Farming, family and cucumber shoes

Photo: Sharon Bouchard

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OXFORD – For Gayle Smedberg farming and running the farm stand at Crystal Spring Farms is a way of life, but keeping up with children and grandchildren is what her life is all about.

Q: Where were you born and where were you brought up?

A: Hazardville, Connecticut

Q: Do you have many siblings?

A: I have one sister, Jill. She still lives in Hazardville; still a hometown girl.

Q: What did your parents do?

A: My mother had a lot of different jobs. She worked in tobacco as everyone did at one time or another in that area. She was also a waitress, worked at Grants and J. C. Penny and she worked at a casket company. As a single mother she did whatever she had to be done.

Q: What was it like growing up?

A: Oh it was fun. We played baseball with no adults involved and there were no fights. We went ice skating down in the hollow. We played Kick the Can. We didn’t have to be home until dark so we played outside a lot.

I think we were poor, but we didn’t know it. I used to cut cardboard for my shoes in the spring because I wouldn’t be getting a new pair of shoes until fall, but it wasn’t a problem. My mother always dressed us well and we were always clean.

Q: Was there anything you wanted to be when you grew up?

A: I wanted to be a farmer. My grandmother had a farm and my sister and I would go there for part of the summer and I really liked it.

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I went to Hazardville Grammar, but there was no high school in Hazardville so we had to go to Enfield High School.

Q: Did you get into mischief or play any pranks?

A: Not really, though I do remember making shoes out of big cucumbers to see how far I could walk in them. Sometimes I could go quite a ways. There was one time, an Easter Sunday, when I took a shortcut because I wanted to pop out and scare my mother.

I fell in a cesspool that I didn’t know was there. It was the opening to the pipe and I had to really work at getting myself out. When I caught up with my mother I certainly scared her with the way I looked.

Q: What have you had for jobs?

A: I couldn’t wait to work in tobacco because that’s what all the kids in the area did. After high school I worked for an insurance company. After I got married my husband and I got into farming.

We rented a farm in Connecticut and later bought Crystal Spring Farm here in Oxford and I later started the farm stand and that’s still what I do.

Q: When and how did you meet your spouse?

A: I worked with Roger’s sister at the insurance company. She introduced us and we started dating and eventually got married.

Q: What did you do for work when you got married?

A: I worked at the insurance company and I worked for a Howard Johnsons for a while.

Q: Did you do much traveling?

A: I’ve done quite a bit. I went to San Francisco and Florida. We went to Aruba once.

Q: What place was the most fascinating and why?

A: I find every place I go to be fascinating.

Q: Do you collect anything or have a hobby?

A: I collect everything! If it’s there I’ll collect it.

Q: Organizations?

A: I was involved in 4-H when my kids were young. I was very involved in the Oxford County Agricultural Society and the Oxford County Fair at one time. It was a very important part of our lives, especially for my kids. I also taught Sunday school for several years.

Q: What is the last book you read?

A: Fatherhood by Bill Cosby.

Q: What’s the one thing you would happily do over again?

A: With a few adjustments I’d say my life is just fine. I think I’m a happy person and I certainly know a lot of nice people.

Q: Do you have any children?

A: I have four kids. Razell, who teaches Adult Education in Chesterville. Mooie who is owner and general manager of Crystal Spring Farm. Peter, who lives in Oxford, but works for Atlantic Contracting out of Boston and Gemma, who lives in Missouri and runs a campground with her husband.

Q: What was the best memory this interview brought back?

A: Thinking about the farm stand and all the kids that have worked there.

Q: Last day on earth, what would you do and with whom?

A: I would just want my family around me doing stupid stuff.

Q: If anyone could walk in right now who would you like to see the most?

A: That would be my mother and my grandmother.

Q: Any heroes?

A: My kids. The have all had some hardships and have gotten through them. They are wonderful people and they care about other people. I’m so very proud of them.