Looking For Horses etc.

February 24, 1948 and Dick and I got the fanning mill and the wild oat separator home this morning. After dinner I went for a drive in the sleigh to try and find Eddie Miller's horses and see if the mare that little Henry Schmidt was willing to trade was with them. I went to where Ed Miller is now living on 13 and saw his wife. She told me that their horses are on 21 and that Eddie had gone to K.D's to borrow the tractor for sawing wood so I went in there and saw Alfred and Eddie. They told me I would have to go through Manuel's yard and through Hobetzeder's so I went out on the road past Bill Senft's and called in at Manuel's where his wife told me that he was in Saskatoon and showed me which trail to take to Hobetzeder's. When I got there Hobetzeder was outside getting feed in the stable He showed me 9 young lambs (Shropshires). 5 ewes had ten lambs but one died. He offered to go with me on 21 and look for the horses. Grace was outside with the pony and he asked her to do the chores while he went with me. We drove across 21 but coud not see any horses so we went through the North line onto 28, then East to 35 highway where we saw a bunch of horses on 27 but when we got up close enough we saw they were not the right ones so we started back for Hobetzeder's along the highway. On the way we saw the horses over on 21 so we went through a gate and took a look at them. There were 8. Two of Hobetzeder's, 5 of Ed Miller's and little Henry's gray mare. Then we went back to Hobetzeder's where I stayed to supper. Both of the girls are home. August Hepting came over from McCullough's on horseback while I was there and was still there when I left. I got home in time to milk.

Charlie and Kate Hobetzeder with daughter, Ivy.

Trip To Lipton January 1948

January 26: Roy came along in the closed in cutter about 8 AM and I went to Lipton with him. It was a cold day with a North wind blowing but with a fire on we were quite comfortable. The road was heavy and we could not make very fast progress. I went to the station and paid the freight. Then we put the two 100 pound boxes of fish out on the platform ready.
We went to the post office where I saw our new post master, Reg Waters for the first time as it was my first trip to Lipton since July 30, 1946.
We went to Charles Brinkworth's cafe for dinner (55 cents). Then I went to the bank, had my book fixed up and put $100 into a savings account. I hunted up where Fishers live and paid them a visit. Mr. Fisher showed me his encyclopedia and Mrs. Fisher gave me some tea and cake. Philip Fisher has two youngsters, both girls, and Kenny has a son. Will Lutz and Malcom Bordass were in town with Ed Miller's closed in cutter. Oshowey also in town. And Charlie Hook.
I went into the barber shop and pool room for the first time and saw pool being played. Charlie Bull was playing with another guy. Bill Miller and Robert Senft at another table. Jack Goff, Joe Kelsey and others in there looking on,
When we left town little Henry Schmidt rode with us to Jack Mintzler's. He was after a horse for his foxes. He has an 8 year old mare he is willing to trade off for an old horse.

January 27: Dick and I got two loads of wheat straw home this morning and put it in the loft. In the afternoon I went for a tank of water. In Uncle Arthur's pasture I got stuck as the sleighs cut off. Bud came along with the scoop shovel and dug some snow away so I could get started again and managed to get home. Bud was screening barley out of his straw pile.

Jack Goff in the 1940s

70 Years Ago On The Nevard Farm

Nov. 7, 1943

Dear Dick, It is now Sunday evening, more than eight days since you went away so I thought you would be waiting to hear from home and I am consequently writing this letter. Although no letter came from you in this week's mail. Probably it didn't have time.

How do you find it in B.C.? We hae a blanket of snow here now. About 4 or 5 inches so you wouldn't have done much more land work even if you had stayed home longer. After you left on the bus Saturday I went and did what business I had to do. I went to Andy Gray's and got the scoop shovel and he told me that he had room for wheat in the elevator. I did'nt see Mr. Brinkworth about the tiller as he went on the bus with you. We got home about 2:30 pm and after I had my dinner I went in the pasture and cut a load of wood. The books which came from the library were "Poland the Unexplained and Tramp's Sketches".

On the Sunday I let Gleam and Embers out for a while but got them in again at night planning to take wheat to town in the morning but on Monday morning it was snowing when I got up so I did not go. It didn't snow a lot and I went out in the pasture and cut two more loads of wood that day. Dad was making preparations to build a cement cupboard outside our bedroom. On Tuesday Nov. 2 I helped Dad mixing the cement for him and doing chores. Donald was here to supper and listened to Fibber McGee. On the 3rd Uncle H. and I each took a load of wheat to Lipton. I had Gleam with Embers. As I guess you know it was her first trip to town. Dad thought it would be a good idea if someone went down with me in case of having trouble at the elevator. Uncle H. was behind me until we got past the German Church , then he went ahead. He gained on me some but not a great lot. Gleam hesitated a bit going over the bridge at the big coulee but they were trotting and she got on the planks before she could check herself. When we got to the elevator Andy Gray was home to dinner. Uncle H. had his load on the scales when I came along and I drove up right behind him into the elevator. He was there but he didn't have to lead Gleam and she didn't give me any trouble on the scales either. On the way home I met 13 cars, 1 truck and 1 tractor and neither Gleam nor Embers showed any concern about them. There had been a sale at Henry Schmidt's that day which was partly the reason for so much traffic. When I got home it was snowing fast and everything was covered with a white blanket.

The next morning I had the job of driving the chickens into the new hen house. I did it too, all alone. There is just one pullet who is still living in the pigpen. We have 48 hens and chickens altogether and 11 turkeys. I got a load of gravel home and Dad made a new trough for the little pigs as they have outgrown their old one.

In the afternoon I cut another load of wood in the pasture. Uncle A's cow Diamond is the mother of twin calves. On Friday, the 5th it was snowing and blowing most of the day. I went and cut wood for a while but the snow was making my smock wet so I came home and cleaned out the old hen house. We got Pansy, Sunshine and calves in dinnertime. In the afternoon I got a jag of oat straw on sleighs. Quite a bit of the oat straw has been spoilt by the rain.

Yesterday I cut some more wood. I have 9 loads cut now. Roy brought the mail down in the morning. Today was a quiet Sunday at home. Dad went up to Silver Birches for a while after dinner. I think we are all about the same as usual. Don't see anybody much but able to keep busy and find life quite interesting. Weather tolerably mild but dull and snow not going very fast. Lighfoot and Roundhead send their best love and hope you find the mice in B.C. tender and toothsome. Hoping you are in good health I am your loving brother
 E.W. Nevard.