I cannot urge you enough to read the labels on all the things you purchase. Things are not always what they seem to be.

Take, for instance, almond milk. Although it contains almonds that is not all it contains. There are a number of extraneous ingredients that I am not sure are really healthy for you. Commercials are touting it as a healthy alternative to real milk. You be the judge, but please read the label.

Our family was part of the dairy industry for more than 75 years. Dairying for our family began with the milk being put into cans to be picked up on a regular route. For years my father-in-law drove that route picking up the milk from nearby farms.

As I graduated from college I was involved in the dairy industry in another capacity. I spent the summer at N. S. Briggs and Sons Dairy checking the books of the drivers who delivered milk to residential as well as business customers. We had milk delivered to our house. There was a box in the side of the house just for that purpose. It locked from the inside so there was no danger. The milkman took the empty bottles and put in the milk that was ordered. We could also order cottage cheese, lemonade and cream.

Each driver maintained an inventory of what he stocked his truck with. After all of the deliveries what was sold and what was returned to the dairy had to jive. It was my responsibility to see that this was documented.

I could check a book pretty quickly so I was a popular checker. The driver was not allowed to leave until his book was checked. All of our milk came into the dairy in milk cans and was dumped in to the process or to be bottled.

When I had time I loved to look through the windows above the operation and watch the bottles (yes, real glass bottles) being filled and capped. I never tired of this. I watched from the time I was a young child because my mother worked there before me.

Once I married I became part of the dairy industry in a different way. I was now the wife of a dairy farmer. Since I knew nothing about that end of things there was a lot for me to learn.

Now I was interested in how the milk got from the cow to the tank. By this time the milk cans were gone and they were replaced with a refrigerated tank that pumped the milk into the large refrigerated truck that visited the farm every other day.

The big question was really how the milk got into the cow. I learned about the reproduction cycle for cows. In fact while I was pregnant for our first born it was often referred to. Cows had to have calves to produce milk. It was a natural process much like the idea that mothers breastfeed their infants.

The men tried to have all the cows or at least most of them give birth (freshen) in the early fall, which, if you follow nature, is not nature’s way. That meant the largest milk checks came throughout the winter months. Things were rather lean during the summer months when most of the cows were dry.

Summer days the men were busy planting crops and taking in hay to feed the animals throughout the winter months when they were confined to the barn.

I had to be a good planner to cope with the fluctuation in pay. While income was down in the summer expenses were up because we fed the men who worked for us.

As I think back to these meals I remember the camaraderie of boss and laborers. Meals were congenial as long as a storm was not in the offing. On those days who knew when we would eat. We ate when the work was done.

There is something to be said for the family that works together. Every activity is goal driven with everyone making a contribution.

Our children learned how to work together and how to work hard. There was never a dull moment. They knew they were always expected to be busy. Since we lived up above the farm it was not always easy for me to know what was going on. I depended on our daughter to alert me to the goings on down below. She would call home when they were about to do the last load so that I could get supper on the table. There were still evening chores to be done so supper was not a leisurely event most of the time.

I only remember one time my husband did not milk his cows at night. During a summer thunder storm the creek rose to the point that the cows could not make it home. The rain came very fast and was very hard. We got several inches of rains in minutes. Our patio up here was a standing body of water. It was a good thing that the majority of the cows were dry. They ended up staying out in the field that night without being milked. Milking was done very early the next morning when the water receded.

Our children learned a work ethic that would last them a lifetime. This work carried over to their places of employment. Each worked as he/she went through college. The work ethic continues as they are engaged in business. They learned how to work and they did their best. If you want to hire a worthwhile employee look for someone who grew up on a farm. They know how to work and they will give you their best.

Thank you dairy farmers — we appreciate all you do to provide us with healthy food for our tables.

Ann Swanson write from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.