LEARNING THE LESSONS OF NATURE

           

            My Dad had a ¼ section near the Swan Lake Valley, at least that is what I call it.

He rented this section as it had a wooded area and space for growing grain. Every so often Mom would load us up and away we go to the ¼ section, which Dad called it the Stewarts  quarter.

            Dad let both cattle and horses road the quarter section and rounded them up when he needed to. From this quarter section he cut his own wood that kept us during the cold winters. I would see him coming down the road with the horses or his tractor pulling his load of cut trees. These would be stacked at the back fence in the barn yard for the wood to cure.

In the fall the load that he had brought in from the past years or years would be cut into logs small enough to fit into the cook stove or heater. 

            At times as Mom or I would drive down the hill at the quarter to find where Dad was we had to drive over ground that had developed  small gullies from running water, and at times we would have to walk to where Dad was. This particular day, Dad was very upset.

The mare that was living on the quarter section had stumbled into  a quagmire or a plot of quick sand, at least that was what Dad called it. It was in the swampy part of the land. We couldn’t figure out how come she ended in there but Dad didn’t want to lose her as she was the only mare he had. We tried everything we could think of and finally we had to get the truck to drag her out. There was no way we could get the truck close enough to help the mare. Dad told mom and I to leave and when he told us that, I knew he was going to shoot her.

            It did bother me for quite a while, but being raised on the farm soon taught all of us children that it was a lesson of nature. Some animals lived and some would die. Through out the years from being on the farm, you soon learn the facts of life and those many many lessons of nature.