I grew up on a farm and we grew most of our own vegetables, beef, pork, & chicken. My mama canned all kinds of stuff and even made lye soap. She went 15 miles to town once a week for the few groceries that we didn't raise.
I played outside all day, roaming the pastures and corn and cotton fields. I have a brother and a sister who are a number of years older than me, so I basically was by myself most of the time. But I had three dogs and a bunch of cats that followed me everywhere. Mama said it looked like a funeral procession to see me walking across an open field with single-file dogs and cats following behind! (lol!)
Dirt was my favorite toy. My kids laugh when I tell them that. But I could spend all day playing in the dirt. I had some tin cans and Mama gave me some cups, spoons, and and old flour sifter. I can't imagine how many tons of dirt I sifted with that thing!
A couple of miles away from us was a dying little town that still had a gas station, post office, and country store. At the store you could buy anything from canned goods to meat grinders to cattle feed. I remember playing on the big scale they used in the back room for weighing the feed. For a nickle I could get a small Coke or several pieces of candy. Occasionally, Mama would give me a quarter to buy a loaf of "light bread". She usually made all our bread, so bought bread was a treat. Now I'd practically kill for a loaf of her homemade bread or a pan of her dinner rolls!
I miss those simple times so much!