What precious little I knew about farming when I arrived at The Western Producer 16 years ago was gleaned from weekend visits to the Daniels’ farm near Clavet, Sask.
Our two families were tight. If the Daniels weren’t at our house in the city on a Sunday, then the Pratts were frolicking on their mixed farming operation located within a 20 minute drive of Saskatoon.
I was too young to drive Rudy’s tractor or brand his cattle but I got a pretty good insight into other aspects of farm life – the fun stuff.
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There was the itchy, claustrophobic feeling of independence while hiding out in a bale fort, the joy of an impromptu family softball game on a gopher-ridden chunk of turf and the Lawrence Welk spoofs starring the kids.
This weekend I attended Rudy and Edith’s 50th wedding anniversary. Living as a couple for that long is an impressive accomplishment but emerging still giddily in love is stunning.
When the speeches became tedious, I glanced longingly at the bar. A box of Schloss Laderheim wine triggered memories of our parents sitting around the dining room table arguing and laughing and watching the sunset, while the kids played shuffleboard in the basement, watched The Wonderful World of Disney or listened to Gordy Lightfoot albums while lying on the living room carpet.
I don’t profess to have learned anything about marriage from watching Rudy and Edith for all those years. What did rub off was the value of sharing a meal and having frank, thought-provoking discussions/arguments with close friends.
The couple has different takes on what kept them together for five decades. Rudy, the sentimentalist, thinks it was love. Edith, the pragmatist, claims it was obligation.
My layman’s take is it was their shared Mennonite work ethic and the ability to find humour and hope even in some of life’s darker moments. When Edith was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she called it her 65th birthday present and declared she was going to make friends with the disease.
Both have suffered their share of hardships. Edith endured the horrors of the Second World War when her family was forced out of Europe. Rudy lost his mother when he was 17, an event that crippled him emotionally. Perhaps the occasional marital battle seems trivial by comparison?
Whatever the source of the bond, I can only hope my two sons develop the same kind of chemistry with their mates when they reach that stage of life.
Happy anniversary, guys.
Make it another 50 and it could be front-page material!
