Wednesday, December 4, 2019
THE HEN HOUSE
The first hen house my parents had was a small shed which I hated. That was because it always seemed to be the one I would have to go and clean it out. Every Saturday, never failed. I cringed and between the chicken shit smell and those tiny red mites, I shuddered, and cursed the occasional "chicken hawk". I worked as fast as I could to get out of there.
Dad then renovated the log building that was in the barn yard and put the chickens in there. He built a long box from one end of the building to the other
end of the building and put in dividers. There the hens settled in quite contentedly and laid their eggs. This was fine for a few years until the weasel dug its way into the hen house and raised pandemonium.
The night the weasel raised havoc, my younger sister, Aline and I were at home alone. Mom and Dad had gone somewhere, can't remember where now. I heard the chickens raise a raucous. The only thing that I could think of that would bother the hens in the hen house was an animal of some sort that had gotten into the hen house. I ran out of the house and across the yard to where the hen house was and opened the door. As I looked inside I saw the weasel, it looked at me and I looked at it and I screamed at it. Somewhere along the way I had picked up a stick of some kind, can't think what it was anymore. Chickens squawked, the weasel snarled, I was screaming at it and with all the commotion, it took off at a fast pace back through the hole it had made.
I looked around to see what damage this creature had done. I knew that weasels sucked the blood from animals like a vampire. There the chickens lay, dead and I don't remember how many there was now. I ran back up to the house, grabbed the sleigh went back to the hen house, loaded the sleigh with as many chickens as I could and took them back to the house. Next I grabbed the wheel barrel and away I went, filled it up and back to the house. Can't remember how many were left yet to get.
I found one of the tubs mom used put it on the stove burners and filled it with water and let it come to steaming hot. Dunking in the chickens, one at a time, I began to strip off the feathers. These chickens were our winter meat, no darn weasel was going to take that away from me. I had stripped about ten of the birds, no insides were taken out as of yet, when my parents walked in the door. After a short period of shock, they let me explain what happened and took over that daunting job of cleaning all those chickens.
Soon after that event, my father built a new building for them, but it didn't seem to keep them any safer. I was the one that usually picked the eggs at choring time and every so often see mice or rats and at different occasions muskrats. I was more afraid of it than I was of the weasel. Muscrats are terribly vicious when cornered. One time, a wild cat had climbed up into the rafters and it took dad a couple of days to get rid of it, really can't remember now how he did it, but probably shot it. No peace for the farmer its said.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Never Without
My family never did without while growing up. Although we were poor money wise, we were well taken care off.
I had mentioned before in another post about living on the farm. This time I am going to talk about my siblings and I. We had a roof over our heads, and although it didn't have a main heating system, the only time we felt cold was when we jumped out of bed in those wintery shivering mornings. It sure woke us up in a hurray, but it also made us reluctant to climb out of our warm beds. We survived, we learned to dress warm whether we were outside, inside, in bed or even in the car.
Our house was heated with a heater in the living room and the wood stove in the kitchen. To this date, I still feel that warmth that is heated by wood is the warmest heat found. It's far better than oil, coal or even electric heating and I have had all four types of heating in my life time. Okay so electric heating is more constant, but it's still does not have that warm, comfortable, comforting heat that comes from using wood.
Food, a daily need was plentiful. Mother had huge gardens, the garden (called the far garden) usually contained the potatoes and some perennial vegetables mother had. Vegetables such as asparagus, that real hot white radish (don't know the name for it) and a fruit tree or two. In the middle garden were the strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, plum and apple and crab-apple trees. The front garden or the one nearest the house, held all kinds of other vegetables. Mother used the soapy wash water for the cutworms in the garden along with the ashes from the stove. I learned how to grow vegetables and other things from her.
Every fall as the vegetables ripened, it took the whole family to harvest. Huge boxes, baskets and containers were used to gather the food. The children were then had the chore of shelling the mega amount of peas that were canned, taking ends off from the assortment of beans that were picked and then snapping them in pieces. Cleaning the assortment of berries that were gathered along with the Saskatoon's, pincherries, plums, chokecherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, crab-apples and any other fruit that mother may have planted that year. The canned fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, lined the shelves in the basement.
Along with this, we enjoyed all kinds of fruit such as peaches, apricots, pears, and the different types of jam made were very varied.
When the wild berries were ripe, the whole family, except the small children, picked wild fruit. As the younger one grew up, they too had to go 'picking' fruit. With a syrup or peanut butter pail hanging from a belt we challenged each other to see who could pick the most berries. As usual though we also stuffed ourselves silly with all that sweet free fruit. We concluded that if we had to pick, then we would enjoy the fruit as well.
Now one must remember that when your in the bush picking fruit or whatever it was that mother was after, you had to watch where you went.
The terrain was not smooth, there was dips and dives. You could end up in a pool of water, in amongst some ant hills or maybe you ended up near a hornets nest. Don't think that one should be able to see where they are going in a bush, it's not that easy. We had to always call out to each other to make sure we had a sense of direction, it can get real easy to be turned around in a bushy area.
With all of the fruit and vegetables around us we never went hungry. Ate more fruit then than I do now.
I had mentioned before in another post about living on the farm. This time I am going to talk about my siblings and I. We had a roof over our heads, and although it didn't have a main heating system, the only time we felt cold was when we jumped out of bed in those wintery shivering mornings. It sure woke us up in a hurray, but it also made us reluctant to climb out of our warm beds. We survived, we learned to dress warm whether we were outside, inside, in bed or even in the car.
Our house was heated with a heater in the living room and the wood stove in the kitchen. To this date, I still feel that warmth that is heated by wood is the warmest heat found. It's far better than oil, coal or even electric heating and I have had all four types of heating in my life time. Okay so electric heating is more constant, but it's still does not have that warm, comfortable, comforting heat that comes from using wood.
Food, a daily need was plentiful. Mother had huge gardens, the garden (called the far garden) usually contained the potatoes and some perennial vegetables mother had. Vegetables such as asparagus, that real hot white radish (don't know the name for it) and a fruit tree or two. In the middle garden were the strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, plum and apple and crab-apple trees. The front garden or the one nearest the house, held all kinds of other vegetables. Mother used the soapy wash water for the cutworms in the garden along with the ashes from the stove. I learned how to grow vegetables and other things from her.
Every fall as the vegetables ripened, it took the whole family to harvest. Huge boxes, baskets and containers were used to gather the food. The children were then had the chore of shelling the mega amount of peas that were canned, taking ends off from the assortment of beans that were picked and then snapping them in pieces. Cleaning the assortment of berries that were gathered along with the Saskatoon's, pincherries, plums, chokecherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, crab-apples and any other fruit that mother may have planted that year. The canned fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, lined the shelves in the basement.
Along with this, we enjoyed all kinds of fruit such as peaches, apricots, pears, and the different types of jam made were very varied.
When the wild berries were ripe, the whole family, except the small children, picked wild fruit. As the younger one grew up, they too had to go 'picking' fruit. With a syrup or peanut butter pail hanging from a belt we challenged each other to see who could pick the most berries. As usual though we also stuffed ourselves silly with all that sweet free fruit. We concluded that if we had to pick, then we would enjoy the fruit as well.
Now one must remember that when your in the bush picking fruit or whatever it was that mother was after, you had to watch where you went.
The terrain was not smooth, there was dips and dives. You could end up in a pool of water, in amongst some ant hills or maybe you ended up near a hornets nest. Don't think that one should be able to see where they are going in a bush, it's not that easy. We had to always call out to each other to make sure we had a sense of direction, it can get real easy to be turned around in a bushy area.
With all of the fruit and vegetables around us we never went hungry. Ate more fruit then than I do now.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Disconcerted
It has been 8 and 1/2 years now and I still miss that old fart, yup, called him that while he was alive too. Although I miss him, I have for the first time, real freedom to do what I want. The freedom of not having to look after someone or something, except the property and at times, yes indeed, it does get lonely.
I do find, however, that the majority of my days are full and every days is passing faster than I care for. Since my health has taken a plunge, it seems to take forever for my health to recover and strange as it may seem, when one area goes haywire the rest of the body says "Hey let me join in. I feel left out". Right and I have no say in the matter it seems.
My last Dr. appointment kind of left me stunned. A possibility of colon cancer. He wants me to have another colon test. How many of those things does it take I wonder. Really though, they must get tired of looking at my bottom.
I was reading one of Erma Bombeck's books and it was absolutely hysterical, how I wish I could write like she does. It's a book worth reading as it brought back so many memories and I was able to link to most of what was wrote. That book I am sure I will read more than once.
Right now (aside from all those tests I am being put through,) I am going to concentrate on the yard sale coming up on May 18. Then I have to dig up the flower bed, it has sure been abused these last couple years with me being not able to care for it.
One of my grandkids was here recently it was such a comfort. they couldn't do enough for me. Such differences in each family unit. I now have six grandsons, (only two are able to carry on the McMurray line), one granddaughter, three great granddaughtes and two great grandsons. The only ones I have not seen except for a couple of pictures is from my granddaughter. Well time will tell, She keeps saying she is coming for a visit but no show as of yet. Regardless I still love them ALL, that will never change.
I do find, however, that the majority of my days are full and every days is passing faster than I care for. Since my health has taken a plunge, it seems to take forever for my health to recover and strange as it may seem, when one area goes haywire the rest of the body says "Hey let me join in. I feel left out". Right and I have no say in the matter it seems.
My last Dr. appointment kind of left me stunned. A possibility of colon cancer. He wants me to have another colon test. How many of those things does it take I wonder. Really though, they must get tired of looking at my bottom.
I was reading one of Erma Bombeck's books and it was absolutely hysterical, how I wish I could write like she does. It's a book worth reading as it brought back so many memories and I was able to link to most of what was wrote. That book I am sure I will read more than once.
Right now (aside from all those tests I am being put through,) I am going to concentrate on the yard sale coming up on May 18. Then I have to dig up the flower bed, it has sure been abused these last couple years with me being not able to care for it.
One of my grandkids was here recently it was such a comfort. they couldn't do enough for me. Such differences in each family unit. I now have six grandsons, (only two are able to carry on the McMurray line), one granddaughter, three great granddaughtes and two great grandsons. The only ones I have not seen except for a couple of pictures is from my granddaughter. Well time will tell, She keeps saying she is coming for a visit but no show as of yet. Regardless I still love them ALL, that will never change.
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