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I GOT through the cutting of
my crop at last, although I was much delayed by rain and snow. Lately I have
been very busy stacking my oats for spring feed, and getting wood from the
bush, also working as much as possible on the land and waiting patiently (?)
for the threshers to arrive. There is a lot of threshing to do this year and
machines are scarce; I have been waiting for over ten days and no signs of
them yet. If they do not hurry up it will be a dreadful rush to get away, as
we want to, by December, and I am afraid that I shall be landed into bad
weather for my road work; it is bad enough when fine, for both man and
beast.
My crop, I am sorry to say,
is frozen, but as all the crops are in the same condition more or less, I
shall hope to get a fair price when I can market it. To-day I finished
hauling up winter food to my neighbours, for my horses during the time we
are away.
It seems too good to be true
that in about six weeks we shall be home again. We are wondering if we shall
appear much changed. We have been leading a life that must roughen one
somewhat, but we have tried to be nevertheless faithful to the old home
traditions, and the presence of a refined woman on a homestead exercises a
wide spreading influence. The S--- 's have quite made up their mind to go
home this winter, and really S--- is no longer fit for this country after
having his feet so crippled.
We are having lovely weather
just now, about the best weather we have had during the whole year. It is
sickening not to be able to get on with my ploughing on account of this
delay in threshing; it will mean such a hustle in the spring.
I heard yesterday that the
patent for my land had been issued, and so I am writing to the Registrar to
apply for it.
We are going to have quite a
clearing out this year in this part, old C--- R---- is leaving his place,
his nephew, who is working for me, is going home. I should not wonder if he
travels with us. R----, whose brother was struck by lightning, is leaving
also; another neighbour has sold out, and there are two or three more we
hear are wanting to sell, so this will be a rather lonely part of the world
this winter.
They are hard at work on the
railroad. It is expected that they will get out here before Christmas. They
mean to haul grain this winter, I hear; it will certainly be a great help to
us next year.
The site for our town has not
yet been selected, but I should not be at all surprised if it is chosen
within a mile from us; we may yet get off the cars on our own place when we
return in the spring.
It is really wonderful what
progress we are making towards better civilization in the few years that we
have been out in the North-West. When we first came here we had no nearer
town than Saskatoon, 45 miles distant, and very few neighbours, and now
every bit of Government land is taken up, and very little other land remains
to be bought; we have a store and post office 6 miles away, a town 20 miles
off, a railway fast approaching us, so I think that in the near future we
shall find our life out in this part of the world far more pleasant. |
