April Snow

No its not unusual to get snow in April but this one on the 16th feels like just another 2 steps backwards after the one step forward of a few days ago. Such a nice day I was inspired to fire up the old Mustang from it's winter hibernation and take a short drive on the relatively dry roads. Today it looks like I'll need to shovel snow,, maybe get out with the tractor and blade on the driveway to move the snow so it does not melt into the road and create more mud. 

 

Alf's Barn

 Still plenty of deep snow in the fields here on April 6 but its frozen hard enough I can walk on top of it so ventured over to "Alf's barn" to check out the inventory. Its in sorry shape today but for a log building put up in 1907 its not surprising. I can remember my dad using it for grain storage in the 1960s even though most of it dirt floor. After that it was useful junk storage. 

Built of poplar logs by Metis (Robillards) for my great uncle. The story is that there were no poplars big enough locally to make good logs so these were hauled from many miles North out of the Touchwood hills. 

I thought this view of the log wall and door was kind of "artistic" so clipped a screen shot out of the video I made for youtube. 

Interesting story there is that great Uncle Alf was found dead in front of that door in January of 1943 at about the same age I am now and was frozen stiff by the time his brother discovered him. Less than a quarter mile away. They said that they noticed his dog howling and that alerted them something was wrong. 

Another One Bites The Dust

To quote an old song and not in a good way. Seems lately all I see is old buildings and old people being "disappeared" because they are either of no use or nobody can afford to keep them alive. Latest front page of the Fort Qu'appelle times shows the historic stone Webster house being demolished. It was only a matter of time as it had sat empty for a few years and despite numerous efforts to save it I guess they didn't work.

Of course it costs a lot of restore and maintain an old building. And once restored it still requires upkeep and a means to generate a return. The Fort has done well saving a few historic buildings like the Hudson Bay store. General Middleton's office, which is now part of the museum. The old school. And recently the McDonald house as an addition to the museum property. 

I've seen so many buildings demolished in my time. I guess I can consider myself lucky to have seen and enjoyed them before they were gone. I have plenty of photos to remind me of the times. Like this one from last year's Canada Day car show. The old stone house made a great background that will be missed this year. 

 And another from 2019. 

Wartime Letter to Kate Hobetzeder

Been putting this one off as its difficult due to poor spelling and grammar but I'll try to paraphrase just for it's family history value. 

Cousin Lottie Pitman wrote this to the Hobetzeder family in 1943. She was caring for her mother (Sarah Ann Bishop)and staying at the Martyr's Memorial cottages in Dorset (England) at the time. 

Dear Aunt and everybody. Just a few lines thanking you for your welcome letter but it was very sad. We are glad uncle (Alf Goff) never had to suffer. Mother used to often say she wished he had someone stopped with him. It was a blessing he had you so close to him. Do you go into Lipton for the burial?

Mother is about the same. We have had Les (my dad) and his chum to see us. They slept here one night. Rene brought them down. I think they are stopping longer next time. What a fine chap he is. Lovely head of curly hair and white teeth. Mother is happy now she has seen Les. She wishes she could see Grace and Ivy.

We heard about Uncle Alf from Aunt Alice. His photo dropped off the sideboard and mother said, "he is dead". She told me a week before he was gone. She said she seen some man walk around her bed. 

Wonder Jack or Tom didn't go to see what the dog was howling about. 

I was looking at your photo today. How you have altered but its still Aunt Kate. I often think about when you used to come to Winterbourne. I used to plait your hair and you used to say, spit on it to make it curl. That place has altered now and they have got a lot of council houses. We shall stay here as long as mother is alive. 

Mother has given Leslie grandfather Goff's watch. He is a nice lad. He is quiet. 

Hope this will find you better and getting over the shock. It upset mother at the time. 

So now I will say goodbye with love to all from us all. Your loving niece Lottie. 

Alf Goff

Kate Hobetzeder with daughters Grace and Ivy. 

https://youtu.be/GxPpk5B8XSo Finally opened up the field trail for a trip to town for mail and groceries. Have to smile at people who complain if they don't get their mail delivered to their door or mailbox daily. My mailbox is a 25 mile round trip away for me. The way its always been.

Jumped The Shark

If you are not familiar with this old expression it comes from the 1970s tv series, "Happy Days" in which Fonzie uses his motocycle to jump over a shark. It represented a low point in the series where it seemed the writer had run out of ideas and it was time to cancel. Well this past weekend my beloved CBC 540 am radio jumped the shark. Saturday evenings are not that special on there anyway but just good background. Not this time. I have the radio playing in the next room as I'm working on the laptop and watching tv when I start hearing someone screaming in pain as if they are being tortured. After a few minutes of this not stopping I had to go and turn the radio off as I determined that the noise was someone's idea of singing or music. Its not often I'd have to turn off CBC but this time they "jumped the shark". I've been a devoted listener for probably over 40 years and still have it on mostly 24 hours a day for the news and talk shows but its not quite what it used to be years ago. A lot of the good programs have been cut out or are repeated up to 3 times a week. Critics will complain that it is government funded and therefore biased towards the liberal party but I have never seen that or voted liberal in my life. I think I am pretty good at separating the wheat from the chaff to use an old farming expression.

Nov 22 Lakeside Drive