"Alright you guys, now we can cuss and no one will hear us!" That is all I heard seven year old Cameron say as I scrambled towards the top of the last hay bale. We were now standing on all of the hay bales in the old green hay barn. Up there we were free, Cameron, Brandon, and me. Free from the real world and free from our parents and responsibilities. We played so many different games and acted out so many scenarios. It was a place where we wanted to live every life but our own. The best part of that cob-webbed, rusty hay barn was the view. Standing on top of approximately twenty-four hay bales, there wasn't one thing on Badder's Ranch that you couldn't see. You could see the old house that had been there forever and the two modern houses that were added in the later years of the ranch's existence. Then there was the ranch office and shop where tractors, cars, and even go carts were constantly being worked on. The pig pens and the old chicken coop stood always entertaining visitors of the city but just seemed so ordinary to us country kids. There was the mill and fields as far as the eye could see. The smell of herbs growing was the scent of Badder's Ranch, a place where many of my childhood days were spent.

Living in Terra Bella as a child and growing up without a swimming pool in my backyard, the hot humid summer days could be torture. Luckily, I was always invited to go swimming at Badder's Ranch. The pool was old and therefore quite deep and large. The diving board was so worn and used that when you jumped off, it felt like you were going high enough to reach the lofty clouds. That was my favorite swimming pool. Sure there were occasional leaves, bugs, and even frogs in the pool, but we just threw them out and kept swimming. I'll never forget the first days of summer. It was almost the same every year. It would be a Saturday morning in May and sometimes even April. My mom would answer a phone call in the late morning. All I could hear was her side of the conversation: "Ok, I'll tell her, she will be thrilled. Yes, I know I heard it is supposed to be a scorcher today!" As I heard the phone click, I would run and wait impatiently for my mom to speak those magical words. "Emily, that was Lori she said they are filling their pool today, and you are more than welcome to go over and go swimming." My face would light up as if I was Aladdin and she was a genie granting me my most desirous wish. I would quickly put on my bathing suit, grab a towel and some sunscreen and then I was out the door.

The animals on Badder's Ranch made the atmosphere so typical of a farm. It was exactly how you pictured a ranch, the way you see them in the movies. Every once in a while, I had to help Brandon and Cameron with their chores. We would go out to the chicken coop and collect the eggs. These eggs were different than the ones bought in stores. They were dirty and tan instead of the average white "Grade A" eggs we are used to purchasing in the supermarkets. I still remember fighting over who got to climb the ladder to check for eggs. When I was fortunate enough to win that argument, how excited and impatient I was as I scampered to the ledge and peeked. I saw two or three and sometimes even six eggs waiting to be gathered. We would rush them into the ranch office and place them in the old white refrigerator. That was of course where we put the good ones. The cracked ones we weren't so obedient with. Those we would always toss, never at the cars, houses, or farm equipment, but we would often hit each other or just see who could throw them the farthest in the fields, as we were constantly competing.

I'll never forget the mornings at Badder's Ranch. Sometimes my parents would leave town and I would stay there for a night or two, sometimes even a week. I still remember having to get up early to feed the animals, and then feeling so relieved when I smelled the hearty breakfast that Lori was cooking in the kitchen. The best pancakes I have ever eaten were tasted there. To this day, I still don't know how she made them so delicious. Homemade syrup was always drenched over the light pancakes. I don't think the Catmull kids ever had store bought syrup. Then there was always a choice of beverages. Chocolate milk was always the favorite, but in the winter it was hot chocolate. Breakfast wasn't the only good meal served there. There wasn't one meal that I didn't enjoy.

Fall was probably the busiest time at Badder's Ranch. With the arrival of the holidays Halloween and Thanksgiving, people were constantly dropping by to pick out their pumpkins. The school that I attended, Saucelito Elementary School, would make an annual trip every Halloween to go to Badder's Ranch and have each student pick out a pumpkin. They would only charge a dollar or so. That way every kid could have the opportunity of carving a pumpkin. I remember never having to pay for a pumpkin since I was practically family. The pumpkins were huge, and always so orange in color. Every year Brandon, who was always competitive, would try to find the largest pumpkin. After winning that contest, he would continue the competition with who could find the pumpkin with the most warts, or the pumpkin with the best color. I always gave up because sometimes he was just impossible to beat.

Every year there was a Halloween Party at Badder's Ranch. It consisted of carnival games, good food, a hay ride, and a haunted house. The haunted house was an old empty dwelling located on the ranch. No one had lived in it for over twenty years. As children, we truly believed it was really haunted. I remember helping set up for the haunted house year after year and fearing and almost dreading it. Sometimes, I worked in the haunted house, and I had so much fun scaring the young kids and even their parents. That house was a frightening place. On Halloween night I was never that scared because there were so many people around, and I knew that everything unordinary that would happen was planned. However, all those times prior to Halloween that I found myself in that olive green house, I was scared out of my wits.

After the excitement of Halloween calmed down, it was then time for Thanksgiving. The ranch was covered with the fall colors and the leaves were falling rapidly. One autumn day Cameron, Brandon, and I were watching one of the farm workers rake the leaves from the large maple tree in the front yard. As he was scraping the metal rake quickly to create a big pile of leaves, a light bulb flashed on in our minds. We looked at each other with a mischievous look and then sure enough right as the worker left and was out of sight, we took off running into the pile of leaves. Although at this time we had ruined the work that had been done, we still found simple joy playing in just a pile of leaves.

Brandon and Cameron have now moved away, but I do visit them often. They no longer live on a ranch, but instead at the end of a cul-de-sac in Spanish Fork, Utah. When I do visit their house, we can no longer climb up to a lofty hay barn, but only climb to the top floor of their split-level house. We can no longer scream at the top of our lungs while we are outside, but now have to keep our boisterous voices low to show respect for the neighbors. Brandon, Cameron, and I can still have an enjoyable time when we are together, but the memories made now can never compare to those we made at Badder's Ranch. Growing up is inevitable, but why does it have to happen so fast?

Periodically I still travel down Avenue 104. I glance out the driver's window doing a double take to confirm to myself that it is the same ranch. The houses are painted different colors, unrecognizable cars line the driveways, and the air is no longer fragrant with herb aromas. There's a twinge of sadness in my heart as I recall and reflect on my fond memories. The sweetness of those childhood days and the friendships made at Badder's Ranch have scattered just as the leaves from that old maple tree. However, one day I will stop at the sanctuary of my youth, re-gather the leaves, and take one final jump.