Monday, November 10, 2014

Snow Brings Back a Memory

      I was looking out my window this morning and watching surly clouds flying by. It was dull. The wind was howling and snow drifting. It was minus 12 C(15 F).

     I was reminded of an activity from the mid forties when I was a child on a western Canadian farm.

     Now urban people will get little out of the rest of this post. Anybody under 65 will not relate to it either. However, I'm going to tell my story. It's not fiction.This was life growing up in the mid forties. Sometimes when I look at this it seems unreal.

     Western Canadian farmers faced tremendous odds of failure. In the thirties they couldn't sell their product. During the war they did not have gasoline so still worked their farms with horses. This was not a profitable venture. Many people stayed on their small farms as they could grow their own food and there were no jobs any where else.

     Now back to this cold day. It was always on a day like this that my Dad would go for a load of hay. He had about 4 cows and 8 or 9 "young stock". He "put up hay" in the summer. This means that he found a meadow with grass to cut or  dried up slough that had slough hay. As he was busy in the summer he stacked the hay where he cut it and would haul it home in the fall  when he wasn't quite so busy..

    When cold and snowy weather cut in he would start hauling hay. The cold snowy weather meant that his other outdoor work was finished. Snow meant that he could use his "bob sleigh". He put a hay rack on the sleigh and he was in business. The hay rack was about 6' by 10' and was suitable for hauling bulky hay and straw.

    So my brother and I thought it was great to go with Dad. We were four or five so were of no value as far as work was concerned but it was great fun. So on a nasty day like today we would go for a load of hay. We liked bouncing along on the empty hay rack that the team was pulling. Dad would work hard loading the hay. We played in the snow and hay pile. Like all little kids we rolled around in the soft snow and hay. The ride home was pleasant as the hay was soft and we could snuggle in out of the wind. We also threw hay at each other and stuck it down our necks! You had to see who could put more hay on the other guy. 

    When we got home there was more great snow to play in and we stayed outside. On toward dark we would go in the house. Only after taking off our coats did we realize we were cold. Suddenly Mother discovered hay all over the floor and asked us how it got in our clothing. Of course, we didn't know. Five year old brains just aren't developed far enough to get it that if you put hay down somebodies neck it will sooner or later fall out. We were given a broom and ordered to clean the mess up.

    So with childhood experience like this , It's no wonder I don't mind the cold. I think early child hood experiences influence our later life.

    So we were having many hayrides for free. Today kids have to pay lots of money for a hay ride and it doesn't have nice hay to snuggle in and push down your brother's neck.

    Now tell me honestly, how much could you relate to this type of life?

    I wish I had pictures from those happy days.

    

40 comments:

  1. I can totally relate to this! And I'm under 65! I had hay down my neck today! Ugh! It's itchy! :)
    Cheri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Okay, I forgot about you and your background. I'll remember the next time!

      Delete
  2. I didn't live on a farm but in a rural setting. We made our own fun, played in the snow until we were frozen and yes, cleaned up the mud we dragged in. :)
    Your snow pictures below did make me happy. Can hardly wait to see some here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like your point of unsupervised play. There's too much supervision today so kids never get to take on the bully and the bully never has to pay.

      Delete
  3. Those are happy memories of a loving childhood. I think your mother was not that angry at to little naughty boys. You had a playfull childhood with lots of space and fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We played outside for hours on end and covered a lot of territory. We had very few toys in the house.

      Delete
  4. As I look out my window and watch the sun rise in hues of pink and red, I remember doing exactly the same thing, except not quite the way you did. The hay was brought in after the potatoes were out of the field. The field work was done and it was time to concentrate on the hay and yes, we did play in the hay, sit on top of the bundle and play "King Of The Mountain", until my brother fell off and broke his arm. After that, we could only sit, not play the game next hay season. Oh, Red, you write such nice posts that bring back great memories. Have a wonderful day. Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure your brother wasn't the only one to fall off but one of the few to suffer injury. We were tough back then!

      Delete
  5. I can relate...but I am over 65. My worry is that children today have tremendous programming in their lives. There is little time for creative thought and games. But I see my reply makes me sound REALLY old!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kids are too closely supervised these days and have far too many gadgets to learn any social skills. I'm also sounding old but right!

      Delete
  6. Sounds like a lot of fun. I have a lot of Amish around me who all farm with horses. We used to ride on the big work horses when I was a kid, 3-4 could fit. Call that cold and snow back, it is chilly with a baby snow melting fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I remember several kids on one horse. that would never happen today. I'm rather unpopular for sending miserable weather your way.

      Delete
  7. Your story sounds as if it could be told any time! I could picture it!
    My hubby grew up on a farm in the 50s. you can read his story here. They had no water, sewer, hydro, and it was like being on a farm in the 30s! Life was pretty hard, as his grampa was not a good farmer. They used Belgians. He was an only child, as his father died when he was 2.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WE never ever thought that we were lacking anything.

      Delete
  8. You painted a perfect word picture, Red. I could see it all in my mind's eye. And yes, I remember not noticing the cold all day long, playing outside. Today I can't even imagine a parent allowing their child to stay out in that kind of cold. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I was hoping it would make sense. Kids have too many gadgets to keep them inside. I have to interrupt my grand daughters to talk to them.

      Delete
  9. growing up in wisconsin in a poor family, i can relate to some. i helped my father make wood in the summer and pile it for winter's use.

    one year we pulled a sled out into the woods and chopped down our own pine tree and brought it back to the house in the snow for christmas. that's probably the closest to a 'sleigh' i ever got. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cutting wood is another story. Wood heat is the best. No roaring fans just quiet crackles.

      Delete
  10. A lovely story of the times you spent as a kid. My Mom used to tell such stories but we have a hot, tropical climate and so no snow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. People have their ow way to cope with the different climates but the basic experiences are there.

      Delete
  11. I can't really relate to it since I grew up in a sunny California suburb, but it sounds great for you as a kid, but I can only imagine how exhausted your dad was at the end of a day like the one you describe so well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was thinking about your comments when I wrote this as you are truly urban. Interesting.

      Delete
  12. I agree that child hood experiences influence our adult likes and dislikes. My memories of when I was around the same age as you were in this post would be walking behind the draught horses, beside my grandfather, barefooted, in the freshly ploughed dirt. Having a swim in the creek with him, both of us stripped down to our undies, before heading home for lunch or dinner. The swim was fun for me but a necessity for him as there was never enough water in the tank for frequent baths. I remember hay rides, too but our enjoyment came from it being slightly cooler up on the hay than it was on the ground. Thanks for sparking my memories, Red.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You remind me of more experiences. In the summer we always went barefoot.

      Delete
  13. I could relate. We've got farmers in the family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've probably heard all the stories as farmers are great story tellers.

      Delete
  14. I grew up in the St. Paul in Minnesota but the country was only a bike ride away and we played "unsupervised" by adults year round. Very different from today....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unsupervised it the key point.. Kids also have too many gadgets today.

      Delete
  15. Such wonderful childhood memories! I didn't grow up in a rural area, but I spent my entire childhood playing outdoors no matter the season. All the kids did back then. Times have certainly changed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, I can relate. But we hauled hay in July and put it in the barn. It was baled and we stacked the bales. No horses, but one old farmer nearby did still have a team of horses.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I can not relate because most of my childhood we lived in town. I love animals and dreamed of living on a farm like a lot of children probably did. I love snow and cold weather though and played out in the snow all day and into the night with the other kids in the neighborhood. Loved picturing your memory. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I can't relate by experience but you wrote it so well that it have given my a sense of what I have previously referred to as "nostalgia by proxy."

    ReplyDelete
  19. We finally have some, Keith! Just a bit, but it looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have never lost my child-like love of snow. It brings out the 10-year-old within me!! I wish you a great weekend sir.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wonderfully written. It is because of experiences like these, (being close to mother nature) that we turn out to be healthy adults with healthy minds.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I only wish I could relate but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, thanks Red. My father-in-law is 94 and grew up on a homestead in North Dakota. He is staying with us right now and I know it is a time for stories from his youth. This is better than reading any book or watching any movie. I love these times. I would love to hear more of yours. Imagining a little boy riding in the back of a rig with hay and snow down his neck, what a great life to grow up on a farm.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I can surely relate! We didn't move to a farm until I was in ninth grade, but some of my best memories are from staying with cousins on their farms. We drove mama crazy jumping from the hay loft into a pile of hay on the ground. She was always afraid someone would leave a pitchfork in the hay. We used to play in the snow until our gloves were frozen. I'm surprised none of us ever suffered frostbite. I enjoy your posts and am trying to catch up with my reading. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I can relate to your stories but then I'm 70. At that time I lived on the edge of a city so experienced both worlds: town and country.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Yes we had hays stacks too...I knew exactly where they were too...I asked my Dad just a few weeks ago if my recollection was correct..it was. When I was growing up it was fun to be out in the snow...not so much anymore:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. my belated sister had a farm. I can relate to the hay rides. Loved them. I have a pix in my file when I was small. Mom is trying to get me off the wagon. I am refusing. I can relate to what your saying for sure. I will find that picture and posted it one day or mail it to you. I loved to stay outside and be on my sled till it got dark. Have breakfast go out , have lunch go out. After supper go out till Dad yelled better get in. It is getting dark. Those days you never locked your doors and you never had to worry about men taking you from your yard. Times for small kids are not safe.

    ReplyDelete