Grandmother Isabella
Glen Shiels
I found her letters again. They were addressed to my mother, Nessie, who was newly married, and living in Victoria, B.C. My pioneer grandparents lived in Bethune, Saskatchewan; tilled the soil with oxen and horses. I visited the homestead quite few times , long after they were gone. A quiet, windswept place, where wild prairie forever stretches. "Like the ocean," my mother would say. You could walk the fields getting lost in the grain . To find your way back , all you had to do was turn around and see the homestead in the distance. When I see the old photos, I can still smell those warm prairie nights, and all those people come alive again.....
(Stuart, Isobel, Nessie , Bill, Isabella Glen Shiels and Robert Shiels
and Jessie their favourite dog)
(This letter deals with a measles epidemic and a blistering mustard plaster.......)
Keddleston, Saskatchewan May
1st, 1937
Rain everywhere, but around this district
. Bit it still comes in time . I guess
Edda and you had quite a nice time. It was nice for her, anyway.
Just as I started to write this I got one
of my turkeys poisoned with formaline wheat. I had 3 set on 49 eggs, so one is
gone, and eggs spoiled. Blanch Ferraby is off with her sister to the old
country and I met Blanche Wilke at Ferrabys on Tuesday. Went to spend the
afternnons to get my curtains run up. I bought the same material as the front
windows, changing them to bedroom and North window.
Bill, waiting to hitch the horses.
Blanche
was blowing on about Mrs. Bunker and Mrs. Smith, being absent and Mrs. B
had shown her all over. Oh Hell,I said, Nessie is all.Electric and all kinds of
lovely furniture. She has been subbing for Jean Muirhead, until they got
another teacher . A Friend of the Family….Principal of Scotts. Got her a
school, or room, rather, 23 children, 8 grades at $800. A salary she deserves.
She did a lot for Keddleston , even starting a girl guides. They got a Miss
Griffin from Regina.
The measles has taken it s last person. A.
Thompson. It did not miss a house that had got it. Left behind weak eyes and 5
that I know of had ear operations. Doctor Gillis’ boy had 2 mastoids. Niel
Wilkie , two of Art Beals’ kids and quite a few more, but with the last two
warm days I think the worst is over.
Nessie and her beloved horses
Dad
is back to his old self and has been on the land the last two weeks with 6
horses, so you can judge from that. I blistered him with mustard , just as I
did Stuart, and it has cleared out the Bronchitis, I think.
The men have all the wheat in now, and
burning for oats, but won’t sow for some time.Helen Tomlinson lost out in the
finals of the Amateurs, the best singer, but her voice was not suitable for
radio. They must have had quite a time choosing, as they cried out her name.
Too bad.
Had a long letter from J. Irwin, he is
working and work is plenty over there, but the weather has been wet and more
wet.
I
am sending you Mac and also one of the Boyce and his Ma. Where is you snap
shots ( eh?). Harry has got a new Bug he is renting. Hargraves , 14 acre and
group to keep a cow and 100hens and 2 pigs, raise 400 bushel of grain to feed
them, and be Independent.The grass is just showing, and the cattle have to be
fed yet.
Oh
yes, Freddy has bought the Hotel, and giving a dance to tonight, with the Beach
Orchestra. I think Silsby is renting Ferraby’s and Harris’ had to rent his to
Guy McConnell, as he had only 3 horses. Oh, again Herb and Aggie have moved
into Irwins, and rented their own to F. Goolatt, as no others would take it.
Ferraby's in Kedelston, 1931
Mac works with Willie all forenoon, then
sleeps all noon. He is the whole cheese to see his little legs dancing around
the cows and horses. To make them go is to laugh, but he takes a great kick out
of it. Now, he is chasing the 10 little pigs , but I have two red ones and when
I let them out, and they just shoulder aside. They say: No thanks. What are you
getting 50 chicks for, Norman, and us this week. Oh, I forgot to tell you was
at Regina two
weeks ago, and had a fine time…skinned my heels with new shoes and sent your
money to the Victoria Bank ( $105). Please let me know if you got it all right.
Going up to Keddleston, tonight, taking Stuart up to the Davee Hall.
Stuart, Mar 21, 1934
Fred Lydall will sell his pool tables to
Fred Goolatt, I think, for the Hotel, so am glad. Must stop as I have the
kitchen to clean up, yet, and it looks like rain. Has Champ got $300 as honary
Relief? Does he still talk about building the Hotel, and I hope his Ontario one has not
caught in the flood.
Must stop…Love to Davy and Nessie.
From all, including
Mother.
