Happy Homesteading

I first became fascinated in old houses, barns, and shacks when I was in my twenties.

Living in Alberta at the time, we would see many old homesteads just off the highways and side roads. We always stopped to take a peak, unless there was no trespassing signs of course. Most had been abandoned.

I’ve always been intrigued in the history of those whose lives revolved around that particular property.

How they made their living, how many children were raised in the old house, why did they leave?

Some we’re definitely creepy, but that only added to the adventure for me. My girls enjoyed it as well. I guess they took after their mamma.

I would search around for old newspapers, books, and magazines looking for the year on them. Giving me a rough time zone of when the last person or family had occupied the place.

Some of the homesteads had been lived in up to the early seventies. Many were back in the forties, even fifties.

I had kept a journal of each homestead I had visited, and of any findings. Unfortunately, it was lost in one of my many moves.

I admit I was very upset about that, because my intention was to turn my journal into a published book.

Not only did I loose my journal, but I also lost two treasured artifacts. One was an adoption form, and the other a receipt.

The adoption form was a thin piece of paper that asked these simple questions:

Boy or girl? What colour? What age? Your name?

The receipt was an x-ray for $ 1.00. These findings were like gold to me.

Loosing my journal however, did not stop me from pursuing what had become a passion of mine.

When I visit each homestead, I am taken back in time. It’s truly like being put in a time machine, set for the late eighteen - early nineteen hundreds.

For me it’s like escaping every day reality for awhile. Not that my life is bad or anything. No, I just appreciate the change. Call me an old-soul but I honestly day -dream of what life would’ve been like for me living in that era.

Who knows maybe I did! Maybe I’m an old-soul for a reason. I could be one of the women who wore a long dress all day - everyday, covered by an old dirty-floured apron. Who slaved over the old-wood-cook- stove, and planted enough potatoes to fill ten sacks that would be stored in our underground cellar.

The women who scrubbed her husband’s long-Johns on a washboard. Hand-sowed the thirteen children’s clothing. Our children who were given a new pair of shoes on each birthday, if they were lucky.

We were one of the families who traveled on a man-made wooden cart through the heavy snow pulled by two oxon. Just to say hello to our closest neighbors on Christmas Day.

I certainly have a connection to those early years for some reason!

I was always fascinated when my grandparents would recapture their good-old-days with us kids. Not always good times, many hardships as well. But always a delight when they reminisced.

I have countless good memories of homesteading. One time when I was enjoying this passion of mine with my girls, we walked down a grassy pathway alongside this rustic-old-charmer of a house, when I happened to glance down and could just barely see a mamma skunk all stretched out - feeding her many kittens.

I yelled - “skunk” and we all quickly turned around to get the hell out of their, and we were laughing so hard, and tripping over one another. ‘Oh my goodness’, talk about hilarious! Yah definitely not the bravest bunch.

Another time a friend of mine joined me to check out a neat-old-looking-place. I was having a hay day, in total bliss. So many old canned goodies of this and that. The old granny wallpaper that was put up on majority of the walls in protection of the cool wind air that would whistle through if not sealed properly.

I made my way into the living room area and suddenly lost my footing, and my friend found me clinging to the floor edges, while the rest of me was hanging down into the dark basement. It could’ve been disastrous, but instead we seen the funny side of it. However, there was a lesson learned that day on being extremely careful where one is stepping.

My girlfriend and I decided to take a road trip one day. Do some homesteading along the way. We came across a beauty! In excellent shape. I fell in love with it, and could’ve moved right in. I didn’t even want to leave.

But it was time to get back on the road. We get in the car and we are stuck in mud. It had been raining while we were busy scouting the place out.

We tried sticks and twigs, didn’t work.

I recalled seeing these big old mason jars filled with beans sitting on the floor in the kitchen of the house. So we went and got them. Spread the beans out behind the tires, and we were unstuck in no time!

Such great times and true memory builders.

I could excitedly relate my homestead adventures all day, everyday. Every single one that I have had the privilege of inspecting, has been a true pleasure.

I have taken many photographs of my homesteads over the years. Many of my prints could be seen for sale in quant cafes in the small towns throughout Alberta.

I have a plan in motion to visit the incredible amount of homesteads that Saskatchewan has to offer.

It will be a dream come true!

I truly enjoyed sharing my homestead happiness with you all. Thank you!

By Brenda Lee Lord-Hinger

BLBLOGWRITINGNEWS1 ( KMZ2OL )

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