c. 1925 – 1930
Mr. and Mrs. Landy rented and lived with us in Winnipeg for a short time in two self-contained rooms at the back of a house that my parents rented on Burrows Avenue. They owned a farm three miles north of Gimli, Manitoba.1 Mrs. Landy and my mother became good friends and the Landys invited all our family to stay at their farm during our summer holidays where we enjoyed many happy adventures. I first went to the farm when I was about ten or twelve years of age and we returned every summer for about the next four years.
Mrs. Landy was a very kind lady who worked long, hard hours both on the farm and in the house. On one occasion when she was tired and needed a rest, I saw her go to bed, lay down for what seemed like a minute or two, jump out of bed, and then literately run off to continue her chores.
Mr. Landy was also kind. He seemed relaxed and easy-going even though he worked hard on and around the farm. He told us many interesting stories, mostly about his life adventures.
They had three children ranging in ages from about three to ten at the time, well behaved and free as birds. We picked hazel nuts, berries and wildflowers. When we were lost in the woods, we would climb trees to look for landmarks to find our way back. We walked a mile to the lake for a swim and three miles when we wanted to go into town. We never left the farm at night because it was always pitch black, except during a full moon. There was no electricity for miles around.
Coal oil lamps were used to light the homes. Wood and coal stoves were used for heating and cooking. All the farmers had out-houses with Eaton’s catalogues2 hanging on nails for toilet paper.
When I was a little older, I loved to go up to the attic to bed and read mystery books, especially on stormy nights.
One Sunday we were all invited to a farm miles away. We all sat in a large wagon and were driven there by two horses to have all the pierogis, strawberries and fresh sour cream we could eat.
Because my mother was working, she could only visit us on weekends. She always arrived loaded with groceries: foods that were not available at the farm, and treats for the children which were always large, round, white candy mints.
My father came on an occasional weekend. One day he shot a partridge that was taking off with one of the farmer’s chickens.3 He happened to be checking a gun at the time, so he didn’t hit the partridge but frightened it and it dropped the chicken.
When a farmer built a home, a barn, an addition to a building, or was short-handed during the harvest, farmers from the community would come to help with the chores.
We happened to be staying at the Landys’ farm when a wedding took place. Everybody for miles around was invited. The newly married couple and some of their guests arrived at the church in a horse driven wagon continuously hooting, hollering and shooting off firearms along the way. The wedding reception took place in the bride’s home. The musicians played mostly string instruments. Guests put change in the cavity of what I believe was a string bass. I don’t know whether that was payment for the orchestra or a gift for the bride and groom. I tend to believe the latter.
The farmers’ wives brought dishes of food as no one family had the time or was in a position to feed hundreds of wedding guests. After the wedding, the bride went to live and work as a member of the groom’s family which seemed to be the custom. No honeymoon! I believe they worked their farms the following day. It was a wedding to be remembered.
I never saw Gimli in the wintertime. I was told the farmers cut blocks of ice after the lake froze over. The ice was stored in sheds and completely covered with sawdust to help keep food cool in the summertime. I don’t remember seeing an ice box.
At the end of the summers my mother would come on the weekend to take us home. Our holidays were over. We travelled by train and were always fascinated by the city lights on our arrival back to the big city and school.
My summer trips to Gimli ended when I was sixteen years old and went to work at my aunt and uncle’s photography studio.
Next Chapter: Star Photo Studio
1 Gimli, Manitoba, is a town on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg about 90 km (60 mi) north of Winnipeg. Return
2 Eaton’s was a Canadian department store chain “with stores across the country…and a catalogue that was found in the homes of most Canadians.” Return
3 “Partridge” is probably an incorrect translation of the bird’s species from Ukrainian to English. Partridges eat seeds, greens and insects. It seems more likely that a predatory bird, such as a hawk, seized the chicken. Return