Thank you for sharing this snapshot of Katy's time on the farm with her parents and siblings. Everyone should have an Uncle George. This is why writing history is so important. We and future generations will be able to read about family life in the past. We learn about farm life, relationships, hardship, and community—a lovely story.
Marvellous ! We had & still have certain areas & communities that are predominately Dutch or German in southwestern Ontario ‘farm country.. & must admit I’m quite ‘uninformed re the ‘how & why.. the ‘settlement phenomena unfolded - over decades, lifetimes & even centuries of North American Immigration & eventual ‘migration within Canada & the USA..
‘Catholic Germans.. y’say ! ‼️
Will try to track down one of my very 1st Subscriptions here - a Senior male writer with Astonishing ‘memoir style’ recounting of his Family - early days pre ‘turn of the century rural subsistence.. perhaps western New York or Ohio & the men or Dad’s & eldest son leaving by wagon train with spare farm equipment, mules, molasses, seed corn or hogs to trade enroute - women & children left behind - just getting by.. the ‘men returning 8 months later..
But what his grandmother accomplished in one single average day - including ‘dropping her 7th child after splitting firewood & wringing a chicken’s neck enroute to collecting eggs & churning some butter, all with a one year old on her hip .. and I was exhausted just reading what she did after resting an hour after giving birth.. & ‘feeling slightly peaked .. Oh deary me ! 🦎🏴☠️‼️
I admit I've gone overboard with the gardening, but can't imagine HAVING TO coddle veg out of the ground just to survive. I am thankful for grocery stores and neighbors who have more than plenty of homegrown and leave goodies on my porch. ))) So there's oceans of flowers blooming each in their turn to keep the gardens full of color from first snow to last one. Everything sleeps through the ice time. Cabbagy things get moths that eat a whole near-harvest plant to the ground in a day so I stick to bloomers. Thankful for no brothers. Katy is our example survivor. I know we'd have been friends if ever we met in person. Here's a toast in her general direction )))
You definitely would have been friends! She was a great gardener, too. Half acre of flowers. No vegetables. She would be absolutely fascinated to know all you accomplish - especially lace making, spinning, weaving, dying, quilting.
As always I soak up the history as it was, so tough and truthful. Sort of surprisingly, the dusty Mason Jars on the basement shelves resonated the most--for there were those same jars on my own basement shelves 50 years ago after returning from having spent 4 years under Fascist Franco and then returning to the US without anything but a one-year-old and pregnant! I never fully trusted what had been canned from our garden--but there wasn't any other choice. Michigan was a challenge, but nothing like where we had escaped.
The audio tapes of Katey must be sacred. Hope you have them preserved and check them, listen in from time to time. Remember to soak the pots and pans . The secret to successful shining smiles of work well done.
"Oh well, we didn’t get into too much trouble. There wasn’t time for it. I worked hard when I was a kid, same as my brothers did, from sun up to sun down, but it was normal, and the only life I knew. Everybody had to work. Dad and the boys worked in the wheat fields, mama and I worked in the garden, cooked and canned and cleaned all day long. She liked to crochet in the evening. I just went to bed, I was tired I guess.” ......That paragraph right there just says it all. I enjoy these Katy posts so much Sharron. Can't say it enough. Thanks for sharing. - Jim
Oh, Jim, it does me so good to hear you say that. These writings are my only way to keep her alive and with me. We were very close. As for stories , well, you, my friend have a real cracker going with your serialized detective story All In A Row! It would make a hell of a movie!
Kids grew up faster with the responsibilities they had in the family and with others. It was a matter of survival, and I think things were better all around. Thanks, Sharron.
A hard, hard life, if you ask me, but as mom said, "It was just normal. That was how we had to live to get by." And here I am, sitting in my rocking chair, blanket on my lap, sipping coffee. Instant gas heat, cook stove, timed coffee pot, hot shower, lights, toilet that flushes every time. Ma would have called it "Fat City!"
"Prepared her well for the vagaries of life she was to encounter when she left North Dakota behind at age 16." and to become the powerful woman she was. A life so different than mine was growing up.
I love that you are keeping these Katy stories alive, Sharron. They are remarkable, as she was a remarkable woman. She had no choice but to rise above, or let it take her down. She wasn't ever one to back down from hard work. The way she managed the challenges of this cabin, over the years...and grew beautiful flowers in the face of hungry gophers and deer, was incredible!
It makes me wonder how little kids survived that level of work, but that was the way it was. Start with the small stuff and build up as the body grew bigger and stronger. But hauling water at a young age could do some serious harm to the shoulders and arms. Oy! Yet Katy sounds like she had a sense of humor and didn't turn out bitter and hard. My mother and the women in her family became very stern and unforgiving. And while they were poor and worked hard, it wasn't anywhere near what Katy endured. I love your stories about her.
I love the way you've formatted this with your own narrative interspersed between direct quotes from Katy--almost a documentary style. To hear what was expected of children in those days is mind-boggling. Life was a lot tougher back then but it seems it made for more self reliant people. Everyone loves hearing about Katy here, Sharron. Thank you for sharing.
Sharron you have a way of telling us about Katy’s life that makes it fascinating. Thank you. Indeed, all those hardships prepared her to endure her later life.
Oh, Sharron. There is so very much of Katy in your own writing, and that is such a wonderful, wonderful thing. I love that she shared all of these stories with you, and that she's telling them in her own words.
'I remember huge cotton sacks of home grown sunflower seeds in one of the bedroom closets and barrels of dill pickles in the cellar that were so hot from all the garlic and pepper corns, my lips were on fire before I could finish one.' *happy sigh*
Und jetzt hab' ich Hunger auf Spätzle.... (and now I'm hungry for spaetzle!)!
You know I like your Katy stories. To hear of her laborious childhood, knowing it would be followed by decades of toil in canning factories breaks my heart. What a resilient character she had. Her life deserves to be honored in this way. You have done a marvelous job of it Sharron.
Sharron,
Thank you for sharing this snapshot of Katy's time on the farm with her parents and siblings. Everyone should have an Uncle George. This is why writing history is so important. We and future generations will be able to read about family life in the past. We learn about farm life, relationships, hardship, and community—a lovely story.
Joel
Thank you, Joel. I appreciate your thoughtful comments here. Thanks for reading about our Katy!
Marvellous ! We had & still have certain areas & communities that are predominately Dutch or German in southwestern Ontario ‘farm country.. & must admit I’m quite ‘uninformed re the ‘how & why.. the ‘settlement phenomena unfolded - over decades, lifetimes & even centuries of North American Immigration & eventual ‘migration within Canada & the USA..
‘Catholic Germans.. y’say ! ‼️
Will try to track down one of my very 1st Subscriptions here - a Senior male writer with Astonishing ‘memoir style’ recounting of his Family - early days pre ‘turn of the century rural subsistence.. perhaps western New York or Ohio & the men or Dad’s & eldest son leaving by wagon train with spare farm equipment, mules, molasses, seed corn or hogs to trade enroute - women & children left behind - just getting by.. the ‘men returning 8 months later..
But what his grandmother accomplished in one single average day - including ‘dropping her 7th child after splitting firewood & wringing a chicken’s neck enroute to collecting eggs & churning some butter, all with a one year old on her hip .. and I was exhausted just reading what she did after resting an hour after giving birth.. & ‘feeling slightly peaked .. Oh deary me ! 🦎🏴☠️‼️
Incredible story. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here, TImber.
I admit I've gone overboard with the gardening, but can't imagine HAVING TO coddle veg out of the ground just to survive. I am thankful for grocery stores and neighbors who have more than plenty of homegrown and leave goodies on my porch. ))) So there's oceans of flowers blooming each in their turn to keep the gardens full of color from first snow to last one. Everything sleeps through the ice time. Cabbagy things get moths that eat a whole near-harvest plant to the ground in a day so I stick to bloomers. Thankful for no brothers. Katy is our example survivor. I know we'd have been friends if ever we met in person. Here's a toast in her general direction )))
You definitely would have been friends! She was a great gardener, too. Half acre of flowers. No vegetables. She would be absolutely fascinated to know all you accomplish - especially lace making, spinning, weaving, dying, quilting.
As always I soak up the history as it was, so tough and truthful. Sort of surprisingly, the dusty Mason Jars on the basement shelves resonated the most--for there were those same jars on my own basement shelves 50 years ago after returning from having spent 4 years under Fascist Franco and then returning to the US without anything but a one-year-old and pregnant! I never fully trusted what had been canned from our garden--but there wasn't any other choice. Michigan was a challenge, but nothing like where we had escaped.
I hope someday you will write about that early life, Jill. I'd read it, for sure.
I so appreciate your keeping memories of Katy and her way of life …. Alive.
Thank you, neighbor. I can't remember if you ever had a chance to meet Katy. She died in 2017.
The audio tapes of Katey must be sacred. Hope you have them preserved and check them, listen in from time to time. Remember to soak the pots and pans . The secret to successful shining smiles of work well done.
Yes, Richard. We have some of them transferred from cassette tapes to CDs. Especially her singing. It is a small archive, but precious to us.
"Oh well, we didn’t get into too much trouble. There wasn’t time for it. I worked hard when I was a kid, same as my brothers did, from sun up to sun down, but it was normal, and the only life I knew. Everybody had to work. Dad and the boys worked in the wheat fields, mama and I worked in the garden, cooked and canned and cleaned all day long. She liked to crochet in the evening. I just went to bed, I was tired I guess.” ......That paragraph right there just says it all. I enjoy these Katy posts so much Sharron. Can't say it enough. Thanks for sharing. - Jim
Oh, Jim, it does me so good to hear you say that. These writings are my only way to keep her alive and with me. We were very close. As for stories , well, you, my friend have a real cracker going with your serialized detective story All In A Row! It would make a hell of a movie!
Kids grew up faster with the responsibilities they had in the family and with others. It was a matter of survival, and I think things were better all around. Thanks, Sharron.
A hard, hard life, if you ask me, but as mom said, "It was just normal. That was how we had to live to get by." And here I am, sitting in my rocking chair, blanket on my lap, sipping coffee. Instant gas heat, cook stove, timed coffee pot, hot shower, lights, toilet that flushes every time. Ma would have called it "Fat City!"
"Prepared her well for the vagaries of life she was to encounter when she left North Dakota behind at age 16." and to become the powerful woman she was. A life so different than mine was growing up.
She was powerful only in the way she KNEW she could take care of herself, and later, her children. She always remained humble and optimistic.
Very true!
I love that you are keeping these Katy stories alive, Sharron. They are remarkable, as she was a remarkable woman. She had no choice but to rise above, or let it take her down. She wasn't ever one to back down from hard work. The way she managed the challenges of this cabin, over the years...and grew beautiful flowers in the face of hungry gophers and deer, was incredible!
Thank you, Sharon. She made the most of it and she had a lot of stories to tell.
It makes me wonder how little kids survived that level of work, but that was the way it was. Start with the small stuff and build up as the body grew bigger and stronger. But hauling water at a young age could do some serious harm to the shoulders and arms. Oy! Yet Katy sounds like she had a sense of humor and didn't turn out bitter and hard. My mother and the women in her family became very stern and unforgiving. And while they were poor and worked hard, it wasn't anywhere near what Katy endured. I love your stories about her.
What we admire ( and envy) is the ability she had to remain optimistic and find the good in any situation
I love the way you've formatted this with your own narrative interspersed between direct quotes from Katy--almost a documentary style. To hear what was expected of children in those days is mind-boggling. Life was a lot tougher back then but it seems it made for more self reliant people. Everyone loves hearing about Katy here, Sharron. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Jim. I still have a few Katy stories to tell, but I can't seem to sit down to it. I appreciate your reviewing these re-postings.
Sharron you have a way of telling us about Katy’s life that makes it fascinating. Thank you. Indeed, all those hardships prepared her to endure her later life.
Oh, Yael, I am so glad to hear it. They are personal family tales and I just pray that others find them of interest.
Oh, Sharron. There is so very much of Katy in your own writing, and that is such a wonderful, wonderful thing. I love that she shared all of these stories with you, and that she's telling them in her own words.
'I remember huge cotton sacks of home grown sunflower seeds in one of the bedroom closets and barrels of dill pickles in the cellar that were so hot from all the garlic and pepper corns, my lips were on fire before I could finish one.' *happy sigh*
Und jetzt hab' ich Hunger auf Spätzle.... (and now I'm hungry for spaetzle!)!
Ich auch... täglich!
You know I like your Katy stories. To hear of her laborious childhood, knowing it would be followed by decades of toil in canning factories breaks my heart. What a resilient character she had. Her life deserves to be honored in this way. You have done a marvelous job of it Sharron.
Thank you, my friend. I really admire your fiction, so your comments make me feel honored.