by Elaine | Feb 19, 2021 | Family, Old Times, Rural Life, Saving Stories, Western Canada
Old Man Winter had a firm grip on that long ago February morning in the Alberta foothills. To walk the quarter mile uphill from our farmhouse to the main road where we’d catch the school bus, Mom had wrapped me in multiple layers Only a small slit across my eyes was...
by Elaine | Jan 1, 2021 | Rural Life, Saving Stories
For as long as I can remember, Mom insisted that tacking up a new calendar before the first day of the New Year was bad luck. Since we don’t need any of that, Emil and I waited until today to take down our dog-eared record of 2020. Flipping through the months, we...
by Elaine | Oct 16, 2020 | Family, Rural Life, Rural Texas
The delicious aroma of homegrown peanuts slowly roasting in the kitchen on a chilly afternoon transports Joyce Hanzelka and Beverly Freeman back in time. The Texas natives, one who still lives on a farm and the other now an urban dweller, recall treasured autumn...
by Elaine | Aug 31, 2020 | Rural Life
We can set our clock by David Heller of the Hallettsville (Texas) Livestock Commission. When this cattleman says he’ll arrive on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. to haul our livestock, count on it. As David turns off the main road onto the uneven surface of our lane, the gates...
by Elaine | Jul 17, 2020 | Rural Life
Shrill protests from the henhouse suddenly rocked the peace and quiet of the farm in the Alberta foothills. When the commotion occurred, Cecilia Taylor was peeling potatoes at the kitchen sink that late August morning. She squinted out the window in the direction of...
by Elaine | Mar 6, 2020 | Rural Life
Back in 2006, Hansl was in big trouble. The miniature donkey had broken out of his Fayette County, Texas, pasture once too often. His owner, who already had given the scallywag several second chances, was out of patience. Hansl had to go. ‘Go where?’ Hansl must...
