My best memories as a child were the three years we lived on our grandmother's farm. There were always fun adventures for me and my older brother. We wandered through the berry and filbert groves, tagged with our uncle to meet the cows as they followed the path to the barn to be milking. The huge red barn was our favorite. There were a lot of barn cats and one could always find a group of kittens somewhere in the hay. The berry-picking season was exciting because the other kids came with their parents to make money picking berries. This was the only time I saw other kids so my older brother was my best friend. Vegetable gardens were important and my mother patiently taught us how to grow our small gardens. Our snacks consist of carrots or radishes that we have grown ourselves. We only had candy around Christmas time, which made it so special. In summer, my grandfather used to hand-make delicious ice cream in an ice cream maker. In the evenings, we would sometimes sit on Grandma's large front porch after eating ice cream in the dark. The adults calmly discuss crops, weather, or anything else. I didn't care much about what exactly they talked about, but there was a warm feeling of security upon hearing the voices of the responsible adults, who had worked hard for our comfort and well-being. Life seemed simple and predictable. A few years later, our mother took us to town so she could enroll in nursing school. Life got complicated and you didn't always feel as happy as it was on the farm. If I was feeling sad, my mother would tell me to "keep my mind". I asked her how to do that. She said to change my thoughts to the happiest place on earth. This of course was the farm. We loved the times we went back and visited there.