It’s really a special day, Thanksgiving Day, a day when we can be grateful for all the good things we have when we see and hear what’s going on in the rest of the world.
I have just had a phone call from our prairie friends and they are going on a wagon ride with a team of horses, would sure be great if I could go along. I love those wagon rides.
That’s how we came into the Lakes District, five head of horses and two wagons. That’s a trip I will never forget.
I am going back if my memory serves me right and I think it is. Thanksgiving always a week before we would have a turkey shoot. Now this is a long time ago when Bill Harrison Sr. and Florence, his wife, had a ranch on the Brown Road and they had a turkey shoot and this was lots of good sport. For two years my wife Jo and I would supply the turkeys. We would take about 12 or 15. It was a money maker for us and helped out the Harrison’s too. The next year Bill was not too well so the turkey shoot was no more. It was lots of fun while it lasted though.
Halloween
This is the month when Halloween comes along. The kids always would look forward to this. Always a fun time. Lots of tricks and treats… sometimes it would get a little rough with the tricks but the last while it’s slowed down a bit.
Before the water systems came into being the outside toilet was the way to go and the next morning would have all the toilets over. It was always a big job the next morning to get things back in order. Thank goodness that’s a thing of the past.
Farming
It’s a lovely fall day, a kind of day you can enjoy. It’s always been by special time of the year. Everything is getting ready for the winter sleepover. More or less a rest. Our big time on the prairie was threshing and we would have a big crew come in with the threshing machine.
Combines have now taken over and big machines are just a memory for old guys like me. In the days that I remember the threshing machines would pull in with over a dozen of a crew. Now one or two men do the same job and much cheaper and much faster but not so much fun.
Another special time I really enjoyed was rounding up the cattle and shipping time. There were no trucks then so the cattle were trailed to the stock yards. Everyone was a cowboy or at least he thought he was. As my quotation in last week’s paper “clothes may make the man but it’s the hat that makes the cowboy.” As I look back they are fun times too. Every spring dad would get a guy to come into one of the north pastures and fall and pile the winters wood.
And when fall came, and we would hope soon, we would haul the wood home with a team of horses and a neighbour had a portable buzz saw and cut it up as it was nice and dry by then. As we had a mile of C.P. Rail through and bordering our place we were given all the old railway ties. It was poor wood but at least dry.
One of the last things to do was take our extra horses out to winter on the Hudson’s Bay lease. This was a section we always used for range. It’s now long gone with the years but at the time it was good range for wintering horses. We got about six head ready to go and it was starting to get dark and it was a three mile ride. My saddle horse shook his bridle off and went with the other horses and I was alone.
Here I was a kid, it’s cold and I’m scared as well and on foot with just the halters and my bridle and no horse. That’s why I sure will never forget that trip. Mother and dad were worried. Having a horse shake its bridle was a no no for dad but I made it home and next morning dad and I took a horse and sleigh as there was a light fall of snow, found my horse and saddle and headed for home. Everything was fine and I learnt a good lesson.
Great music
On Wednesday evening we were once more treated to a lovely hymn sing with the Decker Lake church choir. It was just great and we all enjoyed the singing. Lots of the hymns were songs we sang as kids so many years ago. They brought back so many wonderful memories. We all enjoy your visits. Singing is universal to enjoy. Our home was always full of music and singing and it has left me with so many wonderful memories for a lifetime.
A little story
We just had the two children Richard and Marie was a baby and Jo my wife was washing clothes by hand and using a washboard. Hard work so we bought a washing machine from Home Hardware. It had a little gas motor, this was great saved all the hard work. Jo was really pleased with it. I was working in the store and I heard her scream “the washing machine is on fire” and out the front door came Jo with the machine full of water and clothes with fire around the motor.
It was more than a man could lift as the machine was full of water and clothes. But now the machine was outside and I put out the fire with water from the machine. What had happened the exhaust pipe had not been put on right and had come off, that’s what caused the fire.
I fixed it up and got it back in the kitchen again. How she managed to get that machine over the step and outside and on fire as well I don’t know. As she weighed about half of what the machine full of clothes, water and a motor as well but she did. We had two bad chimney fires but we came out both times but in time a new chimney was added. It has been said that in an emergency God gives you added strength and I guess this is what happened and that’s for sure.
A little saying
A man has reached middle age when he is cautioned by his doctor instead of by the police to slow down.
A thought for the day
To make this world a better place to live you had better change yourself, your heart and not the world.
Take care have a happy day and remember no matter how bad you feel there is always someone who has it worse and remember God loves you a whole lot and so do I.
