell or stood in a red ant hill. I was covered with ants. They were biting and stinging me all over. I eventually walked up the hill toward home and hearing my loud wails mom came out of the house and saw me. She shook the ants off and immediately called the poison control center wondering what to do with a small child that had been bitten all over with red ants. She did what they told her to do and I was just fine. From that day on I payed close attention to those red ant hills around the hill and house.

Sarah-The earliest memory I have of the house I grew up in was looking down the stair into the mirror. I would love to play in the mirror and play dress up in the mirror.
First memory of Brooke was going to Grandma Morrell house with her. When Reva would tend us we would walk down the road and meet Brooke from the bus.
First memory of Collette was going to Phyllis Shaw house and having preschool. We would play in the basement on trikes with all the other kids.
First memory of Allyson would be holding her while mom read us books. Allyson was just a baby and I would hold her until the book was over.
First memory of Raquel was going with dad and picking her and mom up from the hospital in Prove right after she was born. Dad drove grandma and grandpa car up their. Dad put you in the car in your car seat and I took you out of the car seat and held you the whole way home.

Collette- The first thing I remember is when I was three and being at the Primary Children's Hospital after I had surgery on my foot. It was bedtime and I remember being scared that mom and dad were leaving. They gave me a blue stuffed Elephant, that I still have, and told me they would be back in the morning. I also remember that the next day cookie monster was down the hall in the waiting room and I went down to see him. After that I was fascinated with cookie monster mostly because I met him but also because both of our names start with the letter "C".

Allyson-I think my very earliest memory was of Mom and Dad fighting in the kitchen. One of them said that they were going to leave and that I would have to pick which parent I wanted to go with. I think that was a little traumatizing to me as a child. Luckily, I didn't have to choose parents, and I learned a good lesson. I hope to never fight in front of my children.

Raquel-My earliest memory is always looking through wheres waldo books with any body. and I remember one christmas eve sarah was driving a car and it was foggy out side and she ran into a cow on our road but everything was fine it just rolled onto the car and rolled off. Also when ty was born he peed in moms face when we were visiting him right after he got home from the hospital.I remember sarah driving her yellow car with her legs and always going to wandas for a bananna splits. I remember collette she would always take me any where with her and I think she is the only one that liked it and didnt think I was annoying. I remember Allyson would drag me around the house with her and mary jane and most of the time be rude to me. I remember DAD when we would go to stores if I wanted something I would always have to ask him for something he would like, like boots or a belt and he would always get it for me if it was in his interest. I remember mom always always making breakfast for me and making sure I got to the bus, one time she drove me to the bus and when I shut the door I got my finger stuck and she started driving off and I was crying so she stopped and than I didnt have to go to school. I prob didnt have as many memories of my sisters when they were young but one thing I always remembered is I wanted to be just like each one of you at one time or the other. When I was young I always wanted to be older so I could be like you guys each of you seemed like you guys had the best life. Thanks for that example!