The effort that was required to keep the home fires burning contrast sharply with the sterile efficiency of a modern electric range
A small ski resort was located about three kilometres from where I grew up, and while I was able to scratch together 15 cents for the cost of a tow ticket, money for lunch was out of the question. When I went into the chalet to warm up around noon, the smell of hamburgers and […] Read moreStories by Alma Barkman
Trip with Farley was not for the faint of heart
A drive to town in the neighbour’s truck always left one perspiring profusely and smelling faintly of horses and hogs
Waiting for a parcel from Eaton’s mail order catalogue was better than waiting for Christmas. Three times a week the train came puffing into town from the East, dumping bags of mail from the baggage car onto the station platform. Three times a week I left school during noon hour and hurried across the tracks […] Read more
Layover made journey more difficult
I was about five years old when, in the middle of winter one year, Mom and I undertook the challenge of making an urgent trip to visit my Aunt Nellie in Brandon. Although it was only about 120 kilometres away, rural roads were blocked, so alternative travel arrangements had to be made. Mom was given […] Read more
$50 for the best school float in the Christmas parade
One of my school mates had seen the advertisement in the local weekly: “$50 for the best school float in the Christmas parade.” Our Grade 7 teacher proposed a business meeting to discuss the possibilities, prize money to be used for library books. It took the class all of five minutes to plan a float […] Read more
Time will tell, especially at Christmas time
I flung back my long blond braids and stood to attention beside my Grade 3 desk. As quickly as Miss Irwin spun the hands of the cardboard clock, I called out the answers. “One o’clock. Six o’clock. Half past 10. Two o’clock….” Miss Irwin smiled. “Very good indeed, Alma. You may be seated. Next please….” […] Read more
Legacy of prairie settlers continues to be remembered
I parked the car on the grassy driveway of the Saskatchewan cemetery, a strong prairie wind offering stout resistance as I walked among the weathered, tilting tombstones. I was seeking the resting place of a pioneer couple who had homesteaded in southern Saskatchewan, but their story actually began in 1906 near Hillsboro, Kansas. As a […] Read more
Making sauerkraut not for the faint of heart
The initial odour was forgotten when a steaming platter of sauerkraut and smoked sausage was served on a cold day
As I drove past a wholesale vegetable outlet I noticed several pallets of cabbages waiting to be delivered to various grocery stores. I remembered my mother looking out over the garden in fall and deciding that something had to be done with the few remaining cabbage heads before the first severe frost. Out came the […] Read more
October — Sabbath of the soul
The month is a time to tuck in the loose ends of summer, all those little jobs no one wanted to do because of summer heat
No more cucumbers wilting in the corner of the kitchen. No more colanders of raw green relish oozing juice. No more stray tomato seeds pasted to the kitchen window. No more apple jelly stuck to the tiles. No preserving jars crowding the counters. No mysterious noises betraying imperfect seals. No big awkward kettles to empty […] Read more
Long autumn road trip turns into childhood adventure
Fancy new car, a paved highway and ice cream were highlights of a trip that felt like floating straight toward paradise
The first bumper crop in years had just been sold and my parents and I were about to embark on the longest trip I had ever taken — almost 500 kilometres. Mom made arrangements with the new school teacher about my impending leave of absence, and because my marks in Grade 5 had all been […] Read more
Skulduggery in the school cloakroom
Memory: Barry the Brat brought bribery, blackmail and extortion with him, but the day he stole the banana was a new low
The day I started school in 1946, I proudly carried a new lunch pail — a shiny black box with crossover handles. Many of my friends were still using Roger syrup pails but as appetites grew, we ended up with larger lunch kits that held a Thermos in the lid. They were destined for the […] Read more
