How are things in Canada, Cathy??

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Haven't heard much from you lately!! How is everything going??

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), March 24, 2002

Answers

Hi, Melissa. I have not been at the computer much for a variety of reasons. I've been doing more things with the children (reading, schoolwork, walks and hikes). We all got colds; as usual, the children were sick first. When they all got better, I got it. On a few warm days, we worked outside cleaning up the yard, turning over the compost pile, etc. Celebrated the first day of spring with five inches of snow. Nathanael re-did my whole computer system--goodbye, Windows 98, hello, Windows XP. Took him a while to get my e-mail going again.

Yesterday I got to go with the youth group to the sugar bush near Ottawa. This one is not a commercial enterprise, but rather a restored homestead. They showed us the way things used to be done. The whole homestead has been restored; they also have animals-- chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, sheep. The house itself consisted of a kitchen and parlor downstairs, two bedrooms and a large landing (top of the stairs) bedroom upstairs. Heated only by the cookstove in the kitchen with the stovepipe heating the upstairs. A family of 11 lived there. The two small bedrooms were designated "boys" and "girls"; they said that sometimes the boys would sleep in the barn in summer. The parents and whatever babies, toddlers and sick children there were had the landing room.

The sugar bush itself was greatly damaged by the Ice Storm of '98. It is in government hands and is deteriorating too rapidly. The tour guide described the work it would take to bring it back and seemed hopeful that the work would be done.

After the tour, we went to another park---I should mention that there was at least a foot of snow in the woods---for a campfire/cookout. This proved to be really fun, in spite of the new snow that began to fall while we were eating. We brought our own dry kindling and gathered enough dead wood to get a really nice fire going. The menu consisted of hot dogs and pancakes. My first attempt at frying pancakes over an open fire produced cakes that were burnt on the outside and gooey on the inside. By the time my crew was finished, I had finally mastered the art enough to enjoy a plate of almost perfect cakes with maple syrup, myself. We had a really great time. The only ones who got cold were the girls who walked in with blue jeans when they should have had snow pants. I dressed in layers so that I could move about easily, and was quite toasty. The temperatures were in the upper 20s, low 30s.

That's about it for now. Tom wants to check his e-mail, so I need to get off line. I may get more regular here, but if I don't, it's because we're bringing the place back to life for spring and trying to finish up school work. Have one child done with math for the year; the others are coming along.

-- Cathy N. (eastern Ontario) (homekeeper86@sympatico.ca), March 24, 2002.


Sounds like you have been busy. The homestead tour sounds like a lot of fun and educational too. I always enjoy things like this as well.

I do miss you when you aren't here, but I know you have a lot to do. We seem to keep our days and evenings in constant motion as well... There is so much to do all the time that I fel one life-time just won't be enough to accomplish everything that needs to be done!!

I know with the busy days of spring ahead of us, we all will be extra busy, so I hope everyone has a chance to check in with your questions, your stories and anything interesting you have to share.

Talk to you later CAthy!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), March 24, 2002.


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