And you think life is hard?
If you're ready to be shocked, and grateful for your present living accommodations, and enjoy a laugh or two, take a look at this Bob's old house
Some of my long lost relatives organized a family reunion this summer, and after I got used to being called "Robert" again, I had a great time renewing acquintances with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. Those who hadn't seen me for 30 years had a hard time recognizing me without my former 'do.
When I look at how high our standard of living has become in the interim, it's hard to imagine the derelict home we lived in. My cousin from Illinois, Laura-Jean, surprised me with some old black-and-white photos that brought back memories of my childhood including the photo of the old house which I've linked to above. Life was hard.
How hard was it? Well, we walked two miles to school every day, barefoot, uphill in both directions. Okay, not that hard.
My family of origin(eight of us) lived on a mixed farm in the dustbowl of southeast Saskatchewan. In addition to growing grain and raising livestock, to help make ends meet, we milked a half-dozen cows every morning. Not with a milking machine - but by hand. After putting it through the cream separator, the milk was bottled and we delivered it to homes in town - all before going to school.
School. How many people do you know who started grade one in a one-room schoolhouse? When lunchtime came, Mrs Nordby filled a tin can with water which had a nail-hole in the bottom, and that's how we washed our hands.
Never owned a new ball glove or bike, but I was very adept with a pitchfork(I can handle lots of BS). With the benefit of hindsight, some of the disadvantages were really advantages. Hauling bales and milking cows turned me into a muscle-bound hunk(without the use of steroids). I could climb the rope in the gym faster than anyone else. I was the arm-wrestling champion(except for Donna Emde who must have worked even harder than me, but she was a year older).
We didn't have a television. I had to read books instead. Consequently, no spellcheck required here.
I've hilled more potatoes than you will ever see in 10 lifetimes. No one had yet heard of the benefits of eating organic food, but we enjoyed it everyday.
Nothing was confidential. News spread quickly on our telephone's party line, but people knew their neighbours and helped each other. I still remember the phone number: 5 ring 2-1.
Luxuries, holidays and fancy restaurants did not exist in that world, but I came away with a great appreciation of life and living. It created within me a culture of self-reliance, thrift, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
And farm girls. This one was definitely outstanding in her field.
As for my reference to the footbal team in the previous post, my days as a hard-running, slashing fullback paid off in a championship season with the High school football team. Can you pick out my number?
