Thursday, January 5, 2023

A LITTLE CONFLICT

       In my last post I wrote about Canadian prairie horses. I was born in 1939 so I was on the end of farming with horses. I do remember horses pulling farm implements. I do remember the farmers stories about their horses. I do remember using horses for winter transportation. I was even trusted a few times to go the six miles to the village to pick up mail. We also skated during some of those times. 

     I enjoyed writing the post and recalling the past. I enjoyed your positive comments. I was surprised to find people with similar experiences. For those who have no idea what I was talking about, don't worry.

    However, there is some conflict arising from the post. 

    I am reading Bill Bryson's "The Body". I was reading ch 4 about the head. In that chapter he has a section on memory. They are not really sure how memory works or doesn't work. They think things are lost in memory and that some things have been added and other things colored.

   So there I was writing a post based on my memory of things that happened more than 70 years ago. So the little doubts came into my mind as to how accurate things might be. 

   When I visit my brothers, we usually remember things differently. 

    I like Western Canadian history. I've read many books on the west. I've read about Henry Kelsey and David Thompson and many more. David Thompson used horses. 

    I've read much on the settlement of the west, the ranching that occurred and how agriculture began. I think I have a pretty fair knowledge of what went on before transportation and agriculture were mechanized.

    So I'm quite agreeable to have a caveat put on the things I say. 

    I also just finished reading "Ghost Town Stories " by Johnny Buchusky. He describes villages that were built on the Red coat trail. Very few of them are left.